• December 30, 2025

Basil Joseph’s ‘Athiradi’ College Boy Makeover Has Even Naslen Smelling a Conspiracy

KOCHI Dec 30: Malayalam actor Basil Joseph’s latest Gen Z-style makeover for his film ‘Athiradi’ has social media in stitches, with fans and celebrities flooding Instagram with playful comments and memes about how young he looks.

Basil shared a photo in a blue shirt and white trousers, debuting a youthful hairstyle and introducing his character as “SamBoy (Roll No 31, BTech First year, Civil Engineering, BCET)” from ‘Athiradi’.

The post instantly drew attention for how convincingly he channels a first-year college student despite being much older in real life. Tovino Thomas joked that Basil’s “age [is] in reverse gear,” while Nazriya Nazim chimed in with a playful “Polichada mutheeee…common da.” Fans flooded the comments saying he looks around 18, with one admirer calling the transformation “top-notch” and praising him as a “rare breed.”

 

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‘Athiradi’ is planned for a theatrical release during Onam 2026, with the exact date yet to be announced. The film features Basil Joseph, Tovino Thomas, and Vineeth Sreenivasan in lead roles and is largely set on a college campus. The movie marks the directorial debut of Arun Anirudhan, known for his writing work on films such as ‘Minnal Murali’ and ‘Padayottam’.


‘Athiradi’ also boasts a strong technical crew, including music director Vishnu Vijay, cinematographer Samuel Henry, and editor Chaman Chakko. This is the first production venture of Basil Joseph Entertainment in collaboration with Dr Ananthu Entertainment, headed by Dr Ananthu, founder and CEO of Xylem Learning. Tovino Thomas and cinematographer-filmmaker Sameer Thahir are on board as co-producers, adding both star power and experience behind the camera.

Actors Naslen and Sandeep both joined the fun in the comments with playful, teasing replies about Basil’s new look. Naslen joked that Basil’s transformation was a “plan to sideline” them and called it a “betrayal,” implying Basil was trying to outdo the younger actors with his SamBoy avatar.

In a follow-up quip, he added that now there are “two people who need to shave their heads,” extending the light-hearted banter. Actor Sandeep (Sandeep Pradeep) chimed in asking, “Why don’t you just go direct the film?”, nudging Basil about his director side. Basil replied in a teasing tone, saying Sandeep was “scared,” keeping the friendly back-and-forth going in the comments.

It’s Naslen’s reply to Basil’s post that has gone viral. He replied to the picture, ‘Is this a plan to sideline us? This is a betrayal,’ was Naslen’s comment. This comment has received around thirty thousand plus likes. Sandeep Pradeep also commented. ‘Why don’t you just go direct the film?’ was Sandeep’s comment. ‘Your (Naslen’s) and that Sandeep’s arrogance is getting a bit much, I’ll sort you out,’ was Basil’s reply. Tovino Thomas’s comment also arrived. ‘You are his main target. We can’t let him grow anymore,’ wrote Tovino.

Other stars have also commented on the photo. ‘Quite the young man,’ is Nikhila Vimal’s comment. ‘Oh my, what a scene, son..,’ wrote Antony Varghese. ‘You nailed it, dear. C’mon dude,’ commented Nazriya. With such fun comments and replies, Basil’s ‘Athiradi’ look has gone viral. The photo has received one million likes on Instagram.

Athiradi is a multi-starrer film featuring Basil Joseph, Tovino Thomas, and Vineeth Sreenivasan in central roles. The movie is directed by debutant Arun Anirudhan. The film also marks Basil Joseph’s first production venture.