Rambo (2025 film)

Rambo
Official release poster
Directed by	M. Muthaiah
Written by	M. Muthaiah
Produced by	Kalanithi Maran
Starring	Arulnithi Tanya Ravichandran VTV Ganesh Abhirami Ranjith Sajeev
Cinematography	R. D. Rajasekhar
Edited by	Venkat Raajen
Music by	Ghibran Vaibodha
Production company	Sun Entertainment
Distributed by	Sun NXT
Release date	10 October 2025 (2025-10-10)
Running time	118 minutes [1]
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Rambo (also marketed as Rambo: The Undefeatable) is a 2025 Indian Tamil-language sports action drama film written and directed by M. Muthaiah and produced by Kalanithi Maran under the banner of Sun Entertainment. ^[2] The film stars Arulnithi in the titular role, alongside Tanya Ravichandran, VTV Ganesh, Abhirami and Ranjith Sajeev (in his Tamil debut).

The film was officially announced in October 2025 under the tentative title Arulnithi19, as it is the nineteenth film for Arulnithi, as the lead actor, and the official title was announced in October 2025. ^{[3] [4]} It was shot primarily in Chennai, Madurai and Trichy. The film has music composed by Ghibran Vaibodha, cinematography handled by R. D. Rajasekhar and editing by Venkat Raajen.

Rambo was released directly for streaming on Sun NXT on 10 October 2025 and received negative reviews from critics.

Plot

Rambo is a kickboxer who works as a street fighter. Circumstances lead him to meet Malar who is running away from Gautham, a big shot and heir to an educational industrialist. But what is the connection between Gautham and Malar, the latter who is a crucial eye witness to a case that can send Gautham behind bars.

Cast

• Arulnithi as Ramkumar aka Rambo
• Tanya Ravichandran as Malar
• VTV Ganesh as Inspector Karmegham
• Abhirami as Rambo's mother
• Ranjith Sajeev as Gautham Periyathambi, Malar's brother
• Ayesha Zeenath as Sadha Gurumoorthy, Gautham's fiancee and Gurumoorthy's daughter
• Hareesh Peradi
• Baboos Baburaj
• Jenson Dhivakar as Rambo's friend
• Charan Raj as Periyathambi, Gautham and Malar's father
• Gajaraj as Rambo's houseowner
• Kumar Natarajan as Gurumoorthy, Sadha's father

Production

Development

The film was officially announced in October 2025, marking director Muthaiah's first project designed exclusively for OTT release. Known for his rural-based dramas such as Komban (2015) and Pulikkuthi Pandi (2021), Muthaiah described Rambo as a "sports action drama with strong family emotions". The director stated that the film explores new territory for him, focusing on urban struggles and the discipline of martial arts rather than his usual rural themes. ^[5]

Casting

Director Muthaiah selected Arulnithi for the lead role, calling him a perfect fit for a character that required both emotional depth and physical intensity. Arulnithi underwent boxing and physical training for several weeks to prepare for his role. The supporting cast includes Tanya Ravichandran, Abhirami, Ranjith Sajeev, Ayesha Zeenath and VTV Ganesh appear were cast in other pivotal roles. ^[6]

Filming

Principal photography began in Chennai and nearby urban locations in mid-2024. The film focused on capturing realistic training sequences and boxing scenes without heavy visual effects. Many of the boxing scenes were choreographed under professional sports consultants to ensure authenticity. The production was completed within a 45-day schedule. ^[7]

Music

Rambo
Soundtrack album by Ghibran Vaibodha
Released	26 September 2025
Recorded	2024–2025
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	3:02
Language	Tamil
Label	Sun Entertainment
Producer	Ghibran Vaibodha
Ghibran Vaibodha chronology
JSK: Janaki V v/s State of Kerala (2025) Rambo (2025)
Singles from Rambo
"Mayakkam Enna" Released: 7 October 2025 "Girra Girrara" Released: 11 October 2025 (After the film's release)

The music and background score is composed by Ghibran Vaibodha, in his second collaboration with Arulnithi and M. Muthaiah after Dejavu (2022) and Kutti Puli (2013). The audio rights were acquired by Sun Entertainment. The first single titled "Mayakkam Enna" was released on 7 October 2025. ^[8] The second single titled "Girra Girrara" was released on 11 October 2025, after the film's release. ^[9]

All lyrics are written by Mohan Rajan.

Track listing

No.	Title	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Mayakkam Enna"	Deepthi Suresh	3:02
2.	"Girra Girrara"	Narayanan Ravishankar, Sudharshan Ajay	3:06

Release

Rambo skipped a theatrical release and opted for a direct-to-streaming release via Sun NXT on 10 October 2025. ^{[10] [11]} The satellite rights of the film were acquired by Sun TV.^{[ citation needed ]}

Reception

Critical response

Rambo received negative reviews from critics. ^[12]

Charishma Tatiparthi of Big TV Live rated the film 2.25/5 and wrote, "An earnest boxing drama with heart, but not enough heat to win the bout." ^[13] Anusha Sundar of OTTplay rated the film 1.5/5 stars and wrote, "It tries to blend kickboxing with drama but ends up tangled in illogical writing and weak storytelling. Despite flashes of humor, the film fails to land a solid punch emotionally". ^[14] A critic from Vikatan gave the film a negative review, criticizing the story for its lack of novelty and the screenplay for having predictable twists. ^[15]

Suhas Sistu of The Hans India wrote, "Marketed as a gritty tale with kickboxing at its core, the film falls flat due to lazy writing, illogical situations, and painfully weak characterisation." ^[16] Johnson of Puthiya Thalaimurai called it bland, criticizing the boxing scenes as forced and included merely to justify the film's title. ^[17]

References

1. "Rambo (2025)". Central Board of Film Certification . 30 September 2025.
2. "Arulnithi's next titled Rambo". Cinema Express . 3 October 2025.
3. "Muthaiya's first OTT film Rambo unveils Arulnithi in a new avatar". Only Kollywood. 4 October 2025.
4. "Rambo Trailer: Arulnithi faces a bigger battle beyond kick-boxing". Cinema Express . 4 October 2025.
5. "Rambo OTT Release Date: Arulnithi's Sports Drama to Premiere on SunNXT". Pratidin Time. 4 October 2025.
6. "Rambo OTT release: Trailer of Arulnithi-Muthaiya's sports action drama out". OTTplay . 4 October 2025.
7. "Arulnithi's Rambo to stream on OTT from October 10". DT Next . 7 October 2025.
8. "The wait is almost over! ✨ Mayakkam Enna song from Rambo drops tomorrow 6 PM on SunNXT YouTube. Subscribe now and get ready for the full movie on Oct 10! 🍿 Watch Rambo Only on SunNXT!!". Twitter . 6 October 2025.
9. "Get ready to vibe on repeat! 🔥 'Gira Gira' from Rambo that's #GirraGirra! Feel the fire of Rambo's music, composed by Ghibran.🔥". Twitter. 10 October 2025.
10. "Rambo OTT release date: Arulnithi's film opts direct premiere; when and where to stream". OTTPlay. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
11. "Arulnithi's Rambo skips theatres for direct OTT release on Sun NXT". Chennaivision. 6 October 2025.
12. "Rambo Movie Review : நல்ல வேளை தியேட்டர்ல ரிலீஸ் ஆகல... அருள்நிதியின் 'ராம்போ' விமர்சனம் இதோ | Arulnithi Starrer Rambo Movie Twitter Review". Asianet News Tamil (in Tamil). 10 October 2025.
13. Tatiparthi, Charishma (10 October 2025). "Rambo Movie Review: Drama Straight to OTT Hit or Miss?". Big TV Live English.
14. "Rambo movie review: Arulnithi's kicks fall flat in this action misfire". OTTPlay. 10 October 2025.
15. "Rambo Review: பாக்ஸிங் கதையில் பன்ச் என்னமோ நமக்குத்தான்! அருள்நிதி - முத்தையா ஆக்ஷன் காம்போ எப்படி?". Vikatan (in Tamil). 10 October 2025.
16. Sistu, Suhas (12 October 2025). "'Rambo' review: A punchless action drama that collapses under its own illogical story line". The Hans India .
17. "விறுவிறுப்பாக இருக்கிறதா அருள்நிதியின் ஆக்ஷன் த்ரில்லர்? | Rambo Review | Arulnithi | Muthaiya". Puthiya Thalaimurai (in Tamil). 11 October 2025.

External links

• Rambo at IMDb