Tourist Family is an Indian Tamil drama film, which is written and directed by Abishan Jeevenith. M. Sasikumar, Simran, Mithun Jai Sankar and Kamalesh are the main characters in the movie. It is a film by Nazerath Pasilian, Magesh Raj Pasilian and Yuvaraj Ganesan under the Million Dollar Studios and MRP Entertainment banner and distributed by Ahimsa Entertainment and JVEL Distribution. Aravind Viswanathan does cinematography of the movie, Barath Vikraman, does the editing, and the music work is done by Sean Roldan.
According to The Indian Express Tamil, the declared budget of the film is estimated to Rs 14 crore and the declared box office collection by Pinkvilla is estimated to be Rs 25.50 crore, which clearly indicates the film is a business hit and it did well in the box office. The movie can run 2 hours and 30 minutes and thus got a good rating among viewers and film critics.
Review
Tourist Family is a tragic novel but it focuses on a Sri Lankan Tamil family that has fled to Tamil Nadu in search of a new life. The movie is directed by a debutant, Abishan Jeevenith and gives more weight to humanity rather than politics. The narration has been very effective even though the narrative is simple.
Dharmadas, the soul of the movie, Sasikumar, is somebody that we all think does the right thing all the time, but the world he inhabits barely thinks of him in that regard. Simran as his wife Vasanthi is kindly and subtly powerful on the screen. To a large extent the humour and emotion come through their two children especially the younger son Mulli (a splendid performance by Kamalesh). This family situation appears to be true and their plight wins your heart.
Their place of living is overcrowded with fun, colourful characters, rigid uncles, nosy neighbours, etc. The film does not provide any over-the-top drama, but instead creates connections between them step by step. They are basic, common, common sense things, dining out, suffering, assisting the needy, which make the film somehow closer to the ordinary ties of being.
The emotional combination is another strength of the picture. There is some tension, some laughter, and even some tears, which are quite well balanced. Pure craftsmanship is also visible at times, such as a single long shot that is a mix of a dance and a fight. Humour, too, there is, of the kids and Yogi Babu, to make the heavy scenes light.
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But the second half is somewhat loose. Routine police suspicion and a bomb explosion in the past serves as a subplot, which alters the mood, but does it rather subtly. A moment or two of feeling can be introduced too strongly, and the background music may be all too insistent feeling.
However, the film does not forget its central message: People take precedence over the nationality, religion, or position. It is an encouragement of how goodwill and neighbourly affection can perform miracles even in the saddest of situations.
Worth a look is the viewer of slice-of-life genre that is touching, reassuring, and somewhat heart in what has become a fairly pleasant Tourist Family. It is imperfect, yet not in its core.
Cast
The strong aspect of Tourist Family is its natural performances. Dharmadas, the character being played by M. Sasikumar, possesses the emotional quotient of the movie with maturity and depth. He is portraying a person who is strong but quiet and has infinite patience and his presence feels real and heartfelt. The character falls in love with him as well because his gestures, and soft looks make it easy to fall in love with his character. This is a made-to-fit role since even in the screen, his character is always the embodiment of simplicity and good.
Simran does a fantastic job in the role of Vasanthi with her perfect blend of gentleness and frailty. It is her nonverbal responses, smiles and crying scenes that make the movie soulful. She does not have to speak a lot of words to show her emotions, her eyes speak. Simran and Sasikumar are a plausible couple who both struggle with their battles in life.
The younger son Mulli (Kamalesh) is a theft king with his mischievous tricks and natural humour and his part in the film was one of the best written. Mithun Jai Sankar that is acting in the role of an older son, Nithushan, carries out the teenage frustration and emotional conflict in a good way.
The uncle, Prakash, the uncle, Yogi Babu, is a relief in lighter situations without being excessively overdone; M. S. Bhaskar, as the stern boss Richard, makes his presence felt in his few appearances on the screen; it is another demonstration of how he can make even the minor characters carry a heavy presence. The fact that Yogalakshmi is Kural and Ramesh Thilak a constable makes the story also believable.
First-time director Abishan Jeeven takes a very good stab even to the point of appearing in the film as a troubled newcomer, and though it would be a high-risk high-reward situation to significant extent, his no-nonsense delivery stands out brilliantly in one or two scenes. Elango Kumaravel and Sreeja Ravi as Gunasekar and his wife are just textural additions to the canvas of neighbourhood, so does Bagavathi Perumal as the inspector.
As a group, it makes the colony come alive, the setting of this film, with which you get the feeling that each and every single person is alive and breathing.
Critical Reviews
Abhinav Subramanian of The Times of India gave a two and half star rating of five and liked the message of the movie and the performances, especially of Sasikumar and Simran as a couple facing difficulties as refugees in his review of Tourist Family. But they found emotional moments too scripted; not real. It is touching, especially when it comes to survival and kindness, though the movie tries a bit too hard to get us to feel, which makes it predictable, but a decent, grounded one.
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Jayabhuvaneshwari B of Cinema Express rated the movie three and a half stars out of five and praised Tourist Family for the emotional depth and excellent casting especially Sasikumar has been pictured as a symbol of quiet goodness. They described the movie as simple but powerful in capturing refugee life with heart. Young Mulli’s penmanship is distinctive and the abrupt jumps in the emotional tone of this movie, from the sad to the comic, are handled ably. In the long run, it’s only a soft reminder to be more humankind.
Latha Srinivasan from The Hindustan Times rated the movie three stars out of five and also praised Tourist Family for being a touching movie that displayed how humankind and kindness can overcome suspicion and fear. They liked the reserved and kind character of Das played by Sasikumar and the warm Vasanthi’s role by Simran. The critic enjoyed the way that the movie combines humor and emotion, as well as neighborhood camaraderie. It can be reread, however, the storytelling and the naturalness of the acting make it seem fresh and touching.
Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express has given three and a half stars out of five to the movie and said that Tourist Family is a feel-good movie which spreads the message of kindness and humanity in a otherwise cynical world. They added that the movie, in the tradition of Radha Mohan’s classics, proves that simple goodness can touch hearts. A good performance from Sasikumar, Simran, and Kamalesh and a little humour, a little emotional drama and you’re reminded to love thy neighbour, no matter where he or she is from.
Audiences Reviews
As I said before, it was rated good from the audience, Now it is time to talk about it. The IMDb rating nearly 12k people rated the movie 8.2 stars out of 10 which is an amazing rating. While reading through the user reviews, I found that the majority of the audience like Tourist Family because of its sentimental, feel good nature, and also because its social and emotional message was true. Many viewers loved the movie for the combination of humour and sentiment, saying that it was the kind of movie that made them laugh, weep.
Most of the review called it a much-needed respite from the loud masala entertainers and a movie that can be viewed by family. Sasikumar and Simran were praised for their natural and nuanced performances as a refugee couple who are trying to start afresh in Chennai.
The younger son, Mulli, who acted in the role of Kamalesh, was much appreciated as the surprise star of the movie, his humour and naivety gave the movie a depth and charm. Viewers also liked the pacing of the screenplay, the optimistic values of humanity and kindness, and the way the director developed a difficult refugee situation without making it preachy or political.
Several reviews applauded debutant director Abishan Jeevinth for his simple and straightforward narration, with some of them going on to say that it was the best Tamil movie of 2025. The comedy (especially in the Sinhala Tamil in the Sri Lankan Tamil dialect and in the interaction between neighbours) was not considered to be contrived but genuine. The subtle expressions of emotions by Simran and Sasikumar’s down-to-earth performance made the family appear believable and likable.
A small portion of the crowd found the movie emotionally manipulative, and some of the parts seemed too contrived or over the top. “Unrealistic and unethical presentation of illegal immigration,” wrote one viewer. Others included that some aspects of the movie were predictable, there was a linear story and it had some pacing issues.
Overall, Tourist Family is found to be soulful, entertaining, and socially relevant movie by the audience that touches the audience with humanity, humour, and earnest storytelling. A powerful theatrical watch and a must see for the family audience.
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Songs
One of the strong elements that help enhance the emotional underpinning of the movie is the music in Tourist Family by multi-talented Sean Roldan. As the song album, which runs for a total of 25 minutes and 49 seconds, is credited as being “by emotions, nostalgia and warmth,” the album pays homage to the movie’s family-friendly storyline.
- Sean Roldan’s Aachaley opens the album on a reassuring and earthy note that fits well with the themes of hope and new beginnings in the song.
- “Vaazhndhu Paaru” is a song by S.P. Charan that complements the message of rising back up for the movie.
- “Iragey” by Vijay Yesudas, and its Reprise by Venkatramanan, are loaded with yearning and contemplation, and well placed in the more emotional parts of the movie.
- Mugai Mazhai, a duet by Sean Roldan and Saindhavi, was loved and the placement of the song in a major montage sequence had the audience crying to the song.
- “Maname” by Manoj Krishna and Sean Roldan is a sad, quiet tune, and it reflects the family’s life in private.
- Ore Vaanam sung by Yuvan Shankar Raja & Meha Agarwal. The last song in the album is about unity and brotherhood, and gives the album a calming conclusion.
Not only is the music used well but the selection and placement of the music gives the story extra depth that will make it memorable and meaningful for the viewer.
How to Watch
The Tourist Family movie is going to the theatres from the 1st of May 2025 but many theatre may not show the movie as other big movies killed the screening of small budget movies, like what happened with me with the movie Retro, similarly my local theatre didn’t show this movie also, so I have to travel again to have a look at this one.
If you want to watch this movie then, first of all, check for its showtimes in the theatres near you or not, you can check this on BookMyShow or the new District app by Zomato, if yes then just book and go, or you can book at the theatre which will reduce the extra charges by these platforms, which is a huge deal and if you can’t find then wait for its OTT, officially its not confirmed but some news reports suggested it will be there on JioHotstar.
After its release, simply purchase a subscription if you do not possess one and watch and download this and other movies available on the platform and enjoy.
What a beautifully detailed and balanced review! I’m especially looking forward to seeing Kamalesh as Mulli after reading about his standout role. Thank you for capturing the film’s heart and message so clearly, this one’s definitely going on my watchlist!
Thanks!☺️
Nice