I'm Game (film)
2026 Indian film by Nahas Hidhayath
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I'm Game is a 2026 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy action film directed by Nahas Hidhayath, who co-wrote the script with Sajeer Baba, Ismail Aboobacker and Bilal Moidu, and produced by Dulquer Salmaan and Jom Varghese under the banner of Wayfarer Films. The film stars Dulquer Salmaan, alongside Antony Varghese, Mysskin, Kayadu Lohar, Samyuktha Viswanathan, Kathir, Vinay Forrt and Parth Tiwari.
- Sajeer Baba
- Ismail Aboobacker
- Bilal Moidu
Shabas Rasheed
Sajeer Baba
| I'm Game | |
|---|---|
 Theaterical release poster | |
| Directed by | Nahas Hidhayath |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Dialogues by | Adarsh Sukumaran Shabas Rasheed Sajeer Baba |
| Story by | Nahas Hidhayath |
| Produced by | Dulquer Salmaan Jom Varghese |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Jimshi Khalid Additional Cinematography: Jomon T. John |
| Edited by | Chaman Chacko |
| Music by | Jakes Bejoy |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 173 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Box office | ₹45.75 crore[2] |
Principal photography began in early 2025,[3] and continued from 9 March 2025 to 16 April 2026, spanning over 150 locations across South India.[4] The film's music was composed by Jakes Bejoy with cinematography by Jimshi Khalid and Jomon T. John. It was edited by Chaman Chakko.
I'm Game was released in theatres on 3 September 2026, coinciding with the Janmashtami weekend and received mixed reviews from critics praising Dulquer's performance, technical aspects, action sequences and background score but criticized the screenplay, pacing and predictable narrative.[5]
Premise
Dan John, a wealthy and lazy businessman living in Hyderabad have intense gambling addiction which lead for his downfall in both business and life and after a chaos created by him during a sports betting session leads to a chase and which follows with a road accident which caused loss of Dan's one of his hand and later it got transplanted.
Cast
- Dulquer Salmaan as Dan John, a businessman and recipient of a hand transplant
- Antony Varghese as Vignesh "Vicky" Das, a cricketer in Madras Raging Bulls and donor of a hand transplant (Extended cameo appearance)
- Mysskin as David Abraham, the gambling kingpin and the sponsor of Madras Raging Bulls
- Kayadu Lohar as Isha, Dan's love interest and physiotherapist (Dubbed by Haritha Balakrishnan)
- Samyuktha Viswanathan as Tharini, Vicky's love interest
- Kathir as Jason Antony, the captain of Madras Raging Bulls
- Vinay Forrt as Freddy, Dan's gambling Agent and friend
- Jayasudha as Mercy John, Dan's mother
- Shyamaprasad as John, Dan's father
- Ashvin Mathew as Dr. Sam Mathew
- Prabhakar as Balraj Bhai
- Parth Tiwari as Shaurya, David's right-hand
- Harshad as Sekhar, David's henchman
- Varun Pande as Dharam, David's henchman
- Eldho Mathew as Vicky's friend
- Midhun Venugopal as Dan's PA
- Veena Kaladharan as TV Reporter
- Neeraja Rajendran as Vicky's mother
- Bilas Chandrahasan as Vicky's father
- Cameo appearances
- Zahrah S. Khan as Dancer in the "Loser" song
- Asif Ali as a gambler who lend the money from Balraj Bhai
- Yogi Babu as a thief who tries to steal Dan's wallet
- Nahas Hidhayath as Dan's driver
- Srinivasa Reddy as a Gambler
Production
Development
I'm Game was directed by Nahas Hidhayath, who previously directed RDX (2023). The screenplay was jointly written by Sajeer Baba, Bilal Moidu and Ismail Aboobacker, with dialogues by Adarsh Sukumaran and Shabas Rasheed. The film was produced by Dulquer Salmaan and Jom Varghese under the banner of Wayfarer Films. The project was initially associated with the working title DQ40, referring to Dulquer Salmaan's 40th film as a lead actor.[6]
The film was described during its production as a sports-based thriller. Its technical crew includes cinematographer Jimshi Khalid, music composer Jakes Bejoy, editor Chaman Chacko and production designer Ajayan Chalissery.[7]
Casting
Dulquer Salmaan was cast in the lead role. The cast also includes Kayadu Lohar, Antony Varghese, Kathir, Mysskin, Vinay Forrt, Parth Tiwari and Samyuktha Viswanathan. Kayadu Lohar was announced as the female lead, while Mysskin joined the film in a prominent role, marking his Malayalam acting debut.[8]
Antony Varghese, who had previously worked with Nahas Hidhayath in RDX, was also part of the principal cast. Mysskin described his character as an antagonist in the film.[9]
Filming
Principal photography commenced in 2025, with the production beginning in Thiruvananthapuram. Antony Varghese and Mysskin attended the film's pooja ceremony marking the beginning of production. Dulquer Salmaan was expected to join the production during a subsequent schedule.[10]
The film was shot over approximately 11 months, covering 156 shooting days across more than 100 locations in South India. Mysskin completed his portions during the production, with the film subsequently moving through its remaining schedules.[11]
Filming wrapped in April 2026, which was announced by Salmaan on his social media pages.[12]
Music
The film's songs and background score are composed by Jakes Bejoy. The first single, "Mazhavillaye" sung by Armaan Malik, was released on 10 August 2026.[13] The second single, "Loser" sung by Salmaan himself was released on 27 August 2026. The full soundtrack was released on 29 August 2026 in the audio launch event, held in Kochi.[14]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mazhavillaye" | Sharfu | Armaan Malik | 4:24 |
| 2. | "Loser" | Suhail Koya, Neeraj Madhav, Reble | Dulquer Salmaan, Neeraj Madhav, Reble, Jakes Bejoy, K.C. Balasarangan, Anila Rajeev, Akhil J. Chand | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Flesh & Blood" | Adhri Joe | Baby Jean, Zeba Tommy, Jakes Bejoy, K.C. Balasarangan, Akhil J. Chand, | 2:56 |
| 4. | "Theekkali Aarambham" | Muthu, Evugin | Vedan | 3:46 |
| 5. | "High Stakes" | Muthu | Brodha V, SVDP, Amogh Balaji, Jakes Bejoy | 3:10 |
| Total length: | 18:50 | |||
Release
I'm Game was released Worldwide on 3 September 2026 in its original Malayalam language, also it was dubbed in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Hindi languages in standard, EPIQ and P[XL] formats. It was originally planned to release on 20 August 2026 on the onam weekend, clashing with Khalifa: The Ruler and Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, but was postponed due to unfinished post-production works.[15]
Reception
Box office
The film grossed ₹4.24 crore baht at the box office in Kerala on its opening day.[16] The film grossed ₹10 crore net across in its first two days of release in India.[17] Six days after its release, the film's global box office reached ₹41.2 crore.[18]
Critical response
I'm Game received mixed reviews from critics praising Dulquer's performance, technical aspects, action sequences and background score but criticized the screenplay, pacing and predictable narrative.[19][20][21]
S.R. Praveen of The Hindu stated that the film was well-made, but its pacing was long and drawn-out, wasting its excellent creative potential.[20]