‘Alappuzha Gymkhana’ (2025) Movie Review - Khalid Rahman’s Exuberant Sports Comedy

In Alappuzha Gymkhana, Khalid Rahman looks seductively self-assured. He doesn't try to prove his genius with an exercise in style over substance like he did in Love. The director also doesn't exert himself to impress the audience with his shiny tricks, as he did in Thallumaala. Rahman simply enlivens a simple story with flair, color, and humor. With the help of cinematographer Jimshi Khalid, Rahman renders Alappuzha the most colorful place on earth. The frames pop out of the screen, but not in an ostentatious manner. The images, in fact, absorb you and transport you into the film's world. From the very first scene itself, the tactile images place you in the vicinity of the characters. Rahman, at first, sucks you in with peppy music and a cheerful, bright tone. The exuberant mood takes you over the moon, and the propulsive rhythm stimulates all your senses. You come out of Alappuzha Gymkhana feeling as if you have just had a good orgasm - the experience is ineffably rapturous.

As far as the story is concerned, it's about a group of wannabe boxers who, after winning a district-level match, compete at a higher level. No one expects them to win, and in an uninspiring underdog film, all of them - or at least Jojo (Naslen), the "main character" - would have ended up proving everyone wrong. Rahman and his co-writer, Sreeni Saseendran, are not interested in treading on the same old path. They introduce fascinating and meaningful twists into their narrative so effortlessly that one could fail to even notice what the filmmakers do differently here. The training montages, for instance, consist of the same old routine in which the characters are seen sweating, running, and working out. Rahman, however, doesn't use his camera to display male machismo. There are no tantalizing close-ups of six-packs or legs or sweaty arms. When the characters come out of the water in slow motion, they see themselves as a macho movie hero, but in reality (that is, from the camera's and, by extension, our perspective), they look ordinary and a bit comical. Jojo and his friends could very well be live-action cartoons - their world is as bright-colored as the world of animation. And when you consider their antics (Jojo encourages DJ [Habish "Baby Jean" Rahman] to get into a fight, Jojo hypes himself up as a boxing champion to impress a girl [Nanda Nishanth], and these friends sing a song to introduce their players), you feel as if they have all been lifted from comic strip panels.

Most sports dramas concentrate on the victorious journey of one character. Other people are reduced to mere faces in the crowd, except for the coach, who spends the entire movie delivering motivational hokum. In Alappuzha Gymkhana, almost every character looks like a main character, in the sense that you remember all the faces. Everyone is allowed sufficient time under the spotlight, which is why the relationship between Jojo and his friends comes across as equal and balanced. What's more, it's not Jojo but his companions who walk away with most of the laughs and whistles. The audience, during my screening, screamed when Shifas Ali (Franco Francis) took that punch, and they were rolling in the aisles when Shifas Ahammed (Sandeep Pradeep), well, took that punch. The boxing matches are vigorously filmed. The action is always clear, punchy, and fast. The up-and-down beats generated through Nishadh Yusuf's editing allow you to experience the boxer's mental and physical state in real-time. You know which character in the ring has the upper hand at any given moment. The fight scenes aren't used to increase the testosterone meter of the film. They reveal how equipped the characters are for the ring. They are also quite funny as well. When the characters lose, you are not inundated with downbeat music and orations. We know that Jojo and his buddies aren't well-prepared for boxing. Just notice their "one-two training" and their behavior before and during the boxing event. The fact that they participate is itself a joke, and Alappuzha Gymkhana understands this. This is not a fairy tale where the (unprepared) underdog wins; this is a comedy that understands sports and team spirit better than most sports movies. Alappuzha Gymkhana shows how sports can make you unselfish - how it makes the individual players a part of a single team. Rahman tells a story in which the characters eventually embrace each other as brothers, as family.

A part of you wishes to learn more about Sherin (Noila Francy). She looks like Jojo's female best friend, and when he says she is more precious than the lottery ticket money, she blushes and gives a wide smile. But what does she think? Is she merely happy listening to such a compliment, or does she consider romantic possibilities? Later, she casually kisses him on the cheek and asks for a return kiss. It's an interesting, progressive relationship, but I never believed in it. Rahman is not as good at building relationships between men and women as he is with male friendships. This is why I was taken aback by Natasha's (Anagha Maya Ravi) confession that she liked Deepak (Ganapathi). The seed of this feeling is unconvincingly and hastily planted through her reaction shot when he fights in the ring. Natasha, however, gets a terrific boxing scene - it's one of the best parts of a film that's already packed with plenty of unforgettable scenes. The way Maya Ravi moves her body only makes you realize how agile, and flexible the human body can be. Her movements are like music - it's physical performance at its peak (she really flies like a butterfly and stings like a bee). And that smile - that beautiful smile - is its own kind of high. Jojo's match is also captivating. Rahman does something different with him. He tethers us to his perspective, which pushes the comic energy to the backseat. Something inside you prevents you from laughing, probably because we naturally comprehend that Jojo wants to maintain his "heroic image" in front of his friends, the spectators, and that girl he likes (Natasha). When Jojo falls down, we don't chuckle. Rather, we are hit with embarrassing feelings, as if our own "reality" has been revealed to the public. Rahman, thankfully, keeps things going; the humor quickly starts flowing. It's mind-blowing how he manages to keep Alappuzha Gymkhana fresh and alive and energetic. A lesser director would have submerged something like this into the pit of monotony.

What Rahman has accomplished only looks simple from the outside. Like an expert magician, he pulls off his tricks with ease. Alappuzha Gymkhana has to be one of the most charmingly hypnotic films you will see in 2025. For an enjoyable double bill, consider pairing this film with Sarpatta Parambarai (Rahman might have tipped his hat to Dancing Rose in this film). Rahman's filmmaking is so solid, so exhilarating, that you leave Alappuzha Gymkhana stunned and happy. The last time I felt this invigorated was when I watched Animal in 2023. Rahman's sports film deserves to be seen on the biggest screen, though I don't think its power will diminish on OTT. A good movie offers pleasure in any format of your choice. Watching a film with strangers in a theater is exciting, while viewing it on a computer or TV presents a different type of thrill. Something like Alappuzha Gymkhana isn't strictly bound to a particular format. Whether you watch it at your home or in the theater, it will leave you ecstatic. However, given how rare it has become to come across good Indian films, it's probably better to support this film now in the theaters with your money.

Final Score- [9.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times