Tourist Family – A new land, Endless hope
One family. A new land. Endless hope. – Tourist Family, a heartwarming journey of resilience and belonging.
Tourist Family is a 2025 Tamil-language comedy-drama film directed by debutant Abishan Jeevinth. The film stars M. Sasikumar and Simran as Dharmadas and Vasanthi, a Sri Lankan Tamil couple who, along with their two sons, flee their homeland amidst economic turmoil to seek a better life in Ramesvaram (Rameshwaram), Tamilnadu, India. Settling in Chennai, they navigate the challenges of assimilation, employment, and acceptance in a new community. Their journey is marked by moments of humor, warmth, and resilience, as they transform their neighborhood with kindness and forge bonds that transcend cultural barriers.
The ensemble cast includes Mithun Jai Shankar, Kamalesh, Yogi Babu, M.S. Bhaskar, Ramesh Thilak, Bhagavathi Perumal, Ilango Kumaravel, and Sreeja Ravi … The film’s music is composed by Sean Roldan … with cinematography by Aravind Viswanathan. Released theatrically on May 1, 2025, Tourist Family received acclaim for its heartfelt storytelling and performances, grossing over ₹51 crore and becoming one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of the year.
Critics praised the film for its sensitive portrayal of refugee experiences and the balance of comedy and drama. Simran noted that she anticipated the film’s success upon hearing the script, and actor Sivakarthikeyan commended the team for their sincere storytelling.
Tourist Family is available for streaming on leading OTT platforms starting May 31, 2025, bringing its inspiring narrative to a wider audience.
Following the Sri Lankan economic crisis, an Eelam Tamil family of four – Dharmadas “Das”, his wife Vasanthi, and their two sons, Nithushan and Mulli – flee their native Jaffna and seek refuge in India through Rameswaram, with the help of Vasanthi’s brother, Prakash. As they enter the country, they are apprehended by a group of police constables led by A. Bhairavan. However, upon realising the family’s innocence, Bhairavan sets them free. Mulli emotionally appeals to Bhairavan’s compassion by showing him a puppy he found on the shore, pretending it is their pet. The family, along with Prakash, hires a cab and moves to Kesava Nagar Colony in Chennai, a place arranged by Prakash. Unknown to Prakash, the rented house belongs to R. Raghavan, a police inspector, but Das and his family conceal their true identity as Sri Lankans and pass themselves off as Malayalis. Raghavan believes their story and rents the house to them. Das starts looking for a job and lands a temporary position as a driver for his neighbour, Richard. Meanwhile, Das and Vasanthi become increasingly close to their neighbours, despite Prakash’s warnings to keep a low profile due to their distinct language dialect, as he fears that their true identity might be exposed.
In Rameswaram, a bomb blast occurs in Tourist family film, and the case is taken up by Balwan Singh, a ruthless ACP. Bhairavan’s associates want to inform Balwan about Das and his family, who they believe infiltrated India. A crucial piece of evidence, CCTV footage showing Das disposing of waste in a dustbin near the blast site, is retrieved. However, Bhairavan, who has taken a liking to the family, prevents his colleagues from revealing their identity to Balwan. During an interrogation, Balwan severely beats a suspect, leaving him critically injured. Facing risk of being arrested for custodial violence if the suspect dies, Balwan is under immense pressure to find the actual culprits behind the bomb blast.
Raghavan’s daughter, Kural, is in a relationship with a boyfriend who secretly visits their house. However, Nithushan mistakes him for a thief and apprehends him. During the ensuing argument, Kural discovers her boyfriend’s infidelity and thanks Nithushan for unintentionally revealing his true character. Nithushan also opens up about his past love, who is about to get married after he left Sri Lanka. Nithushan is still upset with his father, Das, for uprooting their family from their homeland and seeking refuge in India. One day, Das returns home intoxicated and reveals that he discarded the puppy Mulli had rescued in Rameswaram, leading to a heated argument between Nithushan and Das. Nithushan expresses his frustration about his father’s menial jobs in Chennai, feeling that his degree is being wasted. However, they eventually understand each other and start communicating again. Nithushan also learns that his ex-lover has moved on and gotten married in Sri Lanka.
In Tourist Family meanwhile, in Rameswaram, the real owner of the puppy files a case about his missing pet with Bhairavan. This makes Bhairavan suspect that Das’s family might have been involved in the bomb blast and had lied about their identity. He informs Balwan, who is enraged for not being told earlier. Balwan decides to investigate Das’s family in connection with the bomb blast to close the case and avoid departmental punishment. He and Bhairavan start tracing the family through the cab they hired from Rameswaram. Vasanthi befriends Mangaiyarkarasi, an elderly woman in their 60s who married Gunasekar against her parents’ wishes. When Mangaiyarkarasi fears that her husband has died, Vasanthi helps her. However, Gunasekar wakes up, and Mangaiyarkarasi dies from the shock of fearing she lost him. Das rallies the neighbours to attend Mangaiyarkarasi’s last rites, helping Gunasekar cope with his isolation. Richard terminates Das from his temporary job but reappoints him when Das reveals his true identity as a Sri Lankan. Richard, who is a Malayali, had been testing Das’s authenticity and wanted him to be genuine as his driver. Kural develops feelings for Nithushan, and they grow closer.
At Mangaiyarkarasi’s final rites, a few weeks later after her passing, the entire neighbourhood pays their respects. A drunkard youth, previously considered troublesome, surprises everyone by speaking up. Despite being told to remain silent, he continues, thanking Das for saving his life. The youth shares his story, revealing that he had lost his mother and struggled with suicidal thoughts, leading him to substance abuse. However, Das had unintentionally saved him from a poisoning attempt and shown genuine concern for his well-being when no one else would. The youth, now reformed, apologises for past troubles and bids farewell as he’s leaving for Dubai. The neighbourhood, which had previously judged him harshly, comes to appreciate his story and holds Das in high esteem and soon, the entire Kesava Nagar Colony learns about Das and his family’s true identity as Sri Lankan refugees, and they bond with them.
Just as the neighbourhood is coming together, Balwan, Bhairavan, and their team arrive, conducting a house-to-house search to apprehend Das’s family. However, when they finally reach Das’s house, Bhairavan surprisingly claims that they are not the family he met earlier in Rameswaram. Balwan is frustrated, having failed to close the case, and leaves abruptly due to an arrest warrant issued against him as the suspect has died. Das confronts Bhairavan about his deception, and Bhairavan reveals that the whole neighbourhood refused to disclose Das’s family’s true identity. Moreover, the entire colony spoke in the Eelam Tamil dialect to help Das’s family escape the police investigation, demonstrating their innocence and kindness, making a change of heart in Bhairavan to develop a newfound respect for Das and his family.
