By the numbers
- Films: 120 since 2002; 42 in the last ten years (cameos and guest appearances not counted)
- Recent films with figures: 7 of 14 since 2022
- Hits: 5 (3 blockbusters), average: 0, flops: 2 – a hit rate of 71%
- Average return: 6.09x budget; best: Alone 22.00x; weakest: Daayra 0.17x
- Biggest hit: The Goat Life (2024), ₹158 cr
- Trend: last five films 1.93x on average, the five before 16.50x (down)
- Born: 1979-10-15
- Awards on Wikidata: 2
| Year | Film | Budget | Box office | Return | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Daayra | ₹50 cr | ₹8.4 cr | 0.17x | Flop |
| 2026 | I, Nobody | – | ₹16 cr | – | No figures |
| 2025 | Sarzameen | – | – | – | No figures |
| 2025 | Vilayath Buddha | – | ₹8.5 cr | – | No figures |
| 2024 | Anweshippin Kandethum | ₹8.0 cr | ₹40 cr | 5.00x | Blockbuster |
| 2024 | Bade Miyan Chote Miyan | ₹350 cr | ₹102 cr | 0.29x | Flop |
| 2024 | Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil | ₹40 cr | ₹90 cr | 2.26x | Hit |
| 2024 | The Goat Life | ₹82 cr | ₹158 cr | 1.93x | Hit |
| 2023 | Alone | ₹2.5 cr | ₹55 cr | 22.00x | Blockbuster |
| 2022 | Jack N’ Jill | – | – | – | No figures |
| 2022 | Ranam | – | – | – | No figures |
| 2022 | Mohanlal | – | – | – | No figures |
| 2022 | Hridayam | ₹5.0 cr | ₹55 cr | 11.00x | Blockbuster |
| 2022 | Kaapa | – | ₹17 cr | – | No figures |
As of 27 September 2026, the table above is a narrow but sharp scorecard. It reports 7 films with data, 5 hits and 2 flops, for a hit rate of 71%. Three of those hits are blockbusters, and the films with reported data combine for Rs 550.2 crore gross at an average multiple of 6.09. That looks like a bankable career, but the underlying direction is less comfortable.
What the numbers say
The headline is a strong hit rate: 5 hits in 7 reported films, including 3 blockbusters. The total reported gross is Rs 550.2 crore, and the average multiple is 6.09. Against a 120-film career that began in 2002 and runs to 2026, with 42 films in the last decade, the table above captures only the recent, data-bearing slice. The average multiple is healthy, but the recent five average of 1.93 tells a different story.
The hits and the misses
The biggest hit by gross is The Goat Life (2024): Rs 158.5 crore on an Rs 82 crore budget, a 1.93 multiple. The best return is Alone (2023), a blockbuster that turned Rs 2.5 crore into Rs 55 crore, a 22.0 multiple. The weakest return is Daayra (2026): Rs 8.36 crore against an Rs 50 crore budget, a 0.17 multiple. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024) is the other reported flop, grossing Rs 102.16 crore on an Rs 350 crore budget, a 0.29 multiple. Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil returned 2.26 on a Rs 40 crore budget, while Anweshippin Kandethum returned 5.0 on Rs 8 crore.
The trend
The recent five average multiple is 1.93, against 16.5 for the five before. The table above shows why: the high multiple came from small budgets, and the recent slate has moved toward bigger spends. The Goat Life delivered the largest gross in the set at Rs 158.5 crore, but its multiple is 1.93. Kaapa has only a reported gross of Rs 17 crore and no multiple; Vilayath Buddha has only a gross of Rs 8.47 crore; I, Nobody has only a gross of Rs 15.5 crore. For Mohanlal, Ranam, Jack N’ Jill and Sarzameen, Wikipedia carries no figures.
What it means for the actor’s next film and for the industry
For Prithviraj Sukumaran, the next film is a budget decision. The scorecard says a Rs 2.5 crore budget can become Rs 55 crore gross, while a Rs 50 crore budget can return Rs 8.36 crore. The 0.17 multiple on Daayra shows that scale without control is the bigger risk. The actor still opens films, but the recent average multiple of 1.93 means every extra crore of budget has to be justified.
For Malayalam cinema, the implication is clear. The industry’s current box-office surge is being led by controlled-cost projects, not inflated ones. A premium crossover like Bade Miyan Chote Miyan shows the danger: Rs 102.16 crore gross on a Rs 350 crore budget, a 0.29 multiple. The wider film business should read this as a signal to score actors on returns per rupee, not just opening-day gross.
Figures: Prithviraj Sukumaran filmography on Wikipedia and each film’s page, read on 27 September 2026.
