Aadu 3: One Last Ride â Part 1, or Aadu 3, is a 2026 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy comedy film written and directed by Midhun Manuel Thomas. It is the sequel to Aadu 2 (2017) and the third installment of Aadu franchise and the first of a two-part film. The film was jointly produced by Vijay Babu and Venu Kunnappilly for Friday Film House and Kavya Film Company, respectively. It stars an ensemble cast led by Jayasurya, Saiju Kurup, Vinayakan, Renji Panicker, Vijay Babu, Sunny Wayne, Dharmajan Bolgatty, Bhagath Manuel, Indrans, Bijukuttan, Sudhi Koppa, Harikrishnan, reprising their roles, with Alleya Bourne and Krishna Jeev joining the cast.
Aadu 3 was released worldwide on 19 March 2026, coinciding with Eid ul-Fitr. The film received mixed-to positive reviews from critics and audiences, who praised the performances, direction, cinematography, screenplay and music. The film has emerged as a commercial success and has emerged as the highest grossing Malayalam film of 2026 and 5th highest grossing Indian film of 2026 as well as one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films. . A sequel titled Aadu 3: The Ride Ends- Part 2 is in development.
2370 AD
In the year 2370, Earth is ruled by a totalitarian regime known as The Organization, which has exhausted the planetâÂÂs natural resources. To sustain its dominance, the Organization searches for a rare celestial substance called Star Dust, believed to possess the ability to manipulate and rewrite timelines.
A resistance movement led by Baba discovers that time in this universe is not linear â past, present, and future coexist simultaneously, and actions in one timeline can alter the others. Realizing the danger, Baba devises a plan to prevent the Organization from ever acquiring the Star Dust by interfering with events in the past.
1790 AD
In the 18th century, Maharaja Padmanabhan Thampuran, a seemingly impoverished ruler, governs a small kingdom while secretly guarding a powerful secret. Alongside Vareed Mappila, an architect, and Walter Joseph, an East India Company general, he oversees the construction of the Nagathan Bridge.
At the same time, the kingdom faces internal unrest due to heavy taxation, leading to a peasant revolt. Externally, it is threatened by an invasion led by Sulthan Azam Khan, a commander under Tipu Sultan, who brings with him the devastating Mysore Rocket, a weapon capable of massive destruction. Meanwhile, a British fortune hunter, Cassandra, arrives in the kingdom in search of the Star Dust, believed to have landed there centuries earlier as a meteor.
As war looms, Padmanabhan reveals to his trusted aide Karyasthan Narayanan that his ancestors secretly hid the Star Dust and concealed their wealth by pretending to be destitute. He stores the Star Dust in sealed boxes and entrusts them to Vareed Mappila, who hides them within the structure of the Nagathan Bridge during its construction, but unknown to anyone, he also hides something else in the forest.
2025 AD
In the present day, Shaji Pappan and his associates come into possession of 3 million US dollars after defeating Chekuthan Lasar and his group. They attempt to travel abroad to convert the money but soon discover that the cash is counterfeit.
Elsewhere, Saathan Xavier, struggling with depression after losing the printing plates, learns from his cousin Michael about the hidden boxes storing Star Dust, believed to be stored inside the Nagathan Bridge. Seeing an opportunity, Saathan orchestrates a plan to demolish the bridge by influencing politician P. P. Sasi, promising him a share of the profits. Police officer SI Sarbath Shameer is assigned to oversee the operation and secure the contents.
Seeking quick money, Pappan establishes a scrap collection company and secures the contract to clear the bridgeâÂÂs debris after demolition, threatening Battery Simon and Kanjavu Soman. However, Soman independently contacts Dude and convinces him to steal the boxes for themselves.
After the bridge is demolished, Dude arrives in a helicopter and retrieves the boxes, but Thomas Pappan, Shaji Pappan's brother, shoots the rope pulling Dude, causing Dude and the boxes to fall into the river. Amid the chaos, with Saathan Xavier, Shaji Pappan, Dude and SI Shameer trying to take the boxes for themselves, they are ultimately taken by Kate Lara, an operative of the Organization. When she opens them, she discovers that they are empty.
Simultaneously, in 1790, Maharaja Padmanabhan Thampuran confronts Azam Khan at a ruined gate in the forest, while in 2025, Pappan and Dude face off at the same location, now in front of the police station. It is revealed that what Padmanabhan Thampuran hid in the forest was the actual Star Dust, and the empty boxes were just a decoy. As both confrontations escalate, the hidden Star Dust beneath the gate is activated. The anomaly creates a temporal rupture, pulling them across timelines. Padmanabhan and Azam Khan are drawn into the modern era, while Pappan and Dude are transported into the 18th century.
The film is the third instalment of Aadu franchise, produced by Vijay Babu for Friday Film House and directed by Midhun Manuel Thomas. The film was officially announced in March 2024. In January 2025, director Midhun Manuel Thomas confirmed that the film would be made on a larger scale. The film was launched on 10 May 2025 with a pooja ceremony. In June 2025, Venu Kunnappilly of Kavya Film Company joined the project as co-producer.
Principal photography began on 15 May 2025. Jayasurya joined the set on 15 July 2025.
The film's music and original themes are composed by Shaan Rahman while the background score and new themes are composed by Dawn Vincent. The music rights of the film are acquired by Friday Music Company. The first single, "Sulthaan", was released on 14th March, 2026.
The film was released in theatres worldwide alongside ' on 19 March 2026, coinciding with Ugadi, Gudi Padwa and Eid-al-Fitr.
Vignesh Madhu of Cinema Express, who rated three out of five stars, described the film as "fun and impressive in scale, but falls just short". He praised its visuals and production value, while criticizing the runtime and ending. Swathi P. Ajith of Onmanorama noted that "Shaji Pappan and gang are still fun, but the film struggles to match its own legacy", pointing that "the humour, which was once the franchise's biggest weapon, is more inconsistent this time". Gopika I. S. of The Times of India, giving two-and-a-half out of five stars, wrote that the film "leaves one with mixed feelings. A film that excels in production quality and acting falls short in screenplay and comedy", adding that "whether it truly lives up to the hype is debatable". She also criticized the runtime.
Sreeju Sudhakaran of Rediff.com, who rated two out of five stars, described the film as "trapped in its own ambition. While it expands the universe in an interesting manner, it loses sight of the tight, irreverent humour that made the previous films click in the first place". Similarly, Sanjith Sidhardhan of OTT Play, also giving two out of five stars, remarked that "Jayasurya's exhausting film is too unsure to be silly, too conflicted to be serious", adding that it "falters in its bid to go bigger, losing both its slapstick humour and narrative grip in the process", while also criticising the runtime. The Hindu S. R. Praveen felt the director was "flogging a dead goat through multiple timelines", adding that "despite its ambitious scope and comedic potential, the nearly three-hour movie only offers a series of character introductions rather than a cohesive narrative, ultimately leaving viewers yearning for a satisfying conclusion".
Vishal Menon of The Hollywood Reporter India called the film "a disappointing Multiverse of Blandness", lamenting that it's "GOAT-ed characters get butchered in this wild bore [...] Instead of figuring a specific brand of humour for each character (like in the previous films), Midhun chooses to repeat the same style of dialogues for all, lending a homogeneous dullness". Rating two out of five stars, Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express described it as a "snoozefest" and "amateurish fan-fiction, despite a fascinating climax", noting that "despite having many elements and an ambitious plot, Aadu 3 ends up being an absolute letdown".
The film grossed â¹18.01 crore in its opening day and â¹66.60 crore worldwide in three days. In its four-day opening weekend, the film reportedly earned â¹82.50 crore globally, becoming the second highest opening weekend for a Malayalam film, behind Empuraan (2025). The film grossed over â¹101 crore in 7 days, making it one of the fastest achievers of the milestone. According to Vijay Babu, the film's budget was approximately 70âÂÂ75% of its opening weekend gross, which he stated was â¹87 crore, implying an estimated production cost in the range of â¹60âÂÂ65 crore. By the end of March, the film had grossed â¹111.17 crore worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Malayalam film of the year up to that point.
Director Midhun Manuel Thomas and producer Vijay Babu confirmed that Aadu 3 will be released in two parts. They mentioned during an interview that the sequel will commence depending on how the viewers receive the first part.