A mobile phone game inspired by the Malayalam movie ‘Vilayath Budha’

Vilayath Budha: The Sandalwood Survival, an open-world mobile game released in February, has many firsts to its credit. Not only is it possibly India’s first movie-inspired open-world game (for mobiles), it is also a first-of-its-kind collaboration between a production house, Urvasi Theatres, and gaming company, Offline Human Studios. It also features Prithviraj Sukumaran, one of the first actors from South India in a game such as this.

The Malayalam film Vilayath Budha, released in 2025 and based on the eponymous novel by GR Indugopan, is about a sandal wood smuggler Double Mohanan, his mentor, Bhaskaran Master and a sandalwood tree, Vilayath Budha. Prithviraj essays Mohanan.  

Karthik Suresh, one of the co-founders of Offline Human Studios, says, “We are attempting something different with the game Vilayath Budha. There is a perception that this is a promotion for the film. It is not. Usually, games are released around a film’s release, like recently for Chatha Pacha. But not our game.” 

The film was released in November 2025, while the early access to the game (for downloads) was opened only in the first week of February, 2026. However, it has been in the works for more than six months.

Offroading-based game

Offline Human Studios wanted to create a game around a familiar title that would not only have recall, as in this case, but also build a world around it. It helped that they were also looking forward to making an off-roading-based game. Since the film was shot mostly in Marayoor, Idukki, they could showcase the lush natural beauty of Kerala. 

Offline Human Studios team: From left, Sangeeth Ravi, Sanil Ravi, Sharath Ravi, Karthik Suresh and Nithin Neena
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Karthik explains, “With an open world game we can create a world which a gamer can explore, they can go anywhere in the universe of the game. The world is open to you to explore, in Vilayath Budha you can do it in the jeep which is also a character in the film.” 

Profit share with producers

It could get difficult convincing a producer about the idea, but Urvasi Theatres were on board from the get-go, he adds. “This is a source of revenue for a production house/producer beyond the release of a movie. If the film does well at the box office, the game will benefit, and even if it does not, the game can still generate revenue.” We knew them, Sandeep and Sangeeth Senan, from earlier, so it was easy to approach them; other producers may not want to take the risk. It helped that Sangeeth is also a gamer.” Offline Human Studios has a profit-share agreement with Urvasi Theatres. They also have the IP (Intellectual Property) consent to use the title of the book, Prithviraj’s face and assets from the film. 

Rather than release the game, Karthik says, they chose to give early access so that gamers could experience it and give their feedback about what they would like in the next update. When it is released later this year, it will come out with a complete storyline, the access for now permits ‘exploration’ of smaller spaces and not the entire universe of the game.  

Although inspired by a Malayalam film, the lingua franca of the game is ‘neutral’ — English. Having Prithviraj in the game helps the game because the actor has a pan-India appeal. “Those accessing the game  may not know the character, Double Mohanan or the film but they know Prithviraj, and for them it is a game featuring him, that adds a curiosity factor as well,” Karthik adds. 

Offline Human Studios was formed in 2023 by Sharath Ravi, his brothers, Sanil and Sangeeth, apart from Karthik and Nithin Neena, friends who love to play video/mobile games. They were among 10 Indian companies at the 2025 Tokyo Game Show, where they showcased Fighter: 3D Pandavas, a fighting game inspired by the Mahabharata.

Published – March 06, 2026 09:27 am IST