Uppum Mulakum () is an Indian Malayalam-language sitcom that premiered on Flowers TV on 14 December 2015. The series was created by R. Unnikrishnan, who also directed the first two seasons. It follows the daily lives of Balachandran Thampi, his wife Neelima, and their children.
The series stars Biju Sopanam, Nisha Sarangh, Rishi S. Kumar, Juhi Rustagi, Al Sabith, Shivani Menon, and Baby Ameya, who joined the cast in 2018. The third season was directed by Afsal Abdul Latheef and later by Suhil Raj A. S. Parvathy Ayyappadas joined the series in 2023 portraying Diya, the wife of Vishnu; both characters later exited following the conclusion of the second season. In 2025, Sidharth Prabu joined the cast in the third season as Sidhu, the husband of Lakshmi (Lechu), following the character's return from Dubai.
The series completed 1,000 episodes in 2019 and crossed 2,000 episodes on 27 June 2025, becoming the longest-running Malayalam sitcom. Juhi Rustagi exited the series in 2019 after episode 1,013 and later returned in the second season.
Uppum Mulakum received the Kerala State Television Award for Best Comedy Show in 2017.
Series overview
Plot summary Season 1 Family setup Uppum Mulakum centers on the Thampi family, also known as Paramada Veedu. Balu, an electronics technician, and his wife Neelima (Neelu), an accountant, live with their five children: Vishnu (Mudiyan), Lakshmi (Lechu), Keshav (Keshu), Shivani (Shiva), and Parvathy (Parukutty). Vishnu (Mudiyan): The eldest son, a passionate dancer, who overcomes academic failure to secure a job at an ad agency, later transitioning to banking. Lakshmi (Lechu): Creative and sociable, she pursues a B.Com. degree and marries Sidharth in episode 1011. Keshu & Shiva: School-going siblings known for their mischief and strong bond. Parukutty: The youngest, born in episode 604, adored by all.
Extended family & neighbors Recurring characters include Balu's brother Surendran, cousin Rema and her husband Jayanthan, Neelu's brother Sreekuttan, and neighbors like Chandran and Kanakam. Occasional episodes are set in other family homes in Neyyattinkara and Piravom, adding cultural flavor.
Season 2 The season shows Balu promoted to supervisor, Neelu advancing in her career, and Lechu returning home. Keshu begins tutoring, and Parukutty starts nursery.
Vishnu elopes with Diya, leading to family conflict. Diya's parents, Ram and Haimavati, oppose the union due to business interests. Eventually, tensions ease, and Diya becomes a director in her father's company. Lechu finds recognition for her poetry through Ram's publishing house. The season ends with Diya moving to Bangalore to join Vishnu.
Season 3 Set a few years later, Neelu becomes a company manager, Keshu is in his second year of BA Malayalam, and Shiva studies architecture in Chennai. The season opens with Balu and Neelu's 30th wedding anniversary and the arrival of Neelu's brother Sreekuttan and his wife Gouri.
Following the exit of key characters Balu, Neelu, and Sreekuttan, the focus shifts to Keshu and his relationships.
Keshu & Merlin Keshu, carefree and humorous, meets Merlin, his responsible and grounded opposite. Their evolving relationship brings a balance of humor and life lessons. Keshu dreams of a simple life in his ancestral home, which others dismiss as idealistic.
Merlin is the daughter of businessman Vincent Gomes, from a Catholic business family. Complications arise when Aleena Francis, Keshu's childhood crush (and Merlin's cousin), enters the story unaware of his current relationship. The narrative centers on the resulting love triangle.
Sidhu’s return from Dubai Sidhu returns from Dubai after a long four years and reunites with his wife Lachu and daughter Kallu. Uppum Mulakum returns to its earlier glory with Bhavani Amma(Neelu's mother), Kanakam(Balu's relative), Kalyani(Lachu's daughter) in more prominent roles.
Cast Main cast +Uppum Mulakum cast and characters Actor Character Season 1 2 3 Biju Sopanam Shoolamkudi Veetil Balachandran "Balu" Thambi colspan="3" Nisha Sarangh Neelima "Neelu" Balachandran Thambi colspan="3" Rishi S Kumar Vishnu "Mudiyan" Balachandran Thambi colspan="2" Juhi Rustagi Lakshmi "Lachu" Balachandran Thambi colspan="3" Al Sabith Keshav "Keshu" Balachandran Thambi colspan="3" Shivani Menon Shivani "Shiva" Balachandran Thambi colspan="3" Baby Ameya Parvathy "Paru" Balachandran Thambi colspan="3" Parvathy Das Diya Gouri Unnimaya Gouri Sreekuttan colspan="2" K.P.A.C Santha / Kaladevi Chonarathala Bhavani Amma colspan="2" Rohini Rahul Kanakam Nandhootty Kalyani / Kallu colspan="3" Dain Davis/ Sidharth Prabhu Sidharth/Sidhu
Other cast +Additional cast and characters from Uppum Mulakum Actor Character Season 1 2 3KPAC Rajendran Padavalam Veetil Kuttan Pillai colspan="3" Kottayam Ramesh Shoolamkudi Veetil Madhavan Thambi colspan="3" Manohari Joy Sharada Madhavan Thambi colspan="3" Binoj Kulathoor Shoolamkudi Veetil Surendran Thambi colspan="3" S. P. Sreekumar Sreekuttan Pillai (Kuttumaman) Shobi Thilakan Shoolamkudi Veetil Rajendran Thambi colspan="2" Muraleedharan Pangodu Shankaran Thambi colspan="3" Varsha Abhay Rema colspan="2" Suresh Babu Bhasi colspan="3" Anil Perumpalam Jayanthan colspan="3" Arun G Shibu / Chemical Shibu colspan="2" Jiji Kalamandir Auto Chandran colspan="2" Sajitha Betti Valiyaveettil Haimavathy Ram Kumar Rajesh Hebbar Ram Kumar Aneena Mariya Merlin colspan="3" Veena Nair Seetha(Sidhu mother) Rajesh Paravoor Janardhanan ( Sidhu father)
Other(s) Guest(s) This is a list of the celebrities who have made guest appearances in the show. +ActorCharacterEpisode no. Noorin Shereef SusmithaBhagath ManuelHimself288Nirmal PalazhiHimself288Niyas BackerHimself288Bineesh BastinKeerikadan Sabu558Nandini NairHerselfRajisha VijayanJune792Mithun RameshJimmy994Divya PillaiJancy994Shane NigamAkkar1008Tini TomAlex1051Vinay ForrtRoy1051SrindaSusan1051Kalabhavan PrajodHimselfOnam Special Vinay Forrt Soman 349 (Season 2) Mukesh Philips 391 (Season 2) Noble Babu Thomas Basil Navani Devanand BlessyP.P. KunhikrishnanMagistrate1 (Season 3) Dharmajan Himself 455 ( Season 3 ) Jinil Rex Renju655 & 656 (Season 3) Jivin Rex Kunju
Production Season 1 Casting Nisha Sarang was cast as Neelima while hosting the cookery show Kuttikkalavara on Flowers. Apart from her, the main cast were newcomers to television. Theatre actor Biju Sopanam, who had previously worked with director R. Unnikrishnan in the comedy series Back Benchers, was offered the lead role of Balachandran Thampi. Inspired by Unnikrishnan's Marimayam, Biju was keen to work on realistic roles, making Uppum Mulakum his second TV appearance and first lead role.
Rishi S. Kumar was selected for the role of Vishnu after Unnikrishnan saw him on the dance reality show D 4 Dance, following a recommendation from his son. Child actors Al Sabith and Shivani Menon, both contestants on Kuttikkalavara, were cast as Keshu and Shivani, respectively. Although Shivani is a month older than Sabith in real life, the show portrays the reverse. Juhi Rustagi, a friend of Unnikrishnan's son, was cast as Lachu after meeting him at a birthday party.
Biju's younger brother Binoj plays his on-screen brother Surendran Thampi, while Biju's daughter Gouri Lakshmi portrays Surendran's daughter Kanmani. The series was filmed at a house named Paramada Veedu in Vazhakkala, Kochi. In July 2018, S.J. Sinu replaced Unnikrishnan as director, later succeeded by Pradheep Madhav.
The title theme music for Uppum Mulakum 3.0 was composed and sung by playback singer Praseeda Kalarikkal, with rhythm programming by Anagha Mohan.
Decline in Viewership and Cancellation Uppum Mulakum experienced a ratings dip following Juhi Rustagi's exit in January 2020. After resuming production post the COVID-19 pandemic, a new character, Pooja Jayaram, was introduced. Still, the show failed to regain its earlier popularity. Around the same time, Flowers TV launched a new sitcom, Chakkappazham, in August 2020. The final episode of Uppum Mulakum aired on 15 January 2021, totalling 1206 episodes. While initially described as a hiatus, it was later confirmed by lead actors Biju Sopanam and Nisha Sarang in March 2021 that the show had been officially cancelled.
Season 2 On 1 June 2022, during an episode of Flowers Oru Kodi, it was announced that Uppum Mulakum would return for a second season, premiering on 13 June 2022. A teaser was released on television and social media, confirming the return of original director R. Unnikrishnan and actress Juhi Rustagi.
The premiere episode of Season 2 became the top trending topic on YouTube. However, the season faced setbacks after Rishi S. Kumar (Mudiyan) left unexpectedly following a storyline introducing his character's marriage. The show's tone shifted significantly, incorporating horror and thriller elements, which received mostly negative reviews by audiences. This period, marked by a slower narrative and new characters, was referred to by fans as the "dark phase" of the series.
Rishi later cited creative differences and director R. Unnikrishnan's working style as reasons for his departure. The second season concluded on 26 February 2024, reportedly due to scheduling conflicts with the cast.
Season 3 The third season premiered on 24 June 2024, with most of the main cast returning, except Rishi S. Kumar and Parvathy Ayyapadas. S. P. Sreekumar reprised his role from Season 1. New additions included Gouri Unnimaya as Sreekuttan's wife, Gouri, and child actor Nandhootty as Kallu, Lachu and Sidhu's daughter.
The season was initially directed by Afsal Abdul Latheef (episodes 1–172), followed by Suhil Raj A. S. from episode 173 onward. Writing credits were primarily shared between Suresh Babu and Script Lorry, with cinematography by Midhun Muraleedharan, Sajeev K. V., Amal M. K., and Nandhu V., and editing by Abhilash Elikatoor and Amal Tom.
Following a sexual assault case involving a lead actress, the accused actors Biju Sopanam and S. P. Sreekumar exited the show. Nisha Sarangh also quit the show. The current storyline centers on the younger characters, Keshu, Parukkutty, Lechu, and Shivani.
Veteran actor KPAC Rajendran, who portrayed Padavalam Kuttanpillai, died on 31 July 2025 while undergoing treatment for kidney-related ailments at Vandanam Medical College Hospital, Alappuzha.
In October 2025, Siddharth Prabhu joined the show as Siddharth/Siddhu, replacing Dain Davis. However, following his arrest for allegedly driving while drunk and causing a fatal accident in which a pedestrian lost their life, he has been removed from the show. But on 14 February 2026, he returned to the show.
In June 2026, Gouri Unnimaya announced her exit from the show, citing her plans to focus on the next stage of her career and her studies.
Reception Uppum Mulakum is one of the most popular sitcoms in Malayalam. The show has one of the biggest fan base for a Malayalam TV show and is acclaimed by the audience for its realistic touch.
Critical response Indian Express said: "Uppum Mulakum presents the simple things in daily life without losing its originality. Behind the show's popularity is that the audience can feel that the house and its family members may have been living somewhere else in the real life".
Awards Flowers Comedy Awards 2016 Most popular serial Best onscreen pair Flowers TV Awards 2017 Most popular serial Best actor – Biju Sopanam
Mangalam TV Awards 2017 Best comedian – Biju Sopanam Best comedian female - Nisha Sarang Best child actor - Shivani Menon, Al Sabith
Kerala State Television Awards 2017 Best comedy series Best comedian – Biju Sopanam Best comedian (Special jury) - Nisha Sarang
Adoor Bhasi Memorial Awards 2017 Most popular actress - Nisha Sarang
North American Film Awards Best actress (Television) - Nisha Sarang
Janmabhoomi Awards 2019 Best child artist - Al Sabith
Kerala State Television Awards 2020 Special jury award – Shivani Menon