Jiiva 49: Kappela director Muhammad Musthafa joins Tamil wave

Jiiva's next Tamil film will be directed by Kappela filmmaker Muhammad Musthafa. The film, tentatively titled Jiiva 49, was launched with a pooja on Monday, October 26, as reported by Cinema Express. Nimisha Sajayan and Angel Maria, known for Vaazha 2, co-star, and Jiiva co-produces with Sudhan Sundaram of Passion Studios, the report says.

That makes Musthafa the latest Malayalam director to take a project to Tamil cinema in 2026, a year in which several Malayalam names have crossed over.

Who is Muhammad Musthafa?

Musthafa started as an actor and won a Special Mention for acting at the 62nd National Film Awards for Ain. His debut as a director, Kappela (2020), won him the Kerala State Film Award for Best Debut Director. He followed it with Mura (2024), starring Suraj Venjaramoodu and Hridhu Haroon. Jiiva 49 is his first Tamil film.

The 2026 crossover, at a glance

Muhammad Musthafa: Calling card: Kappela. Tamil film: Jiiva 49. Star: Jiiva. Status: pooja held on October 26 (reported)

Jithu Madhavan: Calling card: Romancham, Aavesham. Tamil film: Scene. Star: Suriya. Status: releasing worldwide on November 6

Vishnu Sasi Shankar: Calling card: Malikappuram. Tamil film: Manikanda. Star: Vaibhav. Status: title and first look out on October 26, no release date

Nithish Sahadev: Calling card: Falimy. Tamil film: Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil. Star: Jiiva. Status: released January 15, 2026 (reported)

Jithu Madhavan's Scene

The biggest of these is Scene, the Aavesham director's film with Suriya, which Zhagaram Studios has confirmed for a worldwide release on November 6. Suriya plays DSP Inbaraj, and the makers released his glimpse on October 26.

Vishnu Sasi Shankar's Manikanda

The Malikappuram director's Ayyappa-themed Tamil film got its title and first look on October 26, when actor Ravi Mohan revealed them on X. Vaibhav leads the Tantra Films production, with Venkat Prabhu as creative producer.

Nithish Sahadev's Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil

The Falimy director's Tamil debut, also with Jiiva, came out on January 15 for Pongal, moved up from January 30 after Jana Nayagan was postponed, according to The New Indian Express. It turned into a sleeper hit. Trade estimates put its worldwide gross at about Rs 38.75 crore on a reported Rs 10 crore budget.

Why Jiiva keeps calling Kerala

With Jiiva 49, Jiiva becomes the only star on this list to work with two of these directors in the same year. His Malayalam links go beyond directors, too: his Ra Venkat film Thagappan, featuring Rajisha Vijayan, is set for December 24.

The pattern across all four films is the same. Each director built a name with a Malayalam calling card, then took an original project to a Tamil star rather than remaking an old hit. Title, crew and release plans for Jiiva 49 have not been announced yet.