Prathichaya Twitter Review: Nivin Pauly’s Political Drama Falls Flat, Viewers Call It ‘Routine and Dragged’

Nivin Pauly teams up with director B Unnikrishnan for the very first time in ‘Prathichaya’. Hitting cinemas yesterday, March 26, 2026, this Malayalam political drama brings together an impressive cast, including Sharaf U Dheen, Ann Augustine, and veteran actor Balachandra Menon. Despite the obvious star power and the fresh director-actor pairing, the film crept into theatres with surprisingly low hype.

Now that the opening day has passed, moviegoers are flooding social media with their thoughts. Did the film manage to surprise the audience, or did it fall flat? Looking at the reactions, Twitter seems incredibly split.

Prathichaya Twitter Review

Movie Planet, “#Prathichaya is a predictable and clichéd political drama. It follows the usual B. Unni style, attempting to cover multiple topics like scandals and media politics, but it fails to remain engaging throughout. The film lags in several parts, making it feel slow, and leans heavily into melodrama. Performance side, Balachandra Menon has done it neatly.”

#Prathichaya is a predictable and clichéd political drama. It follows the usual B. Unni style, attempting to cover multiple topics like scandals and media politics, but it fails to remain engaging throughout. The film lags in several parts, making it feel slow, and leans heavily…

— Movie Planet (@MoviePlanetMP) March 26, 2026

Aditya Binu, “Watched #Prathichaya A mediocre political drama with full of gimmicks. Worst shot division. Amateurish making. Script is OK at parts. Balachandra Menon gud, Nivin poor, Sharafudheen miscast. Too lengthy. Could've easily trimmed 30mins+, if they reduced the unwanted slow-mo's. ⅖.”

Watched #Prathichaya
A mediocre political drama with full of gimmicks. Worst shot division. Amateurish making. Script is OK at parts. Balachandra Menon gud, Nivin poor, Sharafudheen miscast. Too lengthy. Could've easily trimmed 30mins+, if they reduced the unwanted slow-mo's.
2/5

— Aditya Binu (@aditya_binu) March 26, 2026

Swayam Kumar Das, “#Prathichaya Review FIRST HALF Decent #NivinPauly & the rest of the cast are perfect and enhance many scenes with their performances Good BGM & production values Decent Writing Second half is the key.”

#Prathichaya Review

FIRST HALF

Decent ✌️#NivinPauly & the rest of the cast are perfect and enhance many scenes with their performances 🔥

Good BGM & production values 💯

Decent Writing ✌️

Second half is the key 👏#PrathichayaReview pic.twitter.com/ySeb2rduHX

— Swayam Kumar Das (@KumarSwayam3) March 26, 2026

Johnny Silverhand, “#PrathiChaaya review: A watchable political flick from B. Unnikrishnan with strong performances from Nivin Pauly, K. Balachandran amd Sharafudheen. P. S. There may be some people who may not be able to digest the film.”

#PrathiChaaya review: A watchable political flick from B. Unnikrishnan with strong performances from Nivin Pauly, K. Balachandran amd Sharafudheen.

P. S. There may be some people who may not be able to digest the film.

— Johnny Silverhand (@robertjlinder69) March 26, 2026

On the other side, plenty of viewers absolutely loved the film. Many fans praised the perfect timing of the release, just as the Kerala elections heat up. They highlighted the engaging background score, Nivin Pauly's on-screen presence, and the strong acting performances across the board.

Mallu media, “#Prathichaya – Perfect time to catch this in theatres with the Kerala elections around the corner A tight and engaging political thriller that holds your attention throughout with Good screenplay, strong moments of Political elements.Balachandra Menon deserves big applause.”

#Prathichaya – Perfect time to catch this in theatres with the Kerala elections around the corner 😉
A tight and engaging political thriller that holds your attention throughout with Good screenplay, strong moments of Political elements.Balachandra Menon deserves big applause pic.twitter.com/GMNrrqpcWX

— Mallu media (@Mallumedia18) March 26, 2026

PSN, “#Prathichaya is a brilliant political drama with an excellent second half. Performances from Balachandra Menon & #NivinPauly are excellent. Expect negative reviews from "them" The family confrontation scene in the 2nd half is sooo well directed & so is the theme!.”

#Prathichaya is a brilliant political drama with an excellent second half. Performances from Balachandra Menon & #NivinPauly are excellent. Expect negative reviews from "them" 😉 The family confrontation scene in the 2nd half is sooo well directed & so is the theme!

— PSN (@2shambhunath) March 26, 2026

Sayooj (Rolex), “#Prathichaya is nothing less than a Peak Political Thriller #NivinPauly achayan swag and dialogue delivery was Whole Cast and crew gave their best esp Ann Augustine, #SharafUDheen, #Balachandramenon An absolute redemption of #BUnnikrishnan WORTH IT.”

#Prathichaya is nothing less than a Peak Political Thriller 📈 #NivinPauly achayan swag and dialogue delivery was 😌🔥

Whole Cast and crew gave their best esp Ann Augustine, #SharafUDheen, #Balachandramenon 🥰👏✨

An absolute redemption of #BUnnikrishnan 🔥🙌

WORTH IT✅ pic.twitter.com/9WSlkpRIXM

— Sayooj (Rolex) (@Rolex950083) March 26, 2026

Badusha, “ #Prathichaya is a gripping peak political thriller, elevated by #NivinPauly’s swag and dialogue delivery, strong performances from Ann Augustine, Sharafudheen, and Balachandramenon, marking an absolute redemption for B Unnikrishnan and making it totally worth it. Go for it!.”

#Prathichaya is a gripping peak political thriller, elevated by #NivinPauly’s swag and dialogue delivery, strong performances from Ann Augustine, Sharafudheen, and Balachandramenon, marking an absolute redemption for B Unnikrishnan and making it totally worth it.

Go for it! pic.twitter.com/rRAJa17NqS

— Badusha (@Badusha_bachu) March 26, 2026

Vishnuuh, “#Prathichaya is a solid political thriller with a good 1st half and a superb 2nd half.. #NivinPauly shines with swag and control, supported by a strong cast—especially Balachandra Menon Good writing & clean execution and Impactful BGM make it totally worth the watch.”

#Prathichaya is a solid political thriller with a good 1st half and a superb 2nd half..👌🔥#NivinPauly shines with swag and control, supported by a strong cast—especially Balachandra Menon👏
Good writing & clean execution and Impactful BGM make it totally worth the watch 💯 pic.twitter.com/vkZ1veu8yl

— Vishnuuh 🖤 (@im__vishnu_) March 26, 2026

Prathichaya Movie Details And Plot Summary

Produced by Sree Gokulam Movies and RD Illuminations LLP, Prathichaya dives deep into a complex political power struggle right in the heart of Kerala.

• Release Date: March 26, 2026
• Genre: Political Thriller / Drama
• Language: Malayalam
• Director: B. Unnikrishnan
• Cast: Nivin Pauly, Balachandra Menon, Sharaf U Dheen, Ann Augustine

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Image Courtesy: Instagram