Radikaa's grandmother act and Rs 50 crore-run: Thaai Kizhavi shakes Tamil box office

Thaai Kizhavi, a rural drama starring Radikaa Sarathkumar as a sharp-witted grandmother, has become one of Tamil cinema's most profitable films in 2026. Its success challenges traditional Kollywood formulas by focusing on strong women characters and profit-sharing with cast and crew.

Three months into 2026, could you believe that a rural drama centred on a septuagenarian matriarch is seeing unprecedented success in Tamil cinema?

Kollywood, as the Tamil film industry is called, has over the years operated on a fairly predictable formula for success: a male star, a sizeable budget, an action-heavy narrative and a release timed around a festival or holiday. Throw in some emotions, love and melodrama, and you get a wholesome commercial entertainer that appeals to all age groups.

Thaai Kizhavi, directed by debutant Sivakumar Murugesan and produced by Sivakarthikeyan Productions, has discarded the formula entirely – and the box office has rewarded it handsomely.

The film, which stars 63-year-old Radikaa Sarathkumar as a sharp-tongued, fiercely independent grandmother named Pavunuthaayi, in her 70s, was reportedly made on a budget of around Rs 9-10 crore. It has since gone on to collect around Rs 50 crore globally in 10 days and is still continuing its dream run in theatres. In an industry where low and mid-budget films routinely struggle to recover their costs, Thaai Kizhavi has quietly become one of the most profitable Tamil films of 2026 so far.

Why and how did Thaai Kizhavi become the flavour of the season? Let us explore the reasons behind its success that feel almost personal to everyone who watched it.

For fans of Tamil cinema, Thaai Kizhavi (literally meaning 'grandmother' in English) is a term that people use regularly. While the late Manorama, an icon in Kollywood, comes to mind as we hear the term Thaai Kizhavi, this Sivakumar Murugesan film has now given it a whole new meaning.