Latest news with #Malayalam-language
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Alappuzha Gymkhana: Bollywood directors keep talking about ‘rooted cinema', but they have no idea what it even means
In recent years, several Bollywood big-shots with varying degrees of wealth and intelligence have said that South Indian movies are performing better than their Hindi counterparts because they're more 'rooted'. The word has become a part of the lexicon, alongside terms such as 'elevation scene' and 'BGM'. Anurag Kashyap has said it; Javed Akhtar has said it; if they'd asked the women, they'd have said it as well. But what does the word 'rooted' even mean? The one movie that perfectly captures all the ingredients that are missing from Hindi cinema these days, the one movie that Bollywood would do well to emulate, is the Malayalam-language sports comedy Alappuzha Gymkhana, which debuted recently on SonyLIV after an excellent theatrical run. It's as rooted as they come. But the definition of this kind of cinema could vary. While Kashyap thinks that 'rooted' cinema refers to stories of the heartland, Akhtar has complained that Hindi filmmakers are losing touch with the language. He forgets that his own children write in English and have their scripts translated. For most Bollywood producers, 'rooted' is merely a code word for a very specific kind of big-budget movie; the chauvinistic and bombastic sort of cinema popularised by the Telugu industry and bastardised by the north. Also read – Chhaava: Vicky Kaushal's worrisome streak hits an all-time low; who'll take responsibility for inciting violence? Were something like Alappuzha Gymkhana pitched in Bollywood, it would be laughed out of the room. It has no major stars, it has neither scale nor stakes, and most surprisingly (for a sports movie), it has no villain. Directed by Khalid Rehman, Alappuzha Gymkhana is a hang-out movie, where the characters dictate which direction the plot should go in, and not the other way around. It follows a group of teenage boys in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, who concoct the kind of plan that only teenagers staring at an uncertain future can. After flunking their class 12 boards, they decide to enrol at the local sports club and become boxers. This way, they figure, they could probably get into a college through the sports quota. At the same time, they could impress all the girls they have crushes on, get away from their nagging parents for several hours a day, and have a new excuse to chill out with each other. Led by Jojo, the boys aren't defending the world; they're defending their pride. Forget delivering 'larger-than-life' action and spectacle, Alappuzha Gymkhana barely leaves its district. It goes against all the rules that Bollywood has convinced itself it must follow in the post-pandemic era. And this isn't the first time that the Malayalam industry has proven that smaller stories have just as much of a chance at the box office than those hyper-masculine revenge epics that Hindi filmmakers have devoted themselves to aping. Speaking of hyper-masculine cinema, there's a scene in Alappuzha Gymkhana in which Jojo invites his buddies for a house party. He takes the girl he's been talking to up to the bedroom, where she throws him off balance by asking what kind of kiss he'd prefer they get things started with. After panicking for a second, he tells her that he's too nervous to make out, and promptly gets dumped. If this was Rocky Bhai, he'd have physically restrained the girl from leaving the room despite her protests. In case you'd forgotten, this is exactly what happens in the first KGF movie. The blockbuster Kannada film has proven to be incredibly influential, paving the way for a new wave of angry cinema in which everybody shouts at each other. Just because their protagonists hail from villages doesn't make stuff like Kantara and Pushpa 'rooted'. Naslen, who plays Jojo in Alappuzha Gymkhana, broke out with the similarly lowkey Premalu last year. But when Bollywood tries to make small scale films these days, they typically end up being inauthentic farces. Even when they're competently made, like the film Laapataa Ladies, they tend to have a condescending gaze. Heck, Hindi filmmakers can't even be bothered to go shoot in real-life locations, because the people making them have no idea what separates one culture from the other. It's some strange form of reverse racism, where the entirety of the 'north' is presented as a place populated by Thar-driving, pakoda-popping loudmouths. The films Jayeshbhai Jordaar and The Great Indian Family — both were headlined by A-list movie stars and produced by YRF — were shot entirely on indistinguishable soundstages. Read more – Chandu Champion: Kabir Khan's hollow biopic can't stop humiliating its own protagonist The thing that really stands out in Alappuzha Gymkhana, besides the cultural specificity, is how tactile it all seems. Although most of the second half is set inside a stadium and filmed with the sort of music video-style flashiness that Rehman displayed in Thallumala a couple of years ago, the first half unfolds on the streets of Alleppey. It gives the movie character; you can see the post-rain dampness on the narrow lanes, and the paint chipping off the walls of old homes. Jojo and his gang feel like real people, experiencing real growing-pains. They aren't invulnerable superheroes bashing up their enemies. In fact, the inciting incident of the film — the moment that pushes Jojo to enrol at the gymkhana — is when one member of the gang gets sucker punched for flirting with another guy's girlfriend. Rahman's Thallumala kicked off on a similar note, when someone stepped on the protagonist's brand-new sneakers. Malayalam cinema seems to have cracked the code. Even when they make a big-budget superhero movie Minnal Murali, it feels intimate. In Alappuzha Gymkhana, Jojo and his friends' inadequacies manifest during the boxing competition that takes up much of the film's second half. It wouldn't be a spoiler to reveal that Jojo doesn't magically become a heavyweight champion at the end. But he scores something far more valuable: a purpose. A road that could've led him towards drunkenness and despair is, hopefully, avoided. Jojo and his buddies could've very easily turned into Pepe and his gang from Angamaly Diaries, but it seems like they'll turn into the Manjummel Boys instead. Hallelujah. Post Credits Scene is a column in which we dissect new releases every week, with particular focus on context, craft, and characters. Because there's always something to fixate about once the dust has settled. Rohan Naahar is an assistant editor at Indian Express online. He covers pop-culture across formats and mediums. He is a 'Rotten Tomatoes-approved' critic and a member of the Film Critics Guild of India. He previously worked with the Hindustan Times, where he wrote hundreds of film and television reviews, produced videos, and interviewed the biggest names in Indian and international cinema. At the Express, he writes a column titled Post Credits Scene, and has hosted a podcast called Movie Police. You can find him on X at @RohanNaahar, and write to him at He is also on LinkedIn and Instagram. ... Read More
Pink Villa
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Is Mammootty not well? MP John Brittas shares BIG update on actor's health
Malayali superstar Mammootty hit the headlines after reports of him being diagnosed with cancer started doing the rounds. The actor's team reacted against the claims. Now, Rajya Sabha MP and the actor's close friend John Brittas has shared an update on his health. In a recent interaction with the news channel Reporter TV, the politician revealed that Mammootty has a minor health issue and is undergoing treatment for it. As per his words, Brittas said, 'Mammootty is suffering from a minor health complication and is currently receiving treatment. He is okay, and I just had a phone conversation with him.' 'Even though we have been friends for quite a long time, we were never the kind of people who talked much about our personal lives. However, in recent days, we have been sharing such details as well,' he added. (Translated from Malayalam) According to early reports, Mammootty was reported to have been diagnosed with cancer. While the claims were spreading online, the actor's team issued a statement contradicting the reports. The team said, 'It is fake news. He is on vacation because he is fasting for Ramzan. He is on a break from his shoot schedule as well because of that. In fact, after the break, he will go back to shooting for Mahesh Narayanan's film with Mohanlal.' Coming to Mammootty's work front, the megastar was last seen in a lead role in the movie Bazooka. The Malayalam-language action thriller was written and directed by Deeno Dennis in his directorial debut. The movie featured the story of a businessman and gamer getting involved in a hunt against a serial offender along with a police officer. Apart from Mammootty, the film had Gautham Vasudev Menon, Divya Pillai, Sidharth Bharathan, Iswarya Menon, and many more in key roles. While the cinematic venture released in theaters on April 10, 2025, it was met with negative reviews and tanked at the box office. Now, the film is expected to hit the streaming platform ZEE5 soon. Moving ahead, the actor is set to appear in the crime drama flick Kalamkaval, co-starring Vinayakan. Furthermore, Mammootty is headlining a magnum opus venture by director Mahesh Narayanan, tentatively titled MMMN (Patriot). The film is touted to be an action thriller with a multistarrer cast consisting of Mohanlal (cameo), Fahadh Faasil, Kunchacko Boban, Nayanthara, Darshana Rajendran, and more.
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘The real horror people confront in society are social biases': Megha Ramaswamy on Lalanna's Song
Writer-director Megha Ramaswamy's latest film Lalanna's Song, currently streaming on MUBI, is an exploration of deeply-entrenched social biases as well as the cyclical nature of patriarchal conditioning. The Malayalam-language film follows two young mothers – Shoby (Parvathy Thiruvothu) and Miriam (Rima Kallingal) – on what seems to be a routine day as they encounter everyday prejudice and sexism. Later that day, they come across a mysterious 12-year-old, Lalanna (Nakshatra Indrajit), who they coerce into singing even though she warns that her singing may bring death with it. By doing so, Shoby and Miriam reveal their own biases in spite of being victims of such a mindset themselves. In this interview, Ramaswamy talks about using horror as a cinematic tool in Lalanna's Song (produced by Newton Cinema) and her endeavour to be authentic to the female experience. Excerpts: Why did you choose to lean on horror to talk about social biases? We can agree that the real horror people confront in any society are social biases. Choosing it as a genre to showcase this particular female experience helped me find layers in its writing that I couldn't have otherwise. Horror helps exaggerate and nuance particular occurrences to highlight and commit to as horror. Plus, the visual and narrative style really helped me find the film's language. In Lalannas Song – overwhelmed by the demands of motherhood and shaken by an incident of racial profiling they experience on the way – Shoby and Miriam are unprepared to meet Lalanna, a precocious preteen girl who suavely pushes their buttons. Seeming to possess all the promise and confidence the two women have lost, Lalanna unleashes within them a merciless instinct to set her straight. The entire premise of the film would have shifted for me if not for using horror as a cinematic tool. As a filmmaker, how do you wish to use horror as a cinematic tool? It's one of the most truthful cinematic tools because it makes way to declare injustices, prejudice, casteism and sexism. As a cinematic experience too it helps push visual boundaries. The beauty of horror is that it identifies good and evil. In the case of Lalanna's Song, the private lives of Shoby and Rima are confronted by an external horror that they internalise and extend their evil towards little Lalannas who in turn conflicts them with her own horror. Why is there a resurgence of horror movies and shows of late? Filmmakers world over are realising what a powerful and liberating genre horror can be. The genre, in general, has always offered its audiences a spectacle that can be immersive and exciting in the safety of your own reality. Horror alerts us about cautionary tales in our own realm. Plus, the whole exploration of good and evil, especially in our times, becomes an exciting experience for audiences to partake in. There are so many types of horror and in all these forms of telling there is the path to truth. Tell us about your writing process and the themes that prompted you to tell this story. Through my storytelling, I wanted to be authentic to the female experience. While writing I wanted to hold space for my own experiences as a woman – the irrevocable horrors of patriarchy suffered by women, from the generational trauma women are constantly addressing as well as the complexities of motherhood, gender, caste, religion, and feminism. How did actors Parvathy Thiruvothu and Rima Kallingal come on board? Parvathy and Rima are two phenomenal actors who represent a brave new world that questions these very biases and the conditioning of patriarchy. I was confident that they will be able to explore the character of Shoby and Rima with conviction and vulnerability, despite the cruelty and evil their characters are capable of. Their own chemistry and the way they represent and hold space for female friendships is lovely and enriching. This automatically led to their casting which was ideal for the film. Both the children in the film are subjected to scrutiny in different ways. Did you specifically want to talk about children? Both the children Meenu Kutty (played by Hannah Joby) and Lalanna (Nakshatra Indrajit) are victims of unhinged behaviour and scrutiny in the gaze of adult women. Be it their bodies or their character. Often if not always this is the case in reality too. Children (especially girls) suffer and are lifelong impacted by the scrutiny that comes in the form of their mothers, grandmothers, neighbourhood aunties they meet and others. Obviously, the cycle continues: the hunted become the hunters. Patriarchal conditioning has nourished this vicious cycle. In fact, there is a scene that highlights how these two children are able to, in their own way, stand by each other and question the behaviour of the women. Lalanna, finally, takes a stance and the results are quite colossal. What kind of stories and characters are you drawn to? Newborns (2014) is about acid attack victims and What Are The Odds (2019) is a whimsical tale about teenage friendship. Women – all kinds – have always held a space in my journey as a storyteller
Pink Villa
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Kerala Crime Files 2 OTT: When and where to watch Malayalam crime drama series online
Kerala Crime Files 2, the Malayalam-language web series, is all geared up to begin streaming soon. If you're someone who loves crime drama, here are the complete details about the show. When and where to watch Kerala Crime Files 2 Kerala Crime Files 2 is slated to begin streaming on the OTT platform JioHotstar from June 20, 2025. The official announcement of the web series' release was made by the platform's social media handle, along with the trailer. Official trailer and plot of Kerala Crime Files 2 Kerala Crime Files 2 - The Search for CPO Ambili Raju follows the story that surrounds the unexplained disappearance of a young policewoman from her station under mysterious circumstances. With the incident creating quite the commotion, a team of officers led by SI Manoj (Aju Varghese) and CI Kurian (Lal) is tasked with the investigation. However, as the case progresses, the officers realize a larger conflict at hand. What follows is the escalation of the missing case into a narrative that explores elements of trust, power struggles, and the ethical boundaries of law enforcement. Cast and crew of Kerala Crime Files 2 Kerala Crime Files 2 features Aju Varghese and Lal in lead roles, reprising their roles from the first season. Apart from them, the show has actors like Indrans, Harisree Asokan, Renjit Shekar, Sanju Sanichen, Suresh Babu, Navas Vallikunnu, Noorin Shereef, Jeo Baby, and more as pivot characters. The show is directed by Ahammed Khabeer with Kishkindha Kaandam fame Bahul Ramesh penning the story, screenplay and dialogues. With Hesham Abdul Wahab handling the music, the DOP and editing were fulfilled by Jithin Stanislaus and Mahesh Bhuvanend, respectively. The series' first season, Kerala Crime Files - Shiju, Parayil Veedu, Neendakara, was released on the OTT platform on June 23, 2023. The show initially explored the events of solving a case with the only clue being a fake address. Apart from the lead actors, the first season has Navas Vallikkunnu, Sanju Sanichen, Zhinz Shan, and more in important roles. The first season consisted of 8 episodes, with each one having a runtime of 30 minutes.
Pink Villa
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
EXCLUSIVE: Allu Arjun and Basil Joseph are indeed in talks for a film and it's NOT Shaktimaan
Allu Arjun is currently involved in the making of his magnum opus film, tentatively titled AA22xA6. However, the Pushpa actor is making headlines for his possible collaboration with Minnal Murali's Basil Joseph. In an exclusive report, we at Pinkvilla have learned that Pushpa actor is in talks with director-actor Basil Joseph for a movie. While discussions are going on, there's no official signing yet. Allu Arjun and Basil Joseph in talks, but not for Shaktimaan Interestingly, there are reports that state it would likely be a Shaktimaan movie. However, we have also learned that it will not be the superhero venture but another story. If Allu is indeed joining hands with a modern filmmaker like Basil, it would be interesting to see how he embeds himself into the narrative created by the latter. With more details about the team-up still coming in, the Arya actor will next be appearing under Atlee's direction. The much-anticipated movie is said to be set in a 'parallel universe,' with the actor reportedly playing multiple roles, including an animated one. As Deepika Padukone joins the cast, playing one of the main female leads, actresses like Janhvi Kapoor and Mrunal Thakur are also speculated to join. The film, being made on a massive scale, is bankrolled by Sun Pictures with young musical sensation Sai Abhyankkar crafting the musical tracks and scores. Allu Arjun x Trivikram dropped? On a side note, Allu Arjun had recently made the headlines after reports of him opting out of the Trivikram Srinivas directorial project. The cinematic venture was touted as a mythological venture based on Lord Kartikeya Swamy. However, owing to the busy schedule for AA22xA6, the stylish star is said to have opted out, with Jr NTR replacing him as the lead. Moreover, recent reports also speculate that Allu and director Sandeep Reddy Vanga's flick may also be shelved at the time. This is most likely due to the director's commitments with Prabhas' Spirit and subsequently Animal Park with Ranbir Kapoor. On the other hand, Basil Joseph was last seen helming a project for Minnal Murali, starring Tovino Thomas. The Malayalam-language superhero movie tells the tale of Jaison Varghese, also known as Minnal Murali, a tailor from the village of Kurukkanmoola. Owing to a night's lightning strike, he is bestowed with supernatural powers, which he uses for the safety and betterment of his villagers. While there were initial talks of Basil's next directorial being his foray into Bollywood with a modern adaptation of Shaktimaan, the project has been in limbo for a long time.
