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Movie Name: Saali Mohabbat
Directed by: Tisca Chopra
Starring: Radhika Apte, Divyenndu, Anurag Kashyap, Anshumaan Pushkar, Sauraseni Maitra, Sharat Saxena
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Release Date: December 12, 2025
Language: Hindi
Rating:
Production Companies: Jio Studios, Stage5 Production
Budget: ₹- crore
A housewife gets entangled in a tale of infidelity, deceit, and murder.
Saali Mohabbat: Movie Overview
Saali Mohabbat is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language thriller drama film starring Radhika Apte, Divyendu Sharma and Anurag Kashyap. The film directed by Tisca Chopra in her feature directorial debut. The film is produced by designer-turned-filmmaker Manish Malhotra under Stage5 Production in association with Jio Studios. It will release on ZEE5 on 12 December 2025.
The film follows Smita (played by Radhika Apte), a small-town housewife whose life takes a dark turn as she becomes entangled in emotional and psychological conflict. The narrative explores betrayal, trust, shifting identities, and moral ambiguity within relationships.
Saali Mohabbat marks the first feature-length directorial work of actress-filmmaker Tisca Chopra. The film is backed by Stage5 Production, led by Manish Malhotra, Jyoti Deshpande, and Dinesh Malhotra.
The film had its world premiere at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. In 2025, it was selected for screening at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival, alongside Bun Tikki and Ghamasaan. The film is set to stream exclusively on ZEE5. Production sources confirmed the platform release via PTI News.[11] A teaser highlighting the psychological thriller tone was unveiled by ZEE5. The film is scheduled to release on ZEE5 on 12 December 2025.
The film is noted for its exploration of feminine emotional conflict and interiority, interpreted through a thriller lens. Several reports describe it as a “how-dunnit” examining power dynamics and hidden truths within relationships.
Ahead of its digital release, the film drew media attention for being the debut venture of Chopra as director and for the collaboration between Radhika Apte and Divyenndu. Its selection for the Chicago festival further increased anticipation.
Movie Trailer:
Movie Review:
A sumptuous thriller that one can sink their teeth into
Story:
When an unassuming housewife’s life gets engulfed in a web of infidelity, betrayal and murder, will she be able to remain unscathed?
Review:
‘Saali Mohabbat’ unfolds as a story within a story, when at a get-together, Kavita (Radhika Apte) stumbles upon her husband’s infidelity and begins to narrate the tale of Smita, from the fictional town of Fursatgarh. As the film’s narrative employs a mise-en-abyme structure, there is a quaint fable-like quality to Kavita’s storytelling. Smita, also played by Apte, leads a content small-town life, mostly tending to the plants and trees in her modest garden and cooking meals from the vegetables she grows herself. Her husband, Pankaj (Anshumaan Pushkar) is an alcoholic and deep in debt at the local casino, run by Gajendra (Anurag Kashyap). He plans to convince Smita to sell her ancestral property in Moradabad, so he can pay off what he owes. But Smita is reluctant even as she goes about managing her chores and wifely duties. Her world seems to perk up a little, when her cousin, Shalini (Sauraseni Maitra) moves in with the couple. Although when Shalini begins to spend time with a local policeman, Ratan Pandit (Divyenndu), Smita isn’t too pleased. But what she isn’t aware of is that her cousin is also now involved with her husband, Pankaj, on the side.
To begin with, ‘Saali Mohabbat’ ticks off a delightful hat-tip to ‘Chutney’, the 2016 short-film that featured director Tisca Chopra in a deceptively dark role of a seemingly naive housewife. This reference to Chutney (directed by Jyoti Kapur Das and co-written with Chopra and Avneesh Mishra) sets the tone for ‘Saali Mohabbat’. One knows instantly that a lot lies under the layers of simplicity. And that’s what makes this ride deliciously dark.
As the film shifts between two timelines, we see the similarities between Kavita and Smita’s life. Like Kavita, Smita too, stumbles upon the betrayal by her husband and cousin and is heart broken but she is egged on by her well-wisher and guardian (Sharad Saxena) to do something to save herself from the situation. And while she almost gets away with it, Ratan seems to close in on her.
The film’s narrative (written by Tisca Chopra, Sanjay Chopra; screenplay by Namrata Shenoy) knits together complex layers of greed, choices, moral compass, survival instinct, delicate relationship dynamics while it is also intrinsically a story told from a woman’s perspective. The cinematography by Vidushi Tiwari keeps the texture moody and languid with close-ups, slow-moving pans and pauses as it adds to the intrigue. Smita’s love for plants (she is a Masters in Botany, who has tucked away her certificates beneath the drudgery of domesticity) becomes not just her escape but also her guiding force. But it is not just Smita’s character who is lent this complexity. Ratan, a lowly cop, constantly trying to snag the next big bribe, now seems to be on the anvil of cracking his first big case but is also constrained by his own moral ambiguity.
Much like a sprawling vine, ‘Saali Mohabbat’ keeps intertwining and drawing the viewer into the tangle, making one question every move and remain invested. The background music (Karan Kulkarni) and soundtrack blend in with the tense, unsettling mood. While most of the puzzle fits in perfectly in the end, a couple of convenient coincidences and unanswered questions linger (perhaps to be answered in a part 2?).
Radhika Apte as both Smita and Kavita renders a stellar performance. She makes one empathise with both her roles while also keeping an uneasy tension alive. Divyenndu is commendable as the effortlessly affable and crooked Ratan. The rest of the cast – Anshumaan Pushkar, Sauraseni Maitra, Anurag Kashyap, Sharad Saxena – add with their pitch-perfect acts.
With ‘Saali Mohabbat’ debutant director Tisca Chopra weaves in a captivating suspense and delivers a sumptuous mystery that one can sink their teeth into.
