For years, Suriya’s biggest films have asked him to carry a lot of weight: heavy makeup, big stakes and a serious hero at the centre. The trailer for Scene, released on Saturday, suggests director Jithu Madhavan wants something else from him. He wants Suriya to loosen up.
The clearest example comes early. Inbaraj, Suriya’s character, has resigned from the police force, which shocks his seniors, colleagues and juniors alike. He then stays home and ignores repeated orders from his superior, Stephen (Lal), to report to the office. Stephen sends officers to arrest him and bring him in. When one of them warns that he has been told to carry Inbaraj if needed, the cops expect him to give in. Instead, Inbaraj raises his arms and legs so they can carry him. They do.
That gag tells you a lot about the film. Jithu Madhavan made his name with Romancham and Aavesham, where the humour comes from characters who refuse to act the way the genre expects. Inbaraj seems to be that kind of man. Asked what he will do after quitting, he says he plans to join politics.
Suriya announced the trailer on X with a tagline that sums up the mix: “Murder. Mystery. Madness… and a whole lot of laughter! Enjoy #Scene in theatres with friends and family! With Love from us to you. In cinemas from 6th Nov 2026! #DiwaliRelease.”
Two casting choices that stand out
Beyond Suriya’s lighter turn, the most interesting decisions in Scene involve the two actors around him.
Nazriya Nazim plays Maya. She first appears when Inbaraj places an ad for a house help, and the setup looks like it is played for laughs. But the trailer also shows her doing stunts in action sequences. That is an unusual choice for an actor audiences know mainly for warm, girl-next-door roles, and it marks her return to Tamil cinema after a long break.
Naslen’s casting is an even bigger switch. The actor who became a youth favourite through feel-good Malayalam hits plays Eeswaran, a ruthless and sharp criminal. The trailer says only someone as intelligent as Eeswaran can bring him to justice. Eeswaran sees Inbaraj as a worthy opponent, and Inbaraj answers with a teasing question: “Am I your equal?” An earlier character video had already shown how menacing Naslen’s role is, with Eeswaran calmly telling someone, “Don’t be scared. I won’t kill you. Get the vehicle started.”
Why this Diwali release matters
Scene is one of the clearest recent examples of Malayalam talent working on a major Tamil star vehicle. Sushin Shyam composes the music, Vineeth Augustian handles cinematography and Ajmal Sabu edits, while Ashwini Kale does the production design and Chethan D Souza choreographs the stunts. Malayalam cinema’s current run of hits has come largely from this kind of character-driven, playful filmmaking. Pairing that style with Suriya’s star power is a commercial test that the wider industry will watch closely.
The film is produced by Zhagaram Studios and went on floors with a traditional pooja in Chennai in December last year. Lal, John Vijay and Anandaraj play key supporting roles. Fans have been curious about the project ever since talk of a Suriya–Jithu Madhavan collaboration began. With a Deepavali family audience in mind, the makers have clearly built the trailer around laughs as much as thrills.
On November 6, audiences will find out whether the new, carefree Suriya can hold a murder mystery together.
(With inputs from IANS)
