Naaradan

Chandraprakash, an up-and-coming journalist working with the channel News Malayalam, is a talk show host and television news anchor with a huge audience appeal. He is under pressure for doing stories that increase the channel's rating from his editors and bosses. When a fellow journalist, Pradeep does a new story and lands a job at News Malayalam, Chandraprakash throws away his own moral principles and focuses on being the number one. Investors seeking new revenue streams invest in him and he starts Narada News, through which he becomes a kingmaker, an influential person who is able to provoke social violence. Fabricated and half-baked stories become his strategy to meet his ends and the film explores whether a sociopath, power hungry person like him who thrives under the guise of an unassuming journalist could ever be stopped.

• Tovino Thomas as Chandraprakash
• Anna Ben as Adv. Shaakira Mohammed
• Sharafudheen as Pradeep John
• Joy Mathew as Shivadas Kurup, Chief Editor of News Malayalam
• Vijayaraghavan as Babuji
• Balachandran Chullikkad as Vijayan, Pradeep's boss at Vartha 24x7
• Raghunath Paleri as Shaakira's father
• Jayaraj Warrier as Bhrahmav, CP's father
• Rafi as Pillachettan
• Kunchan as Thomman Varghese, Minister of Forests, Govt. of Kerala
• Dileesh Nair as Kuttettan
• Rajesh Madhavan as Manu
• Indrans as Judge Chothi
• Jaffer Idukki as Fr. Daniel Purambokkil (Purambokkil Achan)
• Renji Panicker as Adv. Govinda Menon
• Lukman Avaran as Adv. Amos
• Vijaykumar Prabhakaran as Mukundan
• Koottickal Jayachandran as MLA Kanjikkaadan
• Navas Vallikkunnu as Nizar
• Fejo as Mudiyan
• Nazlin Jameela Saleem as Parvathy

The film was announced in October 2020. Principal photography began on 25 January 2021.[13][14][15] The film's shoot was wrapped up on 12 March 2021.[16]

The film was originally scheduled to be released in April 2021, but was postponed due to the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India.[17] The film was later scheduled to release on 27 January 2022,[18] but then postponed due to spreading of Omicron.[19] The film was then released on 3 March 2022 along with Mammootty starrer Bheeshma Parvam.[20]

Naaradan received generally positive reviews from critics. Bollywood Life gave 4.5/5 and wrote , Tovino Thomas and Anna Ben deliver the most stinging MASTERPIECE on TRP-hungry journalism". Times of India gave 3.5/5 and wrote , "A closer look at TRP chasing newsrooms". Firstpost gave 3.5/5 and wrote , "Tovino Thomas, Anna Ben land a slap on the face of India’s fake-news-peddling media". The News Minute gave 3.5/5 and wrote , "Tovino-Aashiq Abu film shows reality of new age journalism". Indian Express gave 3.5/5 and wrote , "Tovino-Aashiq Abu film shows reality of new age journalism". Pinkvilla gave 3/5 and wrote , "Tovino Thomas shines on screen as a news reporter in this thrilling story". Ottplay gave 3/5 and wrote , "Tovino Thomas' anti-hero act makes Aashiq Abu's slow-burning thriller gripping". Behindwoods gave 2.75 and wrote , " Naaradan keeps you hooked with a tight screenplay on modern-day journalism".

• Naaradan at IMDb