Checkmate

Checkmate: Malayalam Crime Thriller — What to Know Before You Watch

Some films shout their twists; Checkmate moves its pieces quietly and corners you. Written and directed by Ratish Sekhar and led by Anoop Menon with Lal and Rekha Harindran, this Malayalam thriller opened in theatres on 9 August 2024 and now streams on ZEE5 from 2 October 2025 in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu—so the “corporate chessboard” finally comes home to OTT on ZEE5

Checkmate OTT release date on ZEE5

The Checkmate movie OTT release date is 2nd October 2025 on ZEE5, and now it's available for streaming on this OTT platform. If you skipped the mixed theatrical chatter, this is the cleanest way in: the same morally grey pharma scandal, the same tightening endgame—now available to stream with multi-audio support, i.e. Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu inside the ZEE5 app.

What is the Checkmate Movie about?

Checkmate follows Philip Kurian, the CEO of AnnPhil Corp, after his company is accused of causing deaths linked to drug trials. As the case grows, Public listings explain that he fights the charges with unusual methods and sharp turns. They outline a plot that draws in corporate espionage, revenge, and a high-stakes kidnapping that drives the story.

The film fixes Philip at the centre and shows his circle in motion. Partners weigh risks, rivals press claims, and investigators trace steps across maps. Every move draws a countermove and bends the plan. Deals wobble, harsh words land, and phones light under tense eyes. Philip holds ground and pushes the action plan..

From here, keep the discovery loop inside the ecosystem with one clean interlinking pass: jump to Malayalam Movies, narrow by mood through Thriller, surface language-first tracking via New in Malayalam, and—if you browse by people—open the filmography pages for Anoop Menon and Lal before landing on the Checkmate title card to watch.

Cast & Crew Highlights

The mainline cast features Anoop Menon as Philip, Lal as Don/David, and Rekha Harindran as Jessy/Maya, with appearances from Swapneel Batra (Dr Zara Mallik) and Sowmya Rajan among others. On the crew side, public listings credit Ratish Sekhar as writer-director and producer, Prejish Prakash as editor, and composers, including Ruslan Perezhilo, on certain trade sheets. These details are consistent across IMDb, Times of India’s database page, Filmibeat’s crew card and region-ticketing listings that enumerate roles character-by-character.

Craft checklist: Visuals, Score, Pacing

The visual plan keeps the plot readable: office glass and server rooms for the corporate track; tighter, shadowed spaces when the crime thread bites down. Trade materials and trailer copy signal a score that underscores threat without drowning dialogue—useful in a story built on leverage and negotiation rather than spectacle. Pacing, by most accounts, is straight-ahead and chaptered: setup, escalation, a mid-film reversal, and a final pass where small tells from earlier scenes return as decisive moves. Even its detractors noted that the film consciously mirrors a chess rhythm—positional play first, tactics later—which is a fair cue for viewers planning a single-sit watch.

Who should watch Checkmate on ZEE5?

If you gravitate to Malayalam crime thrillers where the action comes as a consequence of planning, Checkmate is in your lane. The film favours leverage over loudness—non-disclosure threats, legal traps, and quiet coercions—before it breaks into raids and confrontations. It’s also a clear fit for viewers who track performers across genres: Anoop Menon gets a morally grey lead, Lal steers the underworld vector without caricature, and Rekha Harindran’s double-registered presence adds the necessary off-balance beat to a plot about control.

Related Picks on ZEE5 to Keep the Mood

To extend the session without leaving the catalogue, pair Checkmate with language-first and mood-first shelves that share its DNA. Begin with Malayalam movies, followed by Thriller and crime, explore action & adventure for harder edges, and round it off with Corporate & Conspiracy Dramas and Critics’ Choice Malayalam. One path, many outcomes for movies choices.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q1:Is Checkmate (2024) a Malayalam film?

Ans: Yes. The film uses Malayalam and tells a crime tale with sharp edges. Ratish Sekhar writes the piece and directs each scene. Anoop Menon, Lal, and Rekha Harindran lead the line.

Q2: When is the Checkmate OTT release date on ZEE5?

Ans: On 2nd October 2025, ZEE5 sets the drop.

Q3: Who plays Philip Kurian in Checkmate?

Ans: Anoop Menon.

Q4: What’s Checkmate about?

Ans: A pharma-trial scandal spirals into corporate espionage and a disappearance, staged like a chess match where each reveal forces the next move.

Q5: Who directed and edited Checkmate?

Ans: Written–directed by Ratish Sekhar; edited by Prejish Prakash.

Q6: Is there a single antagonist?

Ans: Antagonism shifts among corporate rivals and operatives; the film avoids a single “big bad” to preserve mid-film turns.