Thaai Kizhavi

Pavunuthaayi, an aged moneylender, lives in Kadupatti village, Madurai, along with her daughter Suruli and her grandson. She is feared by the fellow villagers and respected by her family. One day, she becomes ill and lies on her deathbed. The news reaches her three estranged sons – Uppiliyan, a sound technician in Karumathur; Vijayan, a stingy auto driver in Chekkanurani; and Selvam, a flower seller who does not know how to make a garland in Usilampatti, who arrive at her home. 2 Idly, Suruli's estranged husband, also arrives at her home. All of them have an eye on their share of Pavunuthaayi's wealth. As the village prepares for Pavunuthaayi's impending death, a jeweller named Gold Kumar arrives and confides to her sons and Pennycuick, a middle-aged bachelor, about 160 sovereigns of gold jewellery. Later on, the three sons want her to be cured for the money; they tell their wives who are shocked, so they take Pavunuthaayi to a multispeciality hospital in downtown Madurai to cure her illness. The brothers cannot pay for the fees, so they send Pennycuick to pawn their wives' ornaments. Later on, the senior doctor finds that Pavunthaayi has a nerve block in her neck due to her long years of work in the brick factory. The doctors suggest a surgery which is about , but the sons cannot pay it. 2 Idly, who gets to know Pavunuthaayi has 160 sovereigns, pays for the surgery through Pennycuick. The doctors find that she can be cured, which is extremely rare, and for which Pavunthaayi is lucky. The operation is successful, and at that time, a close relative of Pavunthaayi and her family dies. As everybody is busy, they send Pennycuick to share their condolences. He sees Kumar getting beaten up by others there. When Pennycuick enquires about it, the people say that Kumar had a gold shop in Madurai, which later got burnt down. Because of this trauma, he developed a mental illness; he would pick up a visiting card and a diary from a random dustbin and go to deaths, saying that the one who died had a gold chit at his gold shop and had recently withdrawn 160 sovereigns. Similarly, when their estranged sons ask Pavunuthaayi about the gold, she denies it and tells them she was telling them to turn off the fan of her room. Later on, she privately reveals to her daughter in-laws and Suruli that she in fact has 300 sovereigns. Suruli divorces 2 Idly and marries Pennycuick. == Cast ==

On 24 December 2025, Sivakarthikeyan's company Sivakarthikeyan Productions announced that they would join hands with Sudhan Sundaram's banner Passion Studios for the film Thaai Kizhavi. The film is directed by debutant Sivakumar Murugesan, who previously worked as an assistant director and screenwriter in Kadaisi Vivasayi (2022) and Aan Paavam Pollathathu (2025), and would feature Radikaa Sarathkumar as the lead actress. The technical crew includes music composer Nivas K. Prasanna, cinematographer Vivek Vijayakumar and editor San Lokesh. Because the story is in Madurai, some of the actors trained to speak in the Madurai dialect. == Soundtrack ==

}} The soundtrack is composed by Nivas K. Prasanna. The first single "Thaai Kizhavi Varaa" sung by Sivakarthikeyan was released on 5 February 2026. The second single "Mattikitan Minorkunju" sung by Sublahshini and Alex Samuel Jenito was released on 21 February 2026. Additionally the songs "Injerungo" from the 2000 film Thenali, "Engeyum Eppothum" from the 1980 film Ninaithale Inikkum, "Yellelama" from the 2011 film 7 Aum Arivu, "Megham Karukkuthu" from the 2000 film Kushi, "Maada Vilakkae" from the 2004 film Virumaandi, "Yaarendru Therigiratha" from the 2013 film Vishwaroopam, "Vikram Vikram" from the 1986 film Vikram,"Karbagraham Vitu Samy Veliyerathu" from the 2004 film Virumaandi and "Kadavul Amaitha Vaitha Medai" from the 1974 film Aval Oru Thodar Kathai are reused in the film crediting the original composers. == Release ==

Theatrical Thaai Kizhavi released in theatres on 27 February 2026. Earlier it was scheduled for 20 February 2026. The film was distributed in Tamil Nadu by AGS Entertainment. Home media Thaai Kizhavi's post theatrical streaming and satellite rights have been acquired by JioHotstar and Star Vijay respectively. It began streaming on JioHotstar from 10 April 2026. == Reception ==

Yashaswini Sri of The Indian Express gave 4/5 stars and wrote, "Thaai Kizhavi is a well-written, well-acted rural entertainer that works as a comedy drama, and leaves you thinking a little after the credits roll. Radikaa Sarathkumar reminds everyone why she belongs at the center of a film. A solid watch". Janani K of India Today gave 4/5 stars and wrote, "Thaai Kizhavi is well-intentioned, sharply executed, quietly radical and much-needed in today's world. It champions financial independence and women's agency without ever feeling like a lecture. Sivakumar Murugesan's final frame is wholesome, powerful, and unmistakably progressive — the work of a filmmaker who clearly had something to say and knew exactly how to say it". Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu wrote, "Throughout Thaai Kizhavi, I often found myself wondering if this was the work of a debutant. This is the work of an all-new filmmaking voice that doesn’t wish to be constricted to set patterns". == Notes ==