Mandaadi

Muthukaali, a legendary traditional boat racer of "Mugavai Maindhans" in Ramanathapuram has exiled himself to work as a lifeguard in Chennai following a tragic rift. In his absence, the ruthless Sattapuli, a friend turned foe of Muthukaali dominates the ocean with the "Tsunami Riders", fuelling a violent rivalry between neighbouring fishing communities. Spurred by a friend's crisis, Muthukaali returns to the shores to train an underdog crew of local fishermen for a high-stakes festival race.

• Soori as Muthukaali "Kaali" / Mandaadi
• Suhas as Sattapuli (Voice over by Mathimaran Pugazhendhi)
• Mahima Nambiar as Angel Rakkamma
• Sathyaraj as Machamuni, Muthukaali and Sattapuli's mentor; Angel's father
• Mithun Jai Sankar as Maari, Angel's son
• Ravindra Vijay as Singaram, Angel's husband and Maari's father
• Bala Saravanan as Muthukaali's friend
• Krish Hassan as Kittaan, Sattapuli and Saendhamma's son
• Stun Siva
• B. Krithika Iyer as Baagam Priyazh, Maari's love interest and Muthukaali's niece
• Ramachandran Durairaj
• Aadukalam Murugadoss
• Phathmen
• Sengol Sagayaraj
• Rekha Kumanan as Saendhamma, Sattapuli's wife and Kittan's mother
• Rajesh Gopishetty
• Anbarasi
• "Nakkalites" Dhanam as Muthukaali's aunt

After the success of Viduthalai Part 2, in mid-January 2025, RS Infotainment confirmed its next project with Soori in the lead role, directed by Mathimaran Pugazhendhi, a former assistant director of Vetrimaaran who earlier directed Selfie (2022). On 18 April 2025, Soori officially revealed the title of his sixth film in the lead role to be a sea-based action drama titled Mandaadi, with Vetrimaaran as the creative producer of the film. Apart from Soori, the film stars Suhas and Mahima Nambiar in the lead role alongside Sathyaraj, Achyuth Kumar, Sachana Namidass, and Ravindra Vijay in pivotal roles. Suhas, a Telugu actor, made his Tamil film debut. The technical team consists of music composer G. V. Prakash Kumar, cinematographer S. R. Kathir, editor Pradeep E. Ragav and stunt choreographer Peter Hein.

Filming had begun by May 2025, and was described as progressing at a "rapid pace" by August. That October, production was suspended after a boat used for filming capsized and equipment worth almost ₹1 crore (US$100,000) was lost. However, production eventually resumed, and wrapped in April 2026.

The film has music and background score composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar. The audio rights were acquired by Mudway Records, a new label established by the production house with Divo as the digital partner. The first single titled "Mandaadi Mandaadi" was released on 18 July 2026. The second single "Usure Needhan Pulla" was released on 14 August 2026. The pre-release audio launch event was held on 28 August 2026 at Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai. The entire album consisting of 5 tracks was released on 28 August 2026.

Theatrical

Mandaadi was released on 10 September 2026, coinciding with the Vinayagar Chaturthi weekend along with Sardar 2. The film was initially scheduled to release on 4 September 2026 but was pushed by a week. It was released in Dolby Cinema, IMAX, EPIQ and standard formats.

Distribution

The distribution rights of Tamil Nadu were acquired by Red Giant Movies. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana they were acquired by Mythri Movie Distributors.

Home media

The post-theatrical digital streaming rights were acquired by Netflix.

Critical response

Mandaadi received critical acclaim from critics, who praised the performances of Soori, Suhas, Mahima Nambiar and Sathyaraj, execution, background score, production values and women empowerment but criticised the predictable narrative, storyline, screenplay and plot.

Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu described the film as an engaging and smooth-sailing sports action drama, praising the performances of Soori and Suhas and the way the film handles its sporting elements. Yashaswini Sri of The Indian Express praised Soori and Suhas for their performances in the water-based sequences, but felt that the film lost momentum during its portions set on land.

Latha Srinivasan of NDTV gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and praised Soori's performance, describing Mandaadi as an engaging coastal sports drama. Roopa Radhakrishnan of The Times of India rated the film 3 out of 5, describing it as an uneven journey that ultimately builds towards a strong finish.

Prathyush Parasuraman of The Hollywood Reporter India praised Soori's charisma but criticised the film's predictable storyline. Akshay Kumar of Cinema Express gave a favourable assessment, praising the film's sailing sequences while noting some turbulence in its narrative.

Box office

Mandaadi grossed ₹6.55 crore worldwide on its opening day, including ₹5.55 crore from India and ₹1 crore from overseas. The film recorded this opening despite having fewer shows in Tamil Nadu than Sardar 2. Mandaadi grossed ₹69 crore worldwide by the end of its six day opening weekend.