A mobile phone game inspired by the Malayalam movie ‘Vilayath Budha’

Discover "Vilayath Budha: The Sandalwood Survival," an innovative open-world mobile game inspired by the Malayalam film, featuring Prithviraj.

Vilayath Budha: The Sandalwood Survival, an open-world mobile game released in February, has many firsts to its credit. Not only is it possibly India’s first movie-inspired open-world game (for mobiles), it is also a first-of-its-kind collaboration between a production house, Urvasi Theatres, and gaming company, Offline Human Studios. It also features Prithviraj Sukumaran, one of the first actors from South India in a game such as this.

The Malayalam film Vilayath Budha, released in 2025 and based on the eponymous novel by GR Indugopan, is about a sandal wood smuggler Double Mohanan, his mentor, Bhaskaran Master and a sandalwood tree, Vilayath Budha. Prithviraj essays Mohanan.  

Karthik Suresh, one of the co-founders of Offline Human Studios, says, “We are attempting something different with the game Vilayath Budha. There is a perception that this is a promotion for the film. It is not. Usually, games are released around a film’s release, like recently for Chatha Pacha. But not our game.” 

The film was released in November 2025, while the early access to the game (for downloads) was opened only in the first week of February, 2026. However, it has been in the works for more than six months.

Offline Human Studios wanted to create a game around a familiar title that would not only have recall, as in this case, but also build a world around it. It helped that they were also looking forward to making an off-roading-based game. Since the film was shot mostly in Marayoor, Idukki, they could showcase the lush natural beauty of Kerala. 

Offline Human Studios team: From left, Sangeeth Ravi, Sanil Ravi, Sharath Ravi, Karthik Suresh and Nithin Neena | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT