Scene (2026 film)

Plot

Inbaraj "Inba", a semi-retired DSP, is forced to reopen a case left unfinished by him some years before. This time, he must solve it with a chaotic and troublesome team.

Cast

Suriya as DSP Inbaraj "Inba" Irudhayaraj

Naslen as Eeswaran

Nazriya Nazim as Maya

Anandaraj as Irudhayaraj, Inba's father

Lal as Stephen

Rajpriyan as Inspector Sibi

Suresh Mathiyalagan as Inspector Vinoth

Gajaraj as Manohar, Maya's father

Special appearance

Tovino Thomas as Victor

Jyothika as Inba's imagination of Maya

Production

Development

In June 2025, Malayalam director Jithu Madhavan confirmed that he was in discussions with actor Suriya to direct his 47th film as a lead actor. The project was in its early stages, and Jithu did not disclose further details. The film marks his debut as a director in Tamil cinema. It was reported that Suriya would launch a new production company, named Zhagaram Studios, with the project set to be its first production. Reports also stated that several crew members from Jithu's shelved project with Mohanlal, including cinematographer Vineeth Augustian, were expected to join the film. Pre-production work for the film commenced in August 2025, following the completion of filming for Karuppu (2026), and was completed by the following December.

The film, tentatively titled Suriya 47, began with a muhurat puja in Chennai on 7 December 2025. It was produced by Suriya and Jyothika's newly established Zhagaram Studios, along with their production company 2D Entertainment. The production companies officially announced the project the same day and released photographs from the ceremony, which confirmed the cast and crew. The film also marked the Tamil debut of Malayalam composer Sushin Shyam. Jithu wrote and directed the film, while Dravid Selvam contributed to the Tamil dialogues and additional writing. Sushin, who had previously collaborated with Jithu on Romancham (2023) and Aavesham (2024), composed the music, marking their third collaboration. The production budget was reportedly ₹22 crore (US$2.3 million)–₹30 crore (US$3.1 million), excluding Suriya's remuneration. The film's official title was announced on 9 September 2026.

Casting

Suriya plays a DSP in the film, marking his return to playing one after previously doing so in the Singam film series. Jithu revealed that the story was initially written with Fahadh Faasil in mind for the lead role. Malayalam actor Naslen, in his Tamil debut, was chosen as the antagonist as Jithu wanted someone who people would think is "the last to commit a gruesome crime". He initially believed Naslen would not accept given that he was doing primarily lead roles, but the actor did so, and although there were minor scheduling conflicts, they were worked around. In September 2025, Nazriya Nazim was reported to be in discussions to play the lead actress paired opposite Suriya. The pairing had previously been planned for Sudha Kongara's Purananooru; however, the film was retooled as Parasakthi (2026) with a different cast. Nazriya and Naslen were officially announced as part of the cast on 7 December 2025. It marks Nazriya's return to Tamil cinema after a 12-year hiatus, her last Tamil film being Thirumanam Enum Nikkah (2014). Suriya noted that Nazriya had previously declined to act opposite him in three films before accepting this one. In response, Nazriya called Suriya's comments a "joke", noting that the aforementioned collaborations did not materialise because of scheduling issues, and she would never purposefully reject a Suriya film.

Filming

Principal photography began in December 2025. Reports initially stated that the first schedule would begin in Kerala on 8 December, while the production's launch ceremony had taken place the previous day. Most of the filming was expected to take place in Kochi. By February 2026, filming was ongoing, with Jithu describing it as a "proper Tamil film" when questioned if it would have a "Malayalam flavour". Nazriya joined the production in March 2026. Suriya and Jyothika welcomed her to the set. Nazriya reportedly began her portions with an action sequence in Chennai, choreographed by Chethan D'Souza, with a set built in VGN Cosmos in Avadi. Dravid Selvam was involved throughout the shoot as a dialogue writer, and said in July 2026 that he had been working on the film's set every day. Principal photography was completed in July 2026. The production houses announced the wrap on 16 July.

Music

The soundtrack is composed by Sushin Shyam, in his third collaboration with Jithu and his Tamil debut. The audio rights were acquired by Sony Music. The track "Scenuke Scene" was featured in the title teaser released on 9 September 2026. The first single "Aathi Iva Yarraa" was released on 8 October 2026. The second single "Aeroplane" was released on 19 October 2026. The track "Killin' 'em" was featured in the character reveal glimpse of Naslen as Eeswaran, released on 24 October 2026. The track "Respectaa" was featured in the character reveal glimpse of Suriya as Inbaraj, was released on 27 October 2026. The audio launch was held on 31 October at Sri Sairam Engineering College, Chennai, while the complete album was released on 5 November 2026.

Marketing

The title teaser for this film was released on 9 September 2026. The promotional teaser, introducing Naslen's character was released on 22 October 2026. An major promotional event titled #SceneLiveInDubai took place on 25 October 2026 at Silicon Central Mall in Dubai. At the event, a new promotional teaser featuring Suriya's character introduction was exclusively premiered. Later, the teaser was released digitally the next day. The film's trailer was released on 31 October 2026 along with the audio launch.

Release

Theatrical

Scene was released on 6 November 2026, the week of Diwali, clashing with Mookuthi Amman 2.

Distribution

Sakthi Film Factory distributed Scene in Tamil Nadu, and Sree Gokulam Movies is the Kerala distributor. M Movies is handling the theatrical distribution of this film in the state of Karnataka. Distribution in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is handled by NVR Cinema. SVC Release is handling the distribution of this film in the Nizam region.

The overseas distribution rights for the film, including the GCC region, have been acquired by Phars Films. Other distributors for this film include York Cinemas (North America), Home Screen Entertainment (Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Singapore), MSK Cinemas Sdn Bhd (Malaysia), Ahimsa Entertainment (UK and Europe), and 180 Entertainment and Getam Cine World (France), and Linus Media (Benelux).

Home media

The post-theatrical streaming rights were acquired by Netflix.

Reception

Box office

Before the film's release, industry insider Ramesh Bala predicted that its opening-day box office in India would exceed ₹20 crore. On the day of the film's release, the early screenings performed impressively, with an average occupancy rate of around 60%. As a result, the total box office collection for the opening day reached approximately ₹19.15 crore, with ₹16.15 crore coming from the Tamil version, marking an impressive performance and securing the third spot among the highest opening-day figures of Suriya's career. In overseas markets, the film grossed ₹12 crore on its opening day, bringing its global box office total to ₹34.25 crore. There are also reports stating a global box office of ₹36.65 crore.

Critical response

Scene received mostly positive reviews from critics. M. Suganth of The Times of India rated the film 4/5, saying it "take[s] some time to settle into its unique rhythm. The opening portions that set up this world are rather flat but from the moment it reveals its protagonist's weakness, the film starts getting into the groove". Vishal Menon of The Hollywood Reporter India wrote, "Thanks to an in-form Suriya, Naslen and Nazriya, director Jithu Madhavan dares to venture into territory that might seem too risky for a film with such serious undertones". Janani K of India Today said it "is as funny and clever as it can get. While it starts on a subdued note, it blows your mind as it progresses". Latha Srinivasan of NDTV lauded the music, cinematography, editing, dark humour and direction, calling Scene "refreshingly different from recent Tamil films".

Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu wrote, "Scene is an engaging and entertaining dark comedy with so much going for it that choosing its most satisfying highlight is a difficult exercise". Yashaswini Sri of The Indian Express wrote, "Scene is not Jithu Madhavan's strongest work. [...] But Scene is a film with genuine vision, real personality and a lead performance that reminds you what Suriya is capable of when a director gives him permission to be human rather than heroic". Bryan Durham of Variety India wrote, "this is one you CANNOT miss in theatres. It doesn't just keep you invested in the murder mystery at the heart of the story, it is entertaining to the core". Baradwaj Rangan wrote that "the film subverts every cliché in the storytelling book, and we get 'scene' after unexpected 'scene', which play out in tone after unexpected tone. The ambition is admirable, but the film takes too long to take off and ends up working only in parts".

Avinash Ramachandran of Cinema Express rated the film 4/5, writing, "With Suriya in terrific form and stellar turns from Nazriya and Naslen, Jithu Madhavan gives the familiar a fabulous makeover in Scene". Neeshita Nyayapati of Hindustan Times rated the film 3.5/5, writing, "Given the seriousness of the core story of Scene, this film could've gone either way. But Jithu remains sensitive and punches up instead of down, leaving you with a Diwali film that crackles". Jagadish Angadi of Deccan Herald gave a less positive review and 2.5/5, criticising the "sluggish narration" of the film's first half but said the it "picks up pace" post interval. Jagadish said both the cinematography and music were "fairly average", but praised two stunt sequences and the performance of Suriya and Naslen, saying the latter "steals the show".