Sambhavam Adhyayam Onnu - "Caw" - ing our way out

Sambhavam Adhyayam Onnu

Malayalam, 2026

Genre: Sci-fi Thriller 

Director: Jithu Santheesan

Stars: Askar Ali, Vineeth Kumar, Sidarth Bharathan, Asim Jamal

Mohan's Measure ⭐️ 

Without giving too much away, I can say that Sambhavam Adhyayam Onnu offers an interesting premise, fairly good acting and a complex but effective script. So why does it come across as cheesy? I will attempt to explain without spoilers.

First, mythology and sci-fi go great together if the myth is known to the audience. The mythos of this movie, centered on a crow god, is through and through the product of someone with no working knowledge of the eclectic culture of Kerala. 

Second, a sci-fi film should never use its plot device repetitively as a means of introducing characters or building plot. After a time, the audience loses interest, anxious for a new twist in the story. Primal screams and ghostly apparitions only further the test of our patience. 

Lastly, an effective sci-fi includes moments of believability, moral struggle, or human sentiment. Sticking only to one gender and men of the same profession makes things feel mechanical. Such mechanistic movie telling makes us question the  need for a sequel. This would only result in the director having to "eat crow."