The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang

The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang
Promotional Release Poster
Genre	Crime comedy
Created by	Krishand
Written by	Krishand
Directed by	Krishand
Starring	Sanju Sivram Darshana Rajendran Jagadish
Country of origin	India
Original language	Malayalam
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Running time	47 - 72 minutes
Original release
Network	SonyLIV
Release	29 August 2025 (2025-08-29) – present

The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang (stylised as 4.5 Gang, also known as Sambhava Vivaranam Nalara Sangham) is a 2025 Indian Malayalam-language crime comedy streaming television series created and directed by Krishand. It stars Sanju Sivram, Darshana Rajendran, Jagadish in lead roles. The series premiered on SonyLIV on 29 August 2025. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Premise

Set in Thiruvananthapuram, the series follows a group of five slum boys who dream of making it big amidst the chaotic world of crime, comedy, and survival. ^{[4] [5]}

Cast

• Sanju Sivram as Arikuttan / Arun, member of the 4.5 gang
• Niranj Maniyanpilla Raju as Althaf, member of the 4.5 gang
• Shambhu as Maniyan, member of the 4.5 gang
• Sreenath Babu as Kanji / Sudev, member of the 4.5 gang
• Sachin Joseph as Moonga / Murali Gangadharan , member of the 4.5 gang
• Jagadish as Maithreyan, a writer
• Indrans as Balachandran, Arikuttan's father
• Hakim Shahjahan as Pookkada Valsan, a businessman
• Darshana Rajendran as Ramani, Valsan's wife
• Vijayaraghavan as the music director
• Vishnu Agasthya as Pyelakuttan
• Alexander Prasanth as Bruce Lee
• Santhy Balachandran as Kingini, Arikuttan's love interest
• Zarin Shihab as Pranitha, Maniyan's love interest
• Rahul Rajagopal as S. I. Suresh
• Zhinz Shan as S. I. Stalin
• Geethi Sangeetha as advocate Sukumari
• Krishand as Superstar Vikraman

Episodes

No. in season	Title	Directed by	Original release date
1	"Attack on the Cop"	Krishand R. K.	28 August 2025 (2025-08-28)
Arikuttan arrives Auran to hire a writer who would reshape his gang's crime ridden past through his book. He explains his childhood memories about Thiruvanjipuram to the writer.
2	"Gangster take over Ponakkavu"	Krishand R. K.	28 August 2025 (2025-08-28)
S I Suresh who was attacked by Bruce Lee and Pyelakuttan asks the 4.5 gang to take revenge for him in promise of sizable amount. The 4.5 gang sets to Bonakkad in search of them.
3	"Ponkashi Milk Mafia at large"	Krishand R. K.	28 August 2025 (2025-08-28)
S I Suresh uses them continuously for gold smuggling and in an incident Arikittan gets shot which makes them leave gold smuggling and then they enters into milk smuggling mafia at Ponkashi.
4	"Goons take over the state capital"	Krishand R. K.	28 August 2025 (2025-08-28)
Arikuttan gets jailed for milk smuggling. Senthil who was attacked by 4.5 gang comes back to Thadippalam with his relatives to take revenge.
5	"Cold Blooded Christmas"	Krishand R. K.	28 August 2025 (2025-08-28)
S I Suresh makes a plot to seize control over city's flower trade by attacking Pookkada Valsan's house on a Christmas Night. But things go out of control when Kanji murdered Pookada Valsan.
6	"Gunfires at the Festival"	Krishand R. K.	28 August 2025 (2025-08-28)
Kanji gets jailed for murdering Pookada Valsan. Meanwhile Flower business flourishes and gang leads a temple festival which was their dream. Moments of attack, revenge and betrayal takes place during the festival.

Production

The series is written and directed by Krishand, known for his unconventional storytelling style. The project was initially announced under the title Sambhava Vivaranam Nalara Sangham. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

Release

The series, under its final title The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang, was released on SonyLIV on 29 August 2025. ^{[1] [2] [3] [9] [10] [11]}

Reception

The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang opened to widespread critical acclaim upon its release.

The Indian Express hailed it as "the best Malayalam series yet," praising Krishand’s inventive storytelling and the way he redefined the gangster genre on streaming platforms. ^[12]

The Hindu described the series as "clever and entertaining," highlighting its sharp writing and the director’s unique ability to balance crime and satire. ^[13]

The New Indian Express called it "an audacious gangster epic told with mischief and bite," commending the ensemble cast and its daring narrative choices. ^[14]

The News Minute echoed this sentiment, writing that the show is "crooked, funny, and oddly endearing," applauding its quirky tone. ^[15]

According to The Times of India , the series successfully "gets its formula right," offering a refreshing take on the gangster saga format in Malayalam web content. ^[16]

The Week compared it to Gangs of Wasseypur , labeling it "Malayalam cinema’s answer" to the cult Hindi franchise, particularly admiring its scale and ambition. ^[17]

OTTplay praised the series as "wacky" and "stamped with Krishand’s signature style." ^[18]

Times Now described it as "an amusing series that gets its formula right." ^[19]

References

1. "4.5 Gang OTT release: When and where to watch this Malayalam crime comedy". The Times of India. 27 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
2. "The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang: When and where to watch on OTT". News18. 26 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
3. "45 Gang OTT Release Date, Platform: Sony LIV original starring Sanju Sivaram, Darshana Rajendran". The Indian Express Malayalam. 28 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
4. "4.5 Gang trailer out: Slum boys dream big in Trivandrum's chaotic world. Watch". The Times of India. 21 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
5. "Watch: 4.5 Gang trailer". Manorama Online. 21 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
6. "Krishand's Sambhava Vivaranam Naalara Sangham begins". Cinema Express. 16 January 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
7. "Krishand, Darshana Rajendran reunite for Sambhava Vivaranam Nalara Sangham". The Hindu. 26 April 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
8. "Sambhava Vivaranam Nalara Sangham: here's why you should watch this Malayalam web series by Krishand". OTTPlay. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
9. "'4.5 Gang': Krishand's Malayalam series on SonyLIV". Mathrubhumi. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
10. "4.5 Gang OTT Release: When and where to watch Krishand-directed crime comedy Malayalam web series online". Pinkvilla. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
11. "Krishand's web series 4.5 Gang gets a premiere date, trailer out". Cinema Express. 21 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
12. "The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang review: Krishand delivers the best Malayalam series yet". The Indian Express. 30 August 2025.
13. "The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang review: Krishand, SonyLIV's 'Sambhava Vivaranam Naalara Sangham' is clever and entertaining". The Hindu. 30 August 2025.
14. "The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang series review: An audacious gangster epic told with mischief and bite". The New Indian Express. 30 August 2025.
15. "Krishand's 'Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang' is crooked, funny and oddly endearing". The News Minute. 30 August 2025.
16. "The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang Season 1 Review". The Times of India. 30 August 2025.
17. "The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang review: A gangster epic that's Malayalam cinema's answer to Gangs of Wasseypur". The Week. 29 August 2025.
18. "The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang review: Krishand delivers a wacky series stamped with his signature style". OTTPlay. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
19. "The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang review: An amusing series that gets its formula right". Times Now. 30 August 2025.

External links

• The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang - SonyLIV
• The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang at IMDb