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Neelira (transl. Long Night) is a 2026 Indian war film written and directed by Someetharan. Set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war, the film stars an ensemble cast including Naveen Chandra, Sananth, Kapila Venu, Roopa Koduvayur, and Tharmeega Manimaran.[1] Set in Sri Lanka, it features the Eelam Tamil dialect.

The film was released theatrically on 3 April 2026. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who noted its realistic portrayal of the conflict’s impact on civilians.

Plot

In 1988 in Jaffna, amidst the Sri Lankan civil war, an Eelam Tamil family is in the midst of preparing for the wedding of their daughter, Vasuki. On the eve of the wedding, a group of Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) soldiers led by a Captain inadvertently occupy the family’s home due to a navigational error. Realising they are stranded without backup and surrounded by local militants,[clarification needed] the soldiers take refuge inside, effectively holding the family hostage.

Cast

Production

Neelira marks the feature film directorial debut of Someetharan, a Eelam Tamil journalist and documentary filmmaker.[3] Someetharan stated that the film was inspired by his own lived experiences growing up in a militarised zone in Jaffna.[4] The film was produced by Kaarthikeyan S, Karthik Subbaraj, Rana Daggubati and Kalyan Subramanian under the banners of Stone Bench Studio and Spirit Media. The technical crew includes music composer K, cinematographer Selvarathinam Pradeepan and editor Radha Sridhar.[5]

Release and reception

Neelira was released in theatres on 3 April 2026, by AGS Cinemas.[6] The film received generally positive reviews, with critics largely praising Someetharan’s authentic writing, the tense chamber-drama format, and the performances of the ensemble cast.[1][7]

K. Janani of India Today similarly praised Chandra’s “measured” acting, describing the film as a “quietly devastating” portrait of war.[8] Baradwaj Rangan commended the “tight, tense drama” for effectively distilling the broader tragedy of Eelam Tamils through its single-night premise.[9] Akshay Kumar of Cinema Express praised the cast and the film’s incisive dialogue, but felt the tight 92-minute runtime occasionally rushed the character transformations.[10] The film was also reviewed by Cinema Vikatan and Virakesari.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ a b “‘Neelira’ first review out: Early reactions praise Naveen Chandra film; Calls it ‘One of the best films this year’“. The Times of India. 2 April 2026. Archived from the original on 3 April 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  2. ^ “Neelira – An important step”. Tamil Guardian. 2 April 2026. Archived from the original on 4 April 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  3. ^ Selva, Gopi (31 March 2026). ““This is your film” – Interview with Neelira director Someetharan”. Tamil Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 March 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  4. ^ “Someetharan on Neelira’s CBFC cuts: ‘They didn’t want to butcher my film’“. Mid-Day. 3 April 2026. Archived from the original on 4 April 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  5. ^ Neelira Official Trailer | Naveen Chandra, Sananth | Someetharan | K | Karthik Subbaraj. Sony Music South. 27 March 2026. Archived from the original on 9 April 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ AGS Cinemas [@agscinemas] (2 April 2026). “Here’s the Tamil Nadu theatre list for #Neelira 🔥 Grand Release by @agscinemas ✨ #NeeliraFromTomorrow” (Tweet). Archived from the original on 6 April 2026. Retrieved 6 April 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  7. ^ “Suriya praises ‘Neelira’ after watching the film; Calls it a powerful story about war and humanity”. The Times of India. 3 April 2026. Archived from the original on 4 April 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  8. ^ K, Janani (2 April 2026). “Neelira review: Someetharan’s anti-war film is a portrait of war’s human cost”. India Today. Archived from the original on 6 April 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  9. ^ “Someetharan’s ‘Neelira’ is a tight, tense drama about Sri Lankan Tamils during the war”. Baradwaj Rangan. 3 April 2026. Archived from the original on 4 April 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  10. ^ Kumar, Akshay (3 April 2026). “Neelira Movie Review: A wedding, a war, and a wounded history”. Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 4 April 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  11. ^ “நீளிரா விமர்சனம்: போர் குறித்த முக்கியமான அரசியல் படைப்பு – இது பதைபதைக்க வைக்கும் ஈழத்து சினிமா!” [Neelira Review: a significant political work on war—a harrowing Eelam film!]. Cinema Vikatan (in Tamil). 3 April 2026. Archived from the original on 3 April 2026. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  12. ^ “நீளிரா – திரைப்பட விமர்சனம்” [Neelira – Movie Review]. Virakesari (in Tamil). 3 April 2026. Archived from the original on 6 April 2026. Retrieved 6 April 2026.