# Dominic and the Ladies' Purse

Dominic and the Ladies' Purse is a 2025 Indian Malayalam-language mystery comedy thriller film directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, in his Malayalam debut, and produced by Mammootty Kampany. The film stars Mammootty in the titular role, alongside Gokul Suresh, Sushmitha Bhat, Viji Venkatesh, Siddique, Vineeth and Vijay Babu. The film revolves around Dominic, a sharp but disgraced ex-cop, nice guy, who knows all the right moves and is now a detective, takes on a simple job to find the owner of a purse.
The film was officially announced in July 2024 under the tentative title Production No: 6, as it is the sixth production venture of Mammootty Kampany, and the official title was announced that September. Principal photography commenced the same month in Kochi. The film has music composed by Darbuka Siva, cinematography handled by Vishnu Dev and editing by Lewellyn Anthony.
The film was released theatrically on 23 January 2025 and received mixed reviews from critics.

## Plot

Dominic, a disgraced former cop turned detective, is tasked with a simple case to find the owner of a lost purse. However, the job quickly escalates into a complex mystery involving missing people, murder, a stalker, and an elusive dancer named Nandhita. Unfolding the mysteries that lie within the curious cases of the missing people and the owner of the purse forms the crux of the story.

## Cast

* Mammootty as CI Dominic, an ex-police officer and private detective
* Gokul Suresh as Vignesh / Vicky, Dominic's assistant
* Sushmitha Bhatt as Nandhita
* Viji Venkatesh as Madhuri, Dominic's house owner
* Siddique as Soman Pillai
* Vineeth as Prakash
* Vijay Babu as Tony
* Meenakshi Unnikrishnan as Pooja Raveendran
* Shine Tom Chacko as Alby
* Balachandran Chullikkad as Swamy
* Suresh Krishna as Sanjay
* Gautham Vasudev Menon as Ibrahim Mooppan
* Lena as Lakshmi, Dominic's ex-wife
* Sudev Babu as Karthik, Nandhita's brother and Pooja's lover
* Wafa Khatheeja Rahman as Jhansi, Pooja's friend
* Arjun Nandhakumar as SI Arun Kumar
* Dinesh Prabhakar as John
* Ashvin Mathew as Lekshmi's second husband
* Neeraja Rajendran as Alby's Mother
* Veena Nair as Pooja's mother
* P. R. Rajasekharan as City Police Commissioner Unais Ibrahim
* Raghunath Paleri as Francis, Karthik's neighbour
* Yassar as SP
* Harshitha J. Pisharody
* Laya Simpson as Reetha, Soman Pillai's girlfriend
* Sudha Sumithran as Nandhita's Neighbour
* Jayakumar as Chandrashekhar
* Anthony as a shop owner in Nagercoil

## Production
### Development

A few weeks before Turbo's release in 2024, it was reported that Mammootty and Gautham Vasudev Menon would come together for their next film's. Nayanthara, who lastly paired opposite Mammootty in Puthiya Niyamam, was reported to pair up with the actor again. The project would mark as Gautham's directorial debut in Malayalam cinema. The production was set to begin that June 2024 in Chennai; however, the team instead finalised in Kochi. Touted to be an action thriller, production was pushed to July 2024. The project would be funded by Mammootty Kampany, in their sixth production following Rorshach, Nanpakal Neerathu Mayakkam, Kaathal The Core, Kannur Squad and Turbo. The makers made announcement on 10 July 2024, confirming the project, under the tentative title Production No: VI.
The film also marks as the second collaboration between Mammootty with Gautham after they had previously acted together in Bazooka. A muhurat puja was held the same day in Kochi with the cast and crew. Darbuka Siva would score the music, while Vishnu Dev and Lewellyn Anthony would handle the cinematography and editing. Sound designer Tapas Nayak and designer Aesthetic Kunjamma are also a part of the crew alongside them. Although Nayanthara was confirmed to not be a part of the cast, Gokul Suresh, Lena, Siddique, Vijay Babu and Viji Venkatesh were announced to be part of the cast. In May 2024, the film's screenplay was reported to written by Gautham, Martin Prakkat, Naveen Bhaskar and Neeraj–Sooraj; the writers of ABCD: American-Born Confused Desi (2013), while the story would be written by Neeraj–Sooraj only. The reports were confirmed during their presence in the muhurat puja.

### Filming

Principal photography began with the first schedule on 10 July 2024 in Kochi.

## Music

The music and background score is composed by Darbuka Siva, in his first collaboration with Mammootty; second with Gautham after Enai Noki Paayum Thota (2019).

## Release

Dominic and the Ladies' Purse was released in theatres on 23 January 2025.

## Reception
### Critical response

The film received mixed reviews from critics.
Rohit Panikker of Times Now gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "The film is a fun and entertaining mystery thriller that has been packaged and presented differently from what we have been used to from the genre of late [...] Dominic and the Ladies' Purse definitely makes for an engaging theatrical experience both in terms of visual as well as cerebral story-telling."
Gopika I. S. of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse is more of a Mammootty one-man show, in a good way. It is a little different from your regular Gautham Vasudev Menon film but there is a style to the storytelling and there are those seemingly trivial things that add a special charm to the film."
Janani K. of India Today gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse come together in its last act, where the film springs a surprise. While Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse had great elements that could have been fleshed out into an intriguing whodunit thriller, Gautham Menon’s approach doesn’t quite land well."
Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave a negative review of the film rating it 1.5/5 stars and wrote "From the very beginning, Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse consistently evokes a feeling in us; and that’s frustration. It’s not that the GVM film is outright terrible, but the sheer carelessness in its execution is so palpable that the movie ultimately feels like a series of wasted opportunities."
S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote "Dominic’s quest for the purse’s owner and the way it slowly builds into a wider investigation with bigger stakes is quite an intriguing narrative, but the way it is approached on screen almost spoils it."
Latha Srinivasan of Hindustan Times wrote "An investigative thriller should be gripping and keep you engaged at every turn, and this was amiss in this flick. Having said that, there are sparks of brilliance throughout the film, and the final twist was good but perhaps a tad too late to redeem its flaws."