Mirage Movie Review: Asif Ali, Aparna Balamurali’s film is a tired film full of lazy twists

Name: Mirage

Director: Jeetu Joseph

Cast: Asif Ali, Aparna Balamurali, Hakeem Shahjahan, Hannah Reji Koshy, Saravanan, Sampath Raj, Deepak Parambol, Arjun Sayam Gopan

Author: Srinivasan Abrol, Jeetu Joseph, Aparna R. Tarkad (story)

Rating: 2/5

Mirage is a crime thriller film starring Asif Ali and Aparna Balamurali in the lead roles. Directed by Jeethu Joseph, the film was released in theaters on September 19, 2025.

Now, the crime thriller is available for streaming on SonyLIV. If you’re planning to watch it online this week, here’s the IHNS review.

plot

Mirage is the story of Abhirami, a young woman working in a financial consulting company, who becomes worried after her fiancé Kiran goes missing for a few days. Soon, he learns that he has died.

After her death, Abhirami becomes the target of many people, as she is believed to have a hard disk hidden by Kiran that contains important information.

With the help of Ashwin Kumar, an online investigative journalist, Abhirami must uncover the mystery behind her fiancé’s death, uncovering many buried secrets in a cat-and-mouse race that blurs the lines between truth and illusion.

Good

Mirage is mildly entertaining, mainly due to the impressive performances of Asif Ali and Aparna Balamurali. The actors, who have shared the screen several times before, display great chemistry and bring a charismatic quality to their collaboration.

However, the chemistry and solid performances can also go a long way when the writing feels dull and lazy. That said, the supporting cast makes meaningful contributions to the script, providing some relief in an otherwise depressing hour.

On the technical front, Vishnu Shyam provides a commendable soundtrack to the crime thriller, composing a stunning array of scores. Cinematographer Satish Kurup also elevates the film’s visuals, adding style and atmosphere to the scenes and compensating, if only partially, for the scattered writing.

bad

From a writing and directing standpoint, Mirage is a trainwreck. The film takes one twist and turn in an attempt to surprise the audience, but fails miserably in execution.

As hollow as the script and story are, the narration lacks spontaneity and innovation. This is especially disappointing considering director Jeethu Joseph’s track record with gems like Memories and Drishyam. Here, he leaves the audience yearning for substance and clarity.

While the premise looks somewhat promising, the over-reliance on twists at every single turn feels like an amateurish attempt to craft a compelling narrative.

Like many of Jeethu Joseph’s films, this one also starts with a slow-paced first half which manages to pack some punch. However, the second half becomes more hectic as the plot yawns rather than intrigues.

The film’s troubles are compounded by its slow pace and lazy editing. A tighter edit and shorter runtime could have made it a more watchable experience.

Display

Mirage offers very little space for its actors to fully display their talents. Despite this, Asif Ali and Aparna Balamurali give their best, providing some charming moments and continuing their solid on-screen chemistry seen earlier in Kishkindha Kaandam.

Hakeem Shahjahan and Hannah Rezi Koshy also make notable contributions and manage to leave a mark in their respective roles.

Watch the trailer of Mirage:

Decision

Mirage is a lazy attempt at a crime thriller, falling short of the mark in both storytelling and execution. If you are a fan of Asif Ali and Aparna Balamurali and want to see them in Jeetu Joseph’s direction, this might still be worth a watch. Otherwise, this thriller does not live up to its promise.

Also read: Samantha Ruth Prabhu says separation from Naga Chaitanya made public: ‘A lot of trolling and criticism…’