Vrusshabha Review: Mohanlal’s Reincarnation Drama Lacks Novelty and Impact

Vrusshabha, starring Mohanlal and directed by Nanda Kishore, attempts to blend reincarnation, a generational curse and a father–son bond into a fantasy action drama. Despite an intriguing premise, the film ends up being an overlong and uninspired affair that fails to capitalise on its core ideas.

Mohanlal plays Aadi Deva Varma, a successful businessman who shares a close, almost friend-like relationship with his son Tej (played by Samarjit Lankesh). Their present-day lives are disrupted when Aadi begins experiencing visions of his past life as King Vrusshabha. The mystery deepens when Tej, during a visit to his ancestral village, starts having similar visions, hinting at an unresolved curse tied to their past incarnations.

On paper, the film promises emotional depth and mythological intrigue. On screen, however, Vrusshabha struggles with weak writing, awkward dialogue and inconsistent tone. The father–son relationship, meant to anchor the narrative, is reduced to shallow banter and unintentionally comic exchanges, making it difficult to invest emotionally in their journey.

The reincarnation track fares no better. Flashback sequences involving King Vrusshabha rely heavily on tacky visual effects and lack the grandeur or emotional weight expected from a fantasy epic. Characters appear underwritten, with female roles in particular serving little purpose beyond reacting to events.

Coming off a stellar year with back-to-back hits, Mohanlal does what he can with limited material. He brings occasional charm as the modern-day father and expected gravitas to the warrior king, but the screenplay never allows him to explore either role in depth. The performance feels competent yet uninspired—an unfortunate underuse of an actor at the top of his form.

Despite a runtime of just over two hours, the film feels far longer due to its meandering narrative and repetitive emotional beats. What could have been a compact, emotionally rich fantasy drama instead becomes a slog.

In the end, Vrusshabha squanders a promising concept with dated execution, uneven storytelling and a lack of narrative focus, making it one of the weaker outings in Mohanlal’s otherwise impressive year.