Anali

Anali
Official poster
Genre	Crime drama
Created by	Midhun Manuel Thomas
Written by	Midhun Manuel Thomas John Manthrickal
Directed by	Midhun Manuel Thomas
Starring	Nikhila Vimal Leona Lishoy
Country of origin	India
Original language	Malayalam
No. of seasons	1
Production
Production company	Asiaville Studios
Original release
Network	JioHotstar

Anali is an upcoming Indian Malayalam-language crime drama streaming television series co-written and directed by Midhun Manuel Thomas and produced by Asiaville Studios. The series stars Nikhila Vimal and Leona Lishoy in the lead roles. ^{[1] [2]} The series is inspired from Koodathayi cyanide killings. ^{[3] [4]}

Premise

Anali is presented as a crime drama revolving around a series of suspicious deaths within a family. ^{[5] [6]}

Cast

• Nikhila Vimal
• Leona Lishoy

Production

Anali marks the web series debut of filmmaker Midhun Manuel Thomas. ^[7] Principal photography for the series commenced in March 2024 and was completed by July 2024. ^{[8] [9] [10]}

Release

Anali is scheduled to stream on JioHotstar. The series was included in the platform's announced slate of South Indian original web series for 2026. ^{[11] [12]}

Marketing

A teaser of Anali was released by JioHotstar in December 2025 amid the ongoing controversy. ^[13]

Controversy

Ahead of its release, Jolly Joseph, the accused in the Koodathayi cyanide killings, approached the Kerala High Court seeking a ban on the streaming of Anali, alleging that the series bore resemblance to her case. ^{[14] [15] [16]}

In December 2025, The Kerala High Court rejected Jolly Joseph's plea because mere similarity based on a teaser is not legal proof, and speculative claims cannot justify stopping a creative work. The court also held that artistic freedom allows works inspired by real crimes, citing earlier films and series based on real cases. ^{[17] [18] [19]}

References

1. "Midhun Manuel Thomas announces web series 'Anali' starring Leona Lishoy and Nikhila Vimal". The Times of India. 8 March 2024.
2. "Midhun Manuel Thomas's web series debut Anali announced". Cinema Express. 8 March 2024.
3. "Kerala High Court declines Jolly Joseph's appeal to halt web series Anali's release". The Times of India. December 2025.
4. "വെബ് സീരീസ് സംപ്രേഷണം തടയണം; ഹർജിയുമായി കൂടത്തായി കൂട്ടക്കൊലക്കേസ് പ്രതി ജോളി ജോസഫ്". Manorama Online. December 2025.
5. "'Anali' web series controversy: Court refuses to block Midhun Manuel Thomas' series streaming". The Times of India. December 2025.
6. "Anali: Nikhila Vimal and Leona Lishoy's new JioHotstar series is based on Jolly Joseph and the notorious killings?". OTTplay. December 2025.
7. "Midhun Manuel Thomas's web series debut Anali announced". Cinema Express. March 2024.
8. "It's a wrap for Midhun Manuel Thomas' web series Anali". Cinema Express. July 2024.
9. "Shoot completed for Anali web series". The New Indian Express. July 2024.
10. "Shoot of Anali wrapped up". Times Now. July 2024.
11. "Six Malayalam web series among JioHotstar's South originals". The New Indian Express. December 2025.
12. "Midhun Manuel Thomas' Anali to Meena's 'Secret Stories - Roslin': An exciting list of web series awaits the Malayalam audience". The Times of India. November 2024.
13. "കൂടത്തായിയിലെ ജോളി ജോസഫ് ആയി നടി ലിയോണ ലിഷോയ്; ഞെട്ടിച്ച് 'അണലി' ടീസർ". Manorama Online. December 2025.
14. "Jolly moves HC against telecast of web series Anali". Kerala Kaumudi. December 2025.
15. "Anali Malayalam Web Series: 'അണലി' വെബ്സീരീസിന്റെ സംപ്രേഷണം തടയണം; ഹർജി നൽകി കൂടത്തായി കൂട്ടക്കൊലക്കേസ് പ്രതി ജോളി ജോസഫ്". Zee News. December 2025.
16. "മിഥുന്‍ മാനുവല്‍ തോമസിന്‍റെ 'അണലി' തടയണമെന്ന് ജോളി ജോസഫ്; വിലക്കാനാകില്ലെന്ന് ഹൈക്കോടതി". Samakalika Malayalam. December 2025.
17. "Kerala HC denies Jolly's plea to halt OTT series, cites works on Sukumara Kurup and others". Mathrubhumi. December 2025.
18. "High court rejects stay on Anali web series". Onmanorama. December 2025.
19. "'അണലി'ക്ക് പ്രദർശനവിലക്കില്ല; ജോളി ജോസഫിന്റെ ഹര്‍ജിയിൽ മിഥുൻ മാനുവൽ തോമസിനും ജിയോ ഹോട്സ്റ്റാറിനും നോട്ടീസ്". Manorama Online. December 2025.

External links

Anali at IMDb