Diés Iraé

Plot

Rohan, an Indo-American architect and the son of Shankar—owner of the prominent firm Shankar Associates—leads a comfortable life in Kerala. One day, he learns of the suicide of Kani, a Bharatanatyam dancer and former classmate with whom he had a brief relationship after reconnecting at an alumni event. Moved by her death, Rohan visits her grieving family, where he meets their neighbor Madhusudanan “Madhu” Potti, a descendant of a traditional lineage of exorcists. While in Kani's room, Rohan takes a red hair clip as a keepsake.

After returning home, Rohan begins experiencing disturbing supernatural events, including the jingling of chilanka (dancing anklets), unseen hands ruffling his hair, and a violent attack by an invisible presence that chokes him. Frightened, he confides in Madhu, who advises him to wait until Kani's pathinaru (the sixteenth-day post-death ritual), believing her soul will find peace then.

However, the hauntings intensify. Hoping to distract himself, Rohan invites Kani's brother, Kiran, to stay with him. During the visit, the malevolent spirit violently throws Kiran off a balcony, leaving him severely injured and disfigured. Soon after, Rohan encounters the ghostly figure—a tall, thin, headless man—confirming that the haunting spirit is not Kani. Madhu concludes that they are dealing with the restless soul of someone connected to Kani's past who bore a deep grudge against her.

Their investigation leads them to Kani's former dance school, where they learn of a local copy-shop worker named Philip who had obsessively stalked her. Madhu discovers that "Philip" is actually Manu Philip Sebastian, the son of Kani's neighbor and housemaid, Elsamma.

Rohan visits Elsamma's house to obtain contact details for an agent who supposedly helped Manu go abroad, unaware of his true identity. There, Rohan stumbles upon Manu's decaying corpse lying on his bed, wearing Kani's chilanka on his feet. Elsamma knocks Rohan unconscious and reveals that she had stolen Kani's anklets to comfort her cancer-stricken son in his final days. Because Manu's body was never properly laid to rest and his mother's fervent prayers anchored his soul to the mortal world, his spirit remained trapped—vengeful, confused, and furious at Rohan for taking Kani's hair clip.

Production

Development

In December 2024, several industry analysts in X.com reported that director Rahul Sadasivan had cast Pranav Mohanlal in his upcoming film, which, like his previous works, would also be a horror film. They noted that the shoot was expected to begin in either January or February 2025 and be completed in 40 days. In an interview in January 2025, Rahul confirmed that his next film would indeed be a horror project, though he refrained from sharing further details. The official announcement came on 24 March 2025, when Chakravarthy Ramachandra of Night Shift Studios, S. Sashikanth of YNOT Studios, Rahul, and Pranav revealed through their social media handles that they were collaborating on a horror film tentatively titled NSS 2 (indicating the second production from Night Shift Studios). The same producers had backed Rahul's previous film Bramayugam, and for this project, he retained its core technical team. The announcement also confirmed that filming had commenced on the same day.

The project marks Pranav's debut in the horror genre. The screenplay is written by Rahul himself. In a correspondence with Variety, Rahul stated that "compared to my previous films, Diés Iraé explores a diametrically opposite emotional spectrum which connects to the new generation." Describing the film's genre, he added that "it stays true to the horror thriller space." The publication also reported that the film is slated for a worldwide release by the latter half of 2025. The title was officially announced in early May, during post-production. The title translates to "day of wrath" in Latin, referencing a medieval hymn associated with the Judgment Day. According to the makers, the story is based on true events.

Casting

Besides Pranav, the rest of the cast was kept under wraps until the release of the first teaser. The teaser revealed Gibin Gopinath, Manohari Joy, and Arun Ajikumar. The cast also includes Jaya Kurup.

Filming

Principal photography began on 24 March 2025. Shehnad Jalal was the cinematographer. Filming was wrapped up on 29 April 2025. Jothish Shankar served as the art director, while editing was done by Shafique Mohammed Ali. Kalai Kingson was the stunt director. Sound design was provided by Jayadevan Chakkadath, while sound mixing was done by M. R. Rajakrishnan

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack was composed by Christo Xavier.

Release

Diés Iraé was released in theatres worldwide on 31 October 2025, coinciding with Halloween. The film had paid premiere shows in select theatres in India and abroad on 30 October from 9 PM IST.

Certification

Diés Iraé received an A certificate from CBFC due to its gory content.

Distribution

Diés Iraé was distributed in Kerala through Think Studios via E4 Entertainments. Throughout India, it was distributed by Think Studios, excluding Karnataka. The overseas release was distributed by Berkshire DreamHouse, excluding United Kingdom and Australia. Home Screen Entertainments distributed the film globally.

Home media

The digital rights of the film were acquired by JioHotstar and ManoramaMAX. Diés Iraé began streaming on JioHotstar worldwide and on ManoramaMAX (outside India) from 5 December 2025.

Reception

Critical reception

Diés Iraé received positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10.

Janani K. of India Today rated the film 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "Director Rahul Sadasivan's Diés Iraé, starring Pranav Mohanlal and Gibin Gopinath, is an immersive horror thriller that is intelligent and never takes the audience for granted. With top-notch making, 'Dies Irae' is a fitting addition to Rahul Sadasivan's filmography." Sajin Shrijith of The Week rated the film 4.5/5 stars and wrote, "After Bhoothakaalam and Bramayugam, director Rahul Sadasivan outdoes himself with a trippy, one-of-a-kind horror experience that dares to take some unprecedented leaps."

Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express rated the film 4/5 stars and wrote, "One of the major factors that makes Diés Iraé a magnificent horror thriller is that Rahul hasn't tried to 'scare the audience' all the time. Yes, there are a few jump scares and startling moments, but they only help amplify what the director has already set. Instead of shocking viewers, Rahul has made the movie slither under their skin step by step, each move sending a shiver down their spine. Rather than petrifying, he has focused on making the audience writhe, ensuring that the sensation lingers." S. R. Praveen of The Hindu called Diés Iraé "one of the finest horror films in Malayalam." She wrote that the film "crafts a chilling horror experience that transforms everyday moments into sources of dread, further proving his greatness in the genre".

Vishal Menon of The Hollywood Reporter India described the film as the "arrival of a modern master of horror" and wrote, "The horrors of Rahul Sadasivan's work go beyond jump scares and camera tricks, taking you to places in your head you never wanted to go to."

Box office

In its 3-day opening weekend, Diés Iraé collected ₹15.38 crore from Kerala and ₹4.31 crore from Rest of India, totalling ₹19.69 crore domestically and further collections came from overseas to approximately ₹39 crore worldwide. By sixth day, the film crossed ₹50 crore from the global box office. In 18 days, Diés Iraé has earned ₹80.1 crore worldwide with an India gross collection of ₹47.1 crore and an overseas total of ₹33 crore, concluding at ₹82 crore.