House Mates
DirectorT. Raja Vel
WriterT. Raja Vel
Producer
Starring
NarratorR. Parthiban
CinematographyM. S. Sathish
EditingNishar Sharef
MusicRajesh Murugesan
Studio
DistributorAGS Entertainment
Released1 August 2025
Runtime129 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

House Mates is a 2025 Indian Tamil-language fantasy horror comedy film directed by T. Raja Vel and starring Darshan, Aarsha Chandini Baiju, Kaali Venkat and Vinodhini Vaidyanathan in the lead roles. The film was jointly produced by S. Vijayaprakash and S. P. Shakthivel under the Playsmith Studios and South Studios banners, and presented by Sivakarthikeyan under his Sivakarthikeyan Productions banner.[1]

House Mates was released theatrically on 1 August 2025. The film opened to positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of the cast, the unique storyline, direction, music, and cinematography.

Plot

In September 2022, newlyweds Karthik and Anu move into their own second-hand flat after Karthik strives hard to buy it. Anu starts noticing eerie happenings, such as taps turning on and off and switches operating involuntarily. She enquires with the neighbours about any unnatural deaths in the flats. A vegetable vendor mentions one such incident in the same block, when a family went missing without a trace. Anu discovers a child-like drawing on their bedroom wall, hidden behind the bureau. The drawings keep changing and increasing every day. Karthik dismisses her concerns and berates her when she suggests moving out. Around the same time, Karthik also begins noticing the strange occurrences.

Meanwhile, Mahi, a young boy, is playing alone in his flat. He notices movement inside their bureau, and when he tries to investigate, an invisible force pushes him inside. Terrified, he develops a psychogenic fever. The doctor listens to his story. While his parents do not believe him, the doctor suggests he send a message to the "ghost," and if he gets a response, everyone will believe him. Mahi follows the advice and writes a message on his bedroom wall.

This message appears on Anu and Karthik's bedroom wall, terrifying them. They respond, and their reply appears on the wall in Mahi’s flat. Though initially frightened, both families eventually realize they are not communicating with ghosts but with another family living elsewhere. It is revealed that Mahi and his family are living in the same flat "F1" in the same building, but in the year September 2012. Sometime between September 2012 and September 2022, they had sold the flat, which Karthik later bought. The families consult physicists in their respective timelines, who explain that this may have occurred due to a "tesseract," creating a bridge between the two years, possibly triggered by a strong negative charged force such as lightning.

The families gradually adapt to the unintentional interference from one another. However, problems arise when Ramesh (Mahi's father), an expert electrician, attempts to retrofit the wiring to separate the electrical connections of the two timelines. Karthik unknowingly switches the power back on in 2022, injuring Ramesh. The constant disturbances leave Karthik sleepless, and he loses his job after dozing off at work and causing a fire accident. These incidents strain the relationship between the two families.

Both families contemplate selling the flat to avoid further hardship. Every attempt by Karthik to sell is thwarted by the unintended interference of Ramesh’s family. Eventually, both Ramesh and Karthik independently begin searching for each other in their respective timelines.

Karthik learns that Ramesh sold the flat in 2013, closed his shop, and began working in a factory in Ambattur. He locates Ramesh and tries to explain, but Ramesh does not recognize him. Karthik’s friend informs him that the tesseract has created a new timeline for Ramesh and his family, and the Ramesh he found in 2022 is not the same one he has been communicating with in 2012. Still, Karthik hopes the 2022 Ramesh can help and invites him to visit, mentioning that it is the same house Ramesh lived in during 2012. Ramesh agrees.

In 2012, Ramesh finds Karthik working as a pizza delivery driver and asks him to visit his home around 9 PM. Karthik reluctantly agrees.

In 2022, Ramesh and his wife visit Karthik's flat and communicate with their past selves through the wall. It is then revealed that Mahi had died in a freak accident in 2012, and the accident occurred on that very date. 2022 Ramesh begs his 2012 self to immediately find Mahi. The 2012 Ramesh and his wife rush out without reading the final message from 2022, which mentioned the exact location where Mahi was playing.

In 2012, Ramesh and his wife frantically search for Mahi, losing precious time. Meanwhile, Mahi climbs a tree in the apartment park to retrieve a toy helicopter and ends up dangling precariously from a branch. Ramesh hears Mahi’s cries and runs toward him. At the same time, a nearby biker notices the boy’s danger and springs into action, breaking his fall and saving him from injury.

2022 Ramesh receives a message from the past that Mahi has been saved—by none other than 2012 Karthik, who had come to see Ramesh earlier that day. Though Ramesh and his wife of 2022 no longer have their son, they find solace in knowing that an alternate version of themselves still does.

Karthik and Anu decide to vacate the flat and hand it over to Ramesh and his wife, so that they can remain in touch with their son from the other timeline through the wall.

Production

Darshan who was last seen in Thunivu (2023) and Mukundan Unni Associates (2022) fame Aarsha Chandini Baiju were announced to star in their next comedy fantasy film directed by T. Raja Vel.[2] Debutant director T. Raja Vel had earlier worked as a co-writer[3] in R. Ajay Gnanamuthu's Demonte Colony 2 (2024) and the film stars Kaali Venkat and Vinodhini in important roles.[4] Apart from the lead cast the film also features Dheena, Abdool Lee, and Master Henrik in significant roles.[5]

The technical team consists of MS Sathish as the cinematographer, Nishar Sharef as the editor, and Dinesh as the stunt choreographer.[6] The film is produced by S. Vijayaprakash under Playsmith Studios banner[7] and director S. P. Shakthivel has contributed as the creative producer under his South Studios banner.[8] The film is presented by Sivakarthikeyan's Sivakarthikeyan Productions banner,[9] marking his second collaboration with Darshan as a producer after Kanaa (2018).[10]

Production began on 4 May 2024 after an inaugural muhurat pooja.[11]

Music

House Mates
soundtrack
ArtistRajesh Murugesan
Released2025
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length12:29
LanguageTamil
LabelTrend Music
ProducerRajesh Murugesan
Prev year2025
Year2025
ChronologyRajesh Murugesan

The film's soundtrack was composed by Rajesh Murugesan.[12]

The first single, "Akkalu Bakkalu", was released on 22 July 2025.[13] The second single, "Minnali", was released on 26 July 2025.[14]

Release

Theatrical

House Mates was released theatrically on 1 August 2025.[15]

Home media

The post-theatrical streaming rights of the film were acquired by ZEE5, while the satellite rights were purchased by Zee Tamil and Zee Thirai.[16]

Reception

Akshay Kumar of Cinema Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Housemates, in a nutshell, is a brave and largely successful attempt by debut director Rajavel to tweak the horror genre to accommodate sci-fi elements while also giving it an emotional treatment, thereby not alienating the Tamil audience."[17] Abhinav Subramanian of The Times of India gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Director Rajavel treats his sci-fi premise like homework, dutifully ticking boxes without wondering if any of this makes sense. [...] Housemates feels like someone had one good idea at a party and nobody had the heart to tell them it wasn't enough for a whole movie."[18] Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu wrote "Nevertheless, House Mates is a modest win for Rajavel and producer Sivakarthikeyan, as it reasserts with conviction that sometimes the most unassuming of ideas, simple but elegantly told, can make for a good watch."[19]

References

  1. ^ B, Jayabhuvaneshwari (2025-07-31). "Darshan on Sivakarthikeyan presenting House Mates: 'He is like a brother to me…'". Cinema Express. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  2. ^ Features, C. E. (2024-05-04). "Darshan and Aarsha Chandini Baiju to star in debutant Rajavel's film". Cinema Express. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  3. ^ "தமிழுக்கு 'ஹவுஸ்மேட்ஸ்' புதிதாக இருக்கும்! - இயக்குநர் நம்பிக்கை" (in Tamil). Hindu Tamil Thisai. 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  4. ^ "Darshan & Kaali Venkat to headline debut filmmaker's horror fantasy". The Times of India. 2025-02-11. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived 2025-05-02 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  5. ^ "Sivakarthikeyan's banner to present Darshan's horror comedy House Mates; 'We watched it. We loved every bit of it'". OTTPlay. Archived 2025-04-18 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  6. ^ Kumar, Akshay (2025-07-17). "Housemates Trailer: Darshan and Aarsha in a fix as their dreams come crashing down". Cinema Express. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  7. ^ "House Mates: Sivakarthikeyan Productions Backed Film Gets A Release Date". Times Now. 2025-07-05. Archived 2025-07-05 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  8. ^ "House Mates first look out: Darshan stars in fantasy horror comedy; plot, cast REVEALED". OTTPlay. Archived 2025-05-03 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  9. ^ IANS (2025-07-05). "Darshan, Kaali Venkat-starrer 'House Mates' to hit screens on August 1". www.dtnext.in. Archived 2025-07-05 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  10. ^ Features, C. E. (2025-07-04). "Sivakarthikeyan Productions backed House Mates gets a release date". Cinema Express. Archived 2025-07-05 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  11. ^ "Dharshan to team up with debutant director Rajavel". The Times of India. 2024-05-05. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived 2025-06-19 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  12. ^ Features, C. E. (2025-02-12). "Actor Darshan's next titled House Mates; first look out". Cinema Express. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  13. ^ TrendMusic (2025-07-22). "Akkalu Bakkalu" – Lyrical Video | House Mates | Darshan, Aarsha Baiju | Sean Roldan, Rajesh Murugesan. Retrieved 2025-08-03. – via YouTube.
  14. ^ IANS (2025-07-27). "First single "Minnali" from Darshan, Kaali Venkat-starrer House Mates released". DT Next. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
  15. ^ Kumar, Akshay (2025-07-17). "Darshan Interview: Sivakarthikeyan was very excited about House Mates". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  16. ^ "House Mates on OTT and TV: Where to watch Sivakarthikeyan and Darshan's film after its theatrical run". Times Now. 2025-07-30. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  17. ^ Kumar, Akshay (2025-07-30). "Housemates Movie Review: A zany horror that mostly delivers the goods". Cinema Express. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  18. ^ "House Mates Movie Review: Time-share comedy needs renovation". The Times of India. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  19. ^ Chandar, Bhuvanesh (2025-07-30). "'House Mates' movie review: Fun, breezy fantasy horror-comedy loses steam" (in en-IN). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2025-08-01.