Thus far, Maddock Films has made a lottery out of its horror comedies Stree, Munjya and Stree 2, which cracked the fine balance of laughs with screams. Kannada film Su From So takes the same formula to delightful results.
That it does so with a wee budget and next-to-no big names and negligible visual effects makes it all the more impressive. Already the highest-grossing Kannada film of 2025, collecting Rs 37 crore and giving Sandalwood (Kannada film industry) a new lease of life, the film is expanding its geographic footprint through word-of-mouth publicity. While reveling in its theatrical success, Su From So will certainly find a whole new fan base when it eventually releases on OTT.
The setting is a coastal village with god-fearing citizens. Director-writer J.P. Thuminad plays Ashoka who, in a desperate attempt to hide his erroneous behavior, pretends to be possessed by a ghost. What he hopes would be a distraction from punishment ends up becoming the village’s obsession. Calling his spirit self Sulochana (the ‘Su’ of title), he soon has to contend with umpteen questionable cures, a spiritual baba (Raj B. Shetty) and the village hero and fixer Ravi Anna (Shaneel Gautham). Chaos reigns as Ashoka is entrapped in a mess of his own making.
Like most engaging films in the genre, Su From So’s appeal lies in its ability to intersperse a meaningful message and highlight social evils while doing so. Thuminad’s script is high on wit, jibes and observational comedy, which helps in building an endearing portrait of the community and establishing the camaraderie between the folks. But the real appeal of the film lies in how well it deploys the oddball characters it has at its disposal. Everyone gets the spotlight and milks it. Alongside Gautham and Shetty, Pushparaj Bolar, Prakash Thuminad and Deepak Rai shine in this comedy of errors.
The emotional heartbeat of Su From So is also a stree—Bhanu (played by Sandhya Arakere), whose entry infuses a hard punch of reality amidst the unfolding craziness. Quiet and vulnerable, she carries a dark secret as she is brought to the village to save Ashoka. Her inclusion brings much depth to the narrative and eventually becomes a clever device to have a coming-of-age arc for Ashoka.
In his directorial debut, J.P. Thuminad, who traces his roots to Tulu theatre, never veers from the organic roots of his storytelling. Contrivances are kept at bay, so are gags, and even when being silly, it’s never cheesy, cheap or insulting. Lot of it boils down to the fact that Thuminad is said to have based the characters on those familiar to him, and cast actors from the same theatre troupe as his as well as newcomers. Ultimately, Su From So succeeds because it subscribes to what’s now a familiar adage of filmmaking—the most personal is the most creative.
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