Sai Pallavi will play IPS officer Nithya Reddy in the Dhanush and Mammootty film OM – Chapter 1: Udhiram – The Blood Wood. The makers released a character glimpse on October 26, 2026, introducing her role in the action thriller.
The film is directed by Rajkumar Periasamy and is set for a theatrical release on November 20, 2026. It will release in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.
Nithya Reddy’s Role
Nithya Reddy is a former Assistant Superintendent of Police in the Andhra Pradesh cadre. She is now an Additional Superintendent of Police in the Central Bureau of Investigation and is assigned to work with Interpol.
The character glimpse describes her as a combination of ‘honesty, smartness, and experience in young blood.’ She is the daughter of a martyred Indian Forest Service officer from Naidupet in Andhra Pradesh.
Nithya leads Operation OM, an investigation into red sandalwood smuggling. The mission targets illegal timber syndicates and environmental crimes across the Eastern Ghats.
The plot places her against a tough local woodcutter played by Dhanush and a mysterious syndicate boss played by Mammootty. Mammootty’s character is named Burma Karthikeyan, also known as Siya or The Elder One.
Cast and Crew
The ensemble cast includes Sai Pallavi, Dhanush, Mammootty, Sreeleela, Naseeruddin Shah and Indrans. Naseeruddin Shah makes his Tamil debut with the film.
Rajkumar Periasamy wrote and directed the film. He previously worked with Sai Pallavi on Amaran in 2024.
Sai Abhyankkar composed the music. Ezhil Arasu K handled cinematography, R. Kalaivanan edited the film and A. Pannerselvam served as art director.
The action choreographers are Yannick Ben and Kecha Khamphakdee. The film is produced by Wunderbar Films and RTake Studios.
Shraddha Agrawal, Dhanush and Azmat Jagmag are the producers. Sreyas Srinivasan and Sandesh Agrawal are co-producers, and Vishu Ramaswamy is the creative producer.
Sai Pallavi’s Reaction
Sai Pallavi thanked Rajkumar Periasamy for casting her in the role. She said in a post, ‘Dear @Rajkumar_KP sir, Thank you so much for choosing me again and this time play to play Nithya Reddy! I see my alter ego in her’.
Periasamy called Sai Pallavi ‘THE PERFORMER’ while revealing her character. Producer Shraddha Agarwal said, ‘Sai Pallavi is a wonderful actor, and we’ve always admired the honesty she brings to her performances. Nithya Reddy is an important character in the film, and we couldn’t have asked for a better actor to play the part. It’s been a pleasure having her on board, and we’re looking forward to audiences seeing her in this role.’
Release Date and Production
The film was earlier scheduled to release on October 16, 2026, a day after Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2. Dhanush announced the postponement, citing respect for Rajinikanth.
Dhanush said in a social media post, ‘In times like these, shifting the release of a film comes with its own set of challenges. Our superstar, Rajinikanth sir, the man whom we all have admired and worshipped over the years, has his film arriving on October 15, just a day before ours. Out of immense respect for him, we have decided to postpone the release of our film, OM, to a later date.’
The film also skipped the Diwali release window to avoid a clash with Suriya’s Scene. The new release date is November 20, 2026.
The title carries ‘Chapter 1’, indicating the film is planned as the first instalment of a multi-part franchise. The makers have not announced details of the next chapter.
OM – Chapter 1: Udhiram – The Blood Wood is set for a worldwide theatrical release on November 20, 2026.
