The actors reminds us of the hit combos of Mohanlal-Sreenivasan and Jayaram-Mukesh from the 1990s.
A poster of the film 'Malayalee From India'. (X)
Malayalee From India, the latest outing from Nivin Pauly, is touted to be a comeback film for the actor since he has not seen hits recently.
After drawing praise for his cameo in the recently-released Varshangalkku Shesham, Nivin Pauly delivers his best in Malayalee From India.
Directed by Dijo Jose Antony, the film has several elements to keep the audience engaged throughout. It tactfully blends politics and comedy and is message-oriented, too.
Let’s check how the movie fares:
Aalparambil Gopi (Nivin Pauly), an unemployed person, is a supporter of the ruling party of India and is often vocal about the “Make in India” campaign initiated by the Union government.
He plays cricket and indulges in petty fights with schoolchildren.
Gopi’s close friend Malghosh (Dhyan Sreenivasan) also shares the same ideology.
The first half of the movie showcases the bonding between the friends.
Malayalee From India is directed by Dijo Jose Antony. (X)
Anaswara Rajan appears in a brief role as Krishna. She plays the love interest of Gopi.
Apart from a hilarious song featuring the duo, there isn’t much about their love story.
Dijo Jose Antony’s previous film Jana Gana Mana (2022) was a serious movie that dealt with several issues, including the problems faced in central universities and was against the right-wing ideology.
Similarly, in Malayalee From India, director Dijo Jose and writer Sharis Mohammed create caricaturish characters of Aalparambil Gopi and Malghosh, who create issues in the name of nationalism.
The events in the first half are a laugh riot as Dijo Jose weaves many real-life instances into the film. For example, nationalists create a ruckus when a Muslim family celebrates Pakistan’s victory in a cricket match.
Following this, Gopi is forced to leave Kerala and shift to the Middle East.
The initial scenes of a desert and Gopi trying to cope with his master, a Pakistani, are hilarious. The sequences make us wonder if Dijo Jose Antony made a spoof of Aadujeevitham (2024).
The second half of the film deals with Gopi’s life in the Middle East.
He and his Pakistani landlord share some loud comedy moments, which at times feel overrated.
The basic idea of Malayalee From India is how a non-responsible person from Kerala reaches the Middle East after facing problems in his native village, how he survives in the desert, and if he becomes successful in life.
Nivin Pauly in a still from ‘Malayalee From India’. (X)
The Nivin Pauly-Dhyan Sreenivasan’s combination scenes are the highlights of the movie.
The duo reminds us of the hit combos of Mohanlal-Sreenivasan and Jayaram-Mukesh from the 1990s.
The first half criticises the political parties and satirically depicts how the political parties create a hill out of a mole.
In the second half, the story focuses on Gopi’s struggles to live independently.
The movie also has scenes referring to the speech of Pakistani activist Malala Youzufsai at the UN.
However, with so many elements — Indo-Pak relations, nationalism, and other social issues, the movie feels overdosed. Writing in these areas could have been better.
It’s a good attempt by Dijo Jose and Sharis Mohammed to address several issues and make satirical films like Sreenivasan and Sathyan Anthikad.
The background music and songs by Jakes Bejoy have a good appeal and go well with the film.
Nivin Pauly is finally with Malayalee From India.
After an impressive cameo in Varshangalkku Shesham, the actor delivers a powerful performance here.
Dhyan Sreenivasan leaves a mark on the audience. His scenes with Nivin Pauly are impactful.
Manju Pillai, as Nivin Pauly’s mother, is good. Her encounters with Gopi evoke laughter among audiences.
Anaswara Rajan does justice to her role of Krishna.
Malayalee From India is a good political satire blended with humour.
(Views expressed here are personal.)
Jul 05, 2024
Jul 05, 2024
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