Kattalan

Kattalan (transl. Forest dweller) is a 2026 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film written and directed by Paul George, and produced by Shareef Muhammed under the banner of Cubes Entertainments. The film is a standalone spin-off and the third installment in the Mikhael Extended Universe, following Mikhael (2019) and Marco (2024) and stars Antony Varghese, Sunil, Kabir Duhan Singh, Jagadish, Dushara Vijayan and Hanan Shaah. In the film, two powerful crime bosses, Maari and Eddy, control rival ivory smuggling networks and are engaged in a bloody war for dominance, with law enforcement trying to bring both empires down. However, corruption and violence keep both empires alive. Antony, known as "Kattalan" (The Hunter), is introduced as a feared hunter who kills elephants for their tusks and works within this criminal ecosystem. The music is composed by Ravi Basrur and B. Ajaneesh Loknath. A promo song too was composed by Nihal Sadiq which does not feature in the movie. with the background score composed by Basrur, cinematography by Renadive, and editing by Shameer Muhammed. The film was officially announced on 2 March 2025. Principal photography took place from 28 September 2025 to 24 February 2026 in Thailand, Vagamon, Kollam, Colombo, Dhanushkodi, Tirunelveli and Rameswaram. It was released on 28 May 2026 in the standard, Dolby Cinema, IMAX and EPIQ formats. The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics and grossed ₹15 crore on a budget of ₹50 crore, becoming a box-office bomb.