‘Dhoomakethu’ review: Time-loop concept loses sheen with weak writing

Any out-of-the-world concept can lose its sheen when it becomes too commonplace. So it is with the time-loop concept in cinema, the latest iteration of which is Sudhi Maddison’s Dhoomakethu.

There is some irony in naming a film based on a now commonplace concept after something as rare as a comet. For a part of its runtime, the blend of this familiar trope with humour works, until the hard work unravels due to weak writing.

While the concept was explored long ago in independent cinema, it was Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day (1993) that made time-loop fodder for mainstream cinema. The idea has been reformatted in various ways in recent Indian cinema, from Maanaadu (2021) to Bhool Chuk Maaf (2025).

In Dhoomakethu, Kuttan (Sajin Gopu) is trapped in endless iterations of the day of his wedding with Sharmila (Nikhila Vimal).