To put this in perspective, releasing 72 short films in a single year is an insane logistical feat. That equates to roughly 1.4 films per week. Most independent filmmakers take six months to complete a single 20-minute short.
How is Panikkaran pulling this off? He isn't doing it alone. Panikkaran 2025 is being framed as a "filmmaking relay." Panikkaran has written the core screenplays for all 72 films, but he is only directing 12 of them himself. The remaining 60 are being directed by a collective of 30 emerging directors from across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka—many of whom were discovered through BoomEx’s talent hunt, "The Next Panikkaran."
The project is divided into 12 thematic drops (one per month), each containing 6 short films. The themes range from "Gulf Dreams & Disillusions" to "Mythological Cyberpunk" and "The Food Tales of Malabar."
Not everyone is celebrating. Veteran film critics have raised eyebrows at the release strategy. panikkaran 2025 malayalam boomex short films 72 new
“Quantity is not quality,” argues film historian Rajiv Menon. “Panikkaran is talented, but 72 films in a year reeks of assembly-line filmmaking. Short films thrive on curation. Dumping 72 stories—good, bad, and mediocre—could overwhelm the audience.”
However, the online fanbase disagrees. A viral comment on a Reddit thread for the project reads: “I’ll watch 50 bad Panikkaran films just to find the 22 masterpieces. No one else is taking this risk.”
Fans have also started a movement called #72HoursFor72Films, pledging to binge-watch all the shorts within the first 72 hours of the final drop in December 2025. To put this in perspective, releasing 72 short
"Panikkaran," translating to "The Panic Maker" or "The Boss," is set to be one of the most anticipated Malayalam short film releases of 2025. Early buzz suggests that this isn't just a story; it's an experience.
While plot details are kept under tight wraps to preserve the suspense, the title hints at a high-stakes narrative involving power dynamics, psychological thrills, or perhaps a gripping social drama. In the context of Malayalam cinema's shift toward realistic, gritty storytelling, Panikkaran 2025 is expected to deliver:
To understand the hype, we must first look at the auteur behind the movement. "Panikkaran" (a moniker derived from the traditional Kerala title denoting a master or teacher) is not a mainstream director with a dozen theater hits. Instead, he is a product of the YouTube generation—a writer-director who cut his teeth on low-budget, high-concept thrillers. How is Panikkaran pulling this off
Panikkaran shot to fame in 2022 with a 15-minute psychological horror titled The 7th Manthi. That film, made for just ₹75,000, garnered 8 million views in three weeks. Critics praised his "raw, unpolished energy" and his ability to capture the authentic melancholy of rural Kerala—something often lost in glossier studio productions.
However, Panikkaran went silent for 18 months. Fans speculated about a feature film debut. But in late 2024, he dropped a teaser reading only: "2025. BoomEx. 72 stories. One universe. The wait ends." The internet exploded. This brings us to the platform.