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Movies that became a rage during their theatrical run only to draw polar-opposite reactions upon their OTT release aren’t a new phenomenon. From Varshangalkku Shesham (2024) and Hridayam (2022) to Vaazha (2024) and Officer on Duty (2025), there are far too many examples of this in recent years. Director Shahad Nilambur’s Parvathy Thiruvothu-led Pradhama Drishtiya Kuttakkar appears to be the latest to join the list, as the super-hit has been facing intense trolling since its streaming debut last week.
Now, Shahad himself has stepped forward to address the criticisms. Claiming that he had anticipated similar reactions after the crime thriller’s OTT release, the director maintained that he and his team hadn’t taken the film’s details lightly.
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Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar faces trolling after OTT release
“As a director, I have taken creative liberties. This film is neither a documentary nor based entirely on real-life incidents. We have relied on these liberties to make it more entertaining. We spent several hours and days trying to crack each scene. Our priority was to ensure that every step taken by the characters had a reason behind it and was not devoid of logic,” he told Onmanorama.
One of the movie’s major criticisms has been its many purported plot holes and logical issues, particularly in the cover-up and investigation aspects of the narrative. “I appreciate everyone who has been talking about the movie, both in terms of appreciation and criticism, and analysing it positively and negatively. However, the loopholes that people are talking about have already been addressed in the movie,” he pointed out.
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‘Didn’t want to spoon-feed’
He and the writers, PS Subramanian and Vijesh Thottingal, were clear from the beginning that they didn’t want to “spoon-feed” the audience. However, Shahad admitted that in pursuit of this, they may have ended up “misjudging” the audience.
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“There have always been films where filmmakers go to great lengths to explain every scene. However, when such films are released, people complain that they are being spoon-fed. We wanted to be careful about that and deliberately tried to avoid spoon-feeding the audience. We clearly misjudged the audience in this regard,” he said.
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He further requested people to approach Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar as a work of fiction. “Of course, the thread of the story is inspired by an incident involving a police officer in the US. Apart from that, the story was developed through hours of research,” he added.
Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar = Drishyam?
Reacting to criticisms that Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar resembles director Jeethu Joseph’s Mohanlal-led Drishyam (2013) at several junctures, Shahad said the comparison is a form of recognition, especially since it is to a film like Drishyam, which has had a massive impact on Indian cinema. He said he doesn’t consider it a burden and is happy that Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar has prompted viewers to draw parallels with such a landmark thriller.
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Regardless, the crime thriller had a triumphant theatrical run, grossing over Rs 50 crore, according to the makers. The movie also featured Vijayaragavan, Mathew Thomas, Sidharth Bharathan, Unnimaya Prasad, Azees Nedumangadu, and Vinay Fortt in key roles.
In his review of Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar, SCREEN’s Anandu Suresh wrote, “Director Shahad Nilambur’s film is a gripping crime thriller with ample drama, but convenient writing and glaring Drishyam resemblances keep it from soaring.”
