The Smile Man OTT Release: When and where to watch R Sarathkumar's new Tamil crime thriller online

Newly released Tamil crime thriller 'The Smile Man' will soon be available on OTT platforms following a brief theatrical run. The movie follows a senior police officer — played by veteran actor Sarathkumar — as he searches for a serial killer while suffering from Alzheimers. The crime thriller helmed by director duo Syam and Praveen and released last week on December 27.

When and where to watch?

The Smile Man will begin streaming on Aha Tamil after its theatrical run in the coming weeks — with release likely by the end of January or early February. It will later become available on the OTTplay Premium platform.

Plot summary

The film centres around the exploits of senior police officer Chidambaram who is racing against time to catch a killer before his memories slip away. The movie explains that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimers' and given a year until his memories fade out completely. Meanwhile the eponymous Smile Man is a serial killer who has been scarring the mouth of his victims' mouths to resemble a garish grin.

The film received middling reviews from various platforms — with many flagging its ‘non-coherent storytelling and distanced emotions’. The film received a 2.5 star review from the Times of India — deemed "yet another run-of-the-mill serial killer story". The publication however noted that The Smile Man contains all the ingredients of a 'decent crime thriller' and in some ways feels like a 'missed opportunity'.

Cast

R. Sarathkumar
Sija Rose
Iniya
Suresh Chandra Menon
Rajkumar
George Maryan
Baby Aazhiya
Kumar Natarajan
Gopi Gpr

The film was written by Kamala Alchemis and the soundtrack was composed by Gavaskar Avinash. It was filmed by Vikram Mohan and edited by San Lokesh. Salil Das, Aneesh Haridasan and Anandan T were listed as producers for the film in the credits.