Diwali 2025 is shaping up to be a significant season for Tamil cinema, with four major titles positioned for release. Three of these films have officially confirmed their Diwali release, pointing to a competitive holiday frame at the box office. Below is an overview of the films that are currently in the Diwali slate.

1. Karuppu (Suriya)

Karuppu is an action drama directed by RJ Balaji, with contributions to the screenplay from Ashwin Ravichandran, Rahul Raj, T. S. Gopi Krishnan, and Karan Aravind Kumar. The film stars Suriya and Trisha Krishnan in lead roles, supported by Swasika, Yogi Babu, Indrans, Natarajan "Natty" Subramanian, Supreeth Reddy, Sshivada, and RJ Balaji in a cameo.

Although an official announcement on Karuppu release date is yet to be made, the movie is expected to see a Diwali release, to bank in on the holiday box-office. Diwali is the biggest holiday celebration in India, and it falls on October 20, 2025 giving movies releasing on October 17 a four day opening weekend from Friday to Monday. 

However some reports on Karuppu also suggest that the production may be delayed, and that the film is releasing only next year for Pongal, 2026. Karuppu has Suriya playing a lawyer named Saravanan, who is also a staunch devotee of  clan deity 'Ayyanar'. The movie is produced by Dream Warrior Pictures, and has Sai Abhyankkar for music. 

2. Love Insurance Kompany (LIK): Release Date: October 17, 2025

Directed and written by Vignesh Shivan, Love Insurance Kompany is a science fiction romantic comedy centered on a time-travel narrative. The film features Pradeep Ranganathan, S. J. Suryah, and Krithi Shetty in lead roles, with a supporting ensemble that includes Yogi Babu, Gouri G. Kishan, Mysskin, Seeman, Anandaraj, and Shah Ra. 

Produced by Rowdy Pictures and Seven Screen Studio, LIK is scheduled for theatrical release on October 17, 2025 (Friday), coinciding with Diwali. The technical crew of LIK includes Anirudh Ravichander for music, Sathyan Sooryan and Ravi Varman for cinematography, Pradeep E. Ragav for the edits, and Peter Hein for the stunts. Love Insurance Kompany's first glimpse releases on August 27, 2025. 

3. Dude (Release Date: October 17, 2025)

Dude is another Pradeep Ranganathan starrer that is scheduled for a Diwali release this year in October, 2025. And if Suriya's Karuppu is also releasing for Diwali 2025, then Dude is another Sai Abhyankkar musical that is hitting theater screens targetting the holiday box-office. Dude is currently gearing up for a first single release on August 28, 2025. The song is titled Oorum Blood in Tamil, and Boom Boom in Telugu. 

A romantic action-comedy written and directed by Keerthiswaran, Dude also stars Mamitha Baiju as Kural, R. Sarathkumar as Kural's father, and Hridhu Haroon, Dravid Selvam, Rohini in supporting roles.

Produced by Mythri Movie Makers, Dude's technical crew includes Niketh Bommi for cinematography, Barath Vikraman for edits, and Latha Naidu for production design. 

4. Bison: Kaalamaadan (Release Date: October 17, 2025)

Directed by Mari Selvaraj and starring Dhruv Vikram in the lead, Bison is a sports biopic based on former Kabaddi player and Arjuna awardee P. Ganesan aka Manathi Ganesan. Also known as Bison: Kaalamaadan, the movie stars Anupama Parameswaran as female lead, and Lal, Pasupathy, Rajisha Vijayan, Hari Krishnan, Azhagam Perumal, and Kalaiyarasan in supporting roles.

Bison is produced by Applause Entertainment and Neelam Studios, and is scheduled for a Diwali release. Bison is most likely to release on October 17, 2025, while an official announcement the film's release date is currently awaited. 

Bison:Kaalamaadan's Tamil Nadu distributor is Fivestar K Senthil, and the film's technical crew includes Nivas K. Prasanna for music, Ezhil Arasu K for cinematography, Sakthi Thiru for editing. Bison's OTT rights are with the Netflix streaming platform. 

Bison's real life hero Manathi P Ganesan hails from a small village called Manathi which is located in the Thoothukudi district in Tamil Nadu. In 1995, he became the second Kabbadi player from Tamil Nadu to receive the Arjuna award, and till date no other Tamil Nadu player has received an Arjuna award for Kabaddi. Manathi P Ganesan is a distant relative of director Mari Selvaraj.