Alappuzha Gymkhana Movie Review

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Alappuzha Gymkhana Movie Review: Big Expectation , but film falls flat...

Sports movies often follow a familiar formula—an underdog team, a tough coach, impossible odds, and a glorious victory. But Alappuzha Gymkhana, directed by Khalid Rahman (of Thallumaala fame), takes a different approach. Instead of focusing on championship dreams, it tells the story of five aimless boys who take up boxing not for passion, but for survival.

A Sports Film That’s Not Really About Sports

The film follows Naslen (Jojo Johnson), Ganesh (Deepak), Sandeep Pradeep (Shifas Ahmed), Franco Francis (Baby Jean), and Shanavas (Shiva Hariharan)—a group of school dropouts who join a local boxing club. Their goal? To secure college admissions through sports quota, not to become champions.

The Film focus is mainly in humour, there is no emotion on any aspect of life, neither with parents nor with girlfriend or sports. In India films runs on emotion but this film fails to provide any kind of emotion. The humour is also not to that extent that it keeps you laughing, in few scenes and few dialogue are funny, other than that it is neither comedy film, nor romantic film or sports drama film. You keep expecting about some wow movement but it doesn’t provide you that. Malayalam films have that trend, it keeps you engaged till the end of the movie and it gives you feel good movements or wow movements by end the film, but this film fails to do so.

Unlike typical sports dramas, Alappuzha Gymkhana doesn’t glorify the sport. Instead, it humorously portrays their struggle. This movie is Neither Sports Drama nor Romantic or Comedy Film. It is little bit of everything which doesn’t feel your heart.

What Works?

1. Hilarious Yet Heartfelt Performances

  • Naslen (Jojo Johnson) steals the show with his natural comic timing and effortless charm.
  • Shifas Ahmed (Sandeep Pradeep) and Baby Jean (Franco Francis) add layers of humor with their quirky personalities.
  • Shiva Hariharan (Shanavas) delivers a surprisingly emotional performance.

.

What Doesn’t Work?

1. Predictable Second Half

While the first half is fresh and funny, the tournament segment follows a more conventional sports drama template.

2. Underdeveloped Female Characters

Anagha Ravi (as a female boxer) and Nanda Nishanth have limited screen time, making their arcs feel rushed.

3. Lack of Emotion

Emotion is lacking in the movie; without emotion it feels movie without heart.

Final Verdict: Should You Watch It?

If you love:

  • Light-hearted sports comedies (Lagaan meets Jersey but with less drama).
  • Feel-good underdog stories without excessive melodrama.

 Skip if you expect:

  • A serious boxing drama like Sultan or Mary Kom.
  • Any emotional connect to any aspect of life.
  • Comedy with high drama like Hera Pheri or Bheja Fry.
  • High-stakes matches with Hollywood-level intensity.

Rating: ⭐⭐½ (2.5/5) – A Fun, Fresh Sports Comedy

Have you watched Alappuzha Gymkhana? Share your thoughts in the comments!  #AlappuzhaGymkhana #MalayalamCinema #SportsComedy


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