Happy Raj is a 2026 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy drama film written and directed by debutant Maria Raja Elanchezian and produced by Beyond Pictures. It stars G. V. Prakash Kumar, Abbas (in his comeback to films) Sri Gouri Priya and George Maryan in the lead roles.
The film was officially announced, untitled, in July 2025; it is the first production for Beyond Pictures, and the official title was announced in December 2025. The music was composed by Justin Prabhakaran, with cinematography handled by Madhan Christopher and editing by Selva RK.
Happy Raj was theatrically released on 27 March 2026 and received positive reviews from critics.
Anandh Raj alias Happy might have all the looks that impresses women but get rejected solely for the oddball his father Kathamuthu is. Often rebuked as kuthira muttai (horse egg), his father doesn't let it impact him as much as Happy does. But Happy finally falls for Kavya who not only reciprocates his feelings but also is okay with his father. Things aren't the same when their families meet, leading to the rise of complicated and hilarious situations.
The film is written and directed by Maria Raja Elanchezian, who previously worked as an assistant director to Pradeep Ranganathan in Love Today (2022), and marks the comeback of Abbas to films. Filming ended in January 2026.
The music was composed by Justin Prabhakaran in his second collaboration with G.V.Prakash Kumar after the 2023 film Adiyae. The first single "Aadiney Irupen" was released on 17 February 2026. The second single "Thuru Thuru" was released on 10 March 2026. The song marked Gangai Amaran's first playback vocal in 9 years.
In addition to the original soundtrack, the songs "Malai Mala", composed by Deva for the 2001 film Chocklet and "Podhuvaga En Manasu Thangam" ,composed by Ilaiyaraaja for the 1980 film Murattu Kaalai are featured in the Tamil version of the film.
Happy Raj was released in theatres on 27 March 2026, by Five Star Creations and Think Studios in Tamil Nadu.
The post-theatrical digital streaming rights were acquired by Amazon Prime Video.
Happy Raj received positive reviews from critics.
Abhinav Subramanian of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote, "Forced sentimentality and the all-too-familiar romanticization of tradition keep pulling the film back. Too many scenes feel manufactured, and you are constantly hand-held through the emotive parts". A critic from Dina Thanthi gave the film a positive review, praising the cast performances, cinematography and music but criticised the screenplay in the film's first half. Yuvashree from Zee News wrote that the second half of the film is far better than the first half. Anusha Sundar of OTTPlay gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote, "Happy Raj is a misstep in every choice of writing it takes. With bland conflict, messy assumptions and incorrect ideology, the film attempts to just work on foolish concepts, making it a messy affair". Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu said the film "vexingly attempts to sell a performative redemption arc, but no amount of emotional coercion can hide its moral bankruptcy".