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MollywoodMalayalam actor Tovino Thomas, who made his debut with the 2012 movie ‘Prabhuvinte Makkal’, shared a reel compiling clips from his films on completing ten years in the film industry. Tnm StaffFacebook/ Tovino ThomasPopular Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas completed 10 years in the film industry on October 26. Taking to Instagram, Tovino shared a reel compiling clips from some of his films, along with a heartfelt note. He wrote that his debut film Prabhuvinte Makkal changed his life. "This day, 10 years ago, ‘Prabhuvinte Makkal’ got released. And life changed. It was a journey till then, and it has been quite another one since that day. I had the good fortune to be part of 43 films as an actor and work as an assistant director in one," he wrote in the caption. Following his debut in the 2012 film Prabhuvinte Makkal, he has been part of several well-known films such as Mayaanadhi, Kala, Minnal Murali,...

ControversyThe film, with Tovino Thomas and Kalyani Priyadarshan in the lead, became a hit in theatres. However, both in theatre and the Netflix release, they missed out on giving credit to the animation team. CrisThe day that Thallumaala, a Malayalam film with Tovino Thomas and Kalyani Priyadarshan in the lead, came to movie theatres last month, a bunch of young artists went to watch it in different cinema halls across the state, some with their families, some with friends. They waited for the movie to be over and the end credits to roll on the screen, so they could point their names out to the people who came with them. The credits finished rolling and the theatre turned dark, but none of their names appeared on screen. The animation team, led by Kokaachi studio and comprising a lot of youngsters, went away dejected. The whole department was missing from the titles.

MollywoodDirected by Khalid Rahman and starring Kalyani Priyadarshan and Tovino Thomas in the lead, ‘Thallumala’ became a huge hit after it released in the theatres last month.Tnm StaffA day after the Malayalam film Thallumala released on the streaming platform Netflix, the team that worked on its English subtitles said that what was published was a “substantially edited, watered-down, butchered version” of the subtitles. The movie, with Kalyani Priyadarshan and Tovino Thomas in the lead, became a huge hit after it released in the theatres last month. Directed by Khalid Rahman, the script of the film, an action comedy, is written by Muhsin Parari and Ashraf Hamza. After the Ott release, Anju and Shyam Narayanan Tk of the Fill in the Blanks Subtitle Artists expressed their displeasure on social media at having their words edited without their consent or approval. Saying that the English subtitles delivered for the Netflix team...

Director Khalid Rahman’s just released Malayalam film, ‘Thallumaala’, featuring actor Tovino Thomas in the lead, has gone on to emerge as the biggest hit in the actor’s career, if one is to go by what sources in the industry say.

On Tuesday, sources said ‘Thallumaala’, which opened to rave reviews on August 12, had until August 15 grossed approximately Rs 31 crores worldwide. The impressive numbers make the film the biggest hit in Tovino’s career so far, the sources claimed.

The film, an action comedy written by Muhsin Parari and Ashraf Hamza, also features Kalyani Priyadarshan and Shine Tom Chacko in pivotal roles.

Actor Tovino Thomas had, even while shooting for this film, claimed that he was having a blast.

Taking to Instagram to share his experience of playing Wazim, his character in the film, Tovino had then said, “While I truly enjoy getting into characters that demand a very poised,...

ReviewThallumala, obviously, is not everyone’s cup of tea. You can either enjoy it or not, or else understand that this is something appreciable and just not your kind of thing.CrisThey know how to name a film, the folks who gave the title Thallumala to the new Tovino Thomas movie. There is thallu – meaning fighting – in the beginning, thallu in the end, and thallu in the middle. Enemies are made by thallu. Friends are made by thallu! Stories are told through thallu. And whatever little time is left between each thallu – precious few minutes if you count – is so loud and colourful you might be lost in a Marvel comic book. Khalid Rahman – the same man who made films like Unda and Love – has left absolutely no trace of him in his new venture, and quite smoothly manages to pull it off. No hiccups, no stone unturned (literally). It...

MollywoodHelmed by filmmaker Khalid Rahman, the film also stars actor Shine Tom Chacko in a significant role. Tnm StaffTwitter/ Tovino ThomasMalayalam actors Tovino Thomas and Kalyani Priyadarshan’s much-anticipated film Thallumaala is gearing up for theatrical release. The makers announced the release date on Tuesday, June 14. The film will be hitting the big screens on August 12. “Thallumaala on August 12 in theatres worldwide,” the tweet posted by Tovino read. Billed as a comedy film, Thallumaala is directed by Khalid Rahman and written by Muhsin Parari and Ashraf Hamza. Shine Tom Chacko has also been roped in for a significant role.Tovino essays the role of Wazim in the film. Speaking about the experience, Tovino wrote in an Instagram post, "While I truly enjoy getting into characters that demand a very poised, graceful and sometimes even gritty body language, there is something extremely liberating about doing movies where you get to go...

MollywoodThe film stars actors Darshana Rajendran, Basil Joseph, Arjun Radhakrishnan and Sanchana Natarajan among others in pivotal roles. Tnm StaffScreengrab/ YouTubeThe teaser of actor Tovino Thomas’s upcoming film Dear Friend was released on Wednesday, May 12. It is helmed by director Vineeth Kumar and written by Sharfu, Suhas, and Arjun Lal. The film co-stars actors Darshana Rajendran, Basil Joseph, Arjun Radhakrishnan and Sanchana Natarajan among others in pivotal roles. The teaser starts with Darshana Rajendran’s character and her boyfriend discussing setting up their single friend - Tovino, with another girl. Darshana Rajendran says that she might not be the kind of person Tovino is looking for. The video hints that Tovino will be essaying the role of a musician in the film. Bankrolled by Sameer Thahir, Shyju Khalid, and Ashiq Usman, Shyju Khalid is on board as the cinematographer, while Deepu Joseph has been roped in as the editor.

‘Virus’ is a Malayalam language film. This investigative medical thriller presents a fictionalized version of true events. It is a saga of the brave individuals who in the face of adversity and risk of life, treated and helped contain the epidemic in the state.

Director Aashiq Abu ensures that these 3 words ‘Fear’, ‘Fight’, ‘Survival’ on the film’s poster are ever-present in every scene. He achieves this through a combination of a remarkable background score, script and grounded acting by its ensemble cast which includes Parvathy Thiruvothu, Kunchacko Boban, Tovino Thomas, Asif Ali, Indrajith Sukumaran, and Revathi. No actor is presented as the beacon of light behind whom the others rallied.

The script by Muhsin Parari, Sharfu and Suhas reminds that it just wasn’t the doctors who were in the limelight. It allows the general public, the ambulance drivers, hygiene workers too to have their moment...

Film commentaryThese three recent south Indian releases, belonging to different genres, engage with ideas on faith and religious values. Sowmya RajendranNetflix series A Suitable Boy recently ran into trouble for showing a Muslim man and a Hindu woman kissing in a temple. Apart from the expected outrage on social media from right wing handles, an Fir was also filed against officials of the Over the Top (Ott) platform. The representation of religion on screen has periodically run into controversy with religious groups and the government, as in the case of films like Mani Ratnam's Bombay, Rahul Dholakia's Parzania, Kamal Haasan's Vishwaroopam, Rajkumar Hirani's Pk or more recently Raju Murugan's Gypsy. In the current political climate, such outrage and censorship have become the norm, with a communal angle given to characters, scenes and subjects even if the film ostensibly does not deal with religion or communalism. In such a scenario,...

Opinion The movie questions our easy assumptions about freedom and agency, and makes us rethink our impressions of Muslims and Muslim women, in particular.Anu KarippalHalal Love Story is a film directed by Zakariya Mohammed and co-written with Muhsin Parari, where two art enthusiasts of a local Muslim organisation in Kerala set out to make a movie within the moral boundaries of Islam. I must confess that I am not a Muslim. I am a Christian by birth. A Christian writing about a Muslim might probably be looked at as partial, unfair and limited. But, I have been following the over-appreciation of Western modernity and the casting of Muslim women in poor countries as those in need of upliftment. Anthropologist Lila Abu Lughod has laid this out elegantly in her book Do Muslim Women Need Saving. The moment we see a woman in a hijab, we imagine them as the oppressed section,...

Director Zakariya Mohammed opened up about his new film, the Malayalam comedy drama Halal Love Story, saying he developed a thread of an idea into a full story and then decided to make the film.

This is his second directorial feature after the 2018 sports drama, "Sudani From Nigeria", which was a critical and commercial success.

"Muhsin Parari and I were working on his directorial film, 'Kakkathollayirathi Irupathi Onnu', while we were in Calicut. I went for a commemorative programme of a late poet and I heard a speech. I got a thread of story for 'Halal Love Story' from the speech," Mohammed recalled.

"It was about a poet from a particular area. I shared the story idea with Muhasin. Then, with our co-writer Ashif Kakkodi, we developed the thread of an idea into a full story, and decided to make it my second directorial effort," the filmmaker added.

Halal Love Story crafts humour out of the sensitive issue of Islamic belief without being trivial about it. If that balancing act seems accomplishment enough, director Zakariya Mohammed and his co-writer Muhsin Parari reveal plenty of other cinematic qualities along the way.

The story is set against the backdrop of a village in Kerala. A local Muslim group believes in the power of art to reach out to people, and they use street theatre as their medium. Zakariya uses the folk art only briefly in his screenplay, to underline the fact that despite staunch religious diktats ruling the community there is a dormant aesthetic sensibility embedded somewhere in their minds.

The street theatre artistes use their craft to talk of the essence of Islam, as well as denounce George Bush's decision to attack Iraq and the capitalism that American cola brands represent. The group looks for a wider reach, and...

MollywoodZakariya's strength is the ability to tell a very human story, touching on a number of issues without high drama or a pulsating revolution.Sowmya RajendranZakariya's films are like watching a flower bloom. The transformation is quiet, the changes slow and almost imperceptible. With every minute, your view of what you're seeing alters, making the wait just as rewarding as the result.  In Sudani from Nigeria, his first film, Zakariya made us believe the story is about sevens football; then he made us believe it's a comedy about two cultures coming together due to circumstances; it then became about a son and his troubled relationship with his mother and stepfather. Gently through the humour, surefooted in his storytelling, Zakariya and his team gave us a film that was about many things and yet about the one thing that can heal - love. Halal Love Story, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video,...

InterviewThe director of ‘Sudani from Nigeria’ is ready with his second film ‘Halal Love Story’ that will release on Amazon Prime next Thursday.CrisLooking back, the month of October might bring with it a load of memories to Zakariya Mohammed and Muhsin Parari, two filmmakers from Kerala, known for their respective works. Three Octobers have given them stories to think about in years to come. The first one came two years ago, when a renowned poet passed away in Kozhikode. Zakariya and Muhsin were there for a commemoration of the writer and heard people talk about him. One of those speeches would bring the idea of a story to their minds. A year later, on another October day, they would make a film of that story. Yet another year later, again in October, the film would release. That’s the short version of how Halal Love Story got made. From...

MusicThe song, sung by Bhasi, has been composed by Sekhar while the words are by renowned poet K Satchidanandan.Tnm StaffWhat starts off as a relaxing piece of music, with uncomplicated lyrics about a chicken, later turns menacing, questioning, dark and at times psychedelic. Malayalam actor and singer Sreenath Bhasi features in the music video along with musician Sekhar Menon. The song, sung by Bhasi, has been composed by Sekhar. The words are by renowned poet K Satchidanandan. They call it KozhiPunk and have released it on YouTube. Ente kozhiye ningal pakutholin Pakshe kurmban kokkeniku tharin Ente kozhiye ningal pakutholin Pakshe chempin pooveniku tharin Kunnikuru kanneniku tharin You can divide my chicken But give me the sharp beak You can divide my chicken But give me the rooster comb Give me the lucky red seed-like eyes The music video has been created by writer and filmmaker Muhsin Parari and directed by Abhilash S Kumar.

EntertainmentThe ad is for the popular restaurant Aadaaminte Chayakada.Tnm StaffKozhikode city looks eerie in the night, dark with yellow lit windows from high rise buildings splattered everywhere. A girl runs through a street chased by a man in a black hoodie. She calls out the name of ‘Super Mamu’, a superhero in Kozhikode city, and from the top of a building flies a man wearing a Spiderman-like costume and a blue cape. He lands with a thud, and says ‘Allaah’. The voice is very familiar to lovers of Malayalam movies. It is an animated ad to a restaurant, featuring a Malayalam superhero in the form of actor Mamukkoya. The villain, who has caught hold of the girl looks like Saikumar, another actor in Malayalam films. Super Mamu calls him Balakrishna, the way Mamukkoya famously called Saikumar’s character in the popular film Ramji Rao Speaking. The conversation between them is in Malappuram dialect,...

ControversyDirector Aashiq Abu and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran have been facing a lot of flak, both for the decision to take a film on the historical figure and for the choice of scriptwriter.Tnm StaffCrew of the film 'Vaariyamkunnan'Moments after announcing a period film based on the historical character Variyankunnathu Kunjahammed Haji, director Aashiq Abu and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran had been facing a lot of flak, both for the decision to take a film on a controversial figure and for the choice of scriptwriter. The film to be directed by Aashiq Abu and Muhsin Parari, is being scripted by Harshid and Ramees. Scriptwriter Ramees has since been accused of his regressive stands taken in the past, including a particularly derogatory post on actor Raai Laxmi in 2012. Ramees apologised for his earlier stances, which he said had since changed. However, there are more posts, especially with regard to his Islamist views, that...

ControversyDirector Aashiq Abu and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran have been facing a lot of flak, both for the decision to take a film on the historical figure and for the choice of scriptwriter.Tnm StaffCrew of the film 'Vaariyamkunnan'Moments after announcing a period film based on the historical character Variyankunnathu Kunjahammed Haji, director Aashiq Abu and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran had been facing a lot of flak, both for the decision to take a film on a controversial figure and for the choice of scriptwriter. The film to be directed by Aashiq Abu and Muhsin Parari, is being scripted by Harshid and Ramees. Scriptwriter Ramees has since been accused of his regressive stands taken in the past, including a particularly derogatory post on actor Raai Laxmi in 2012. Ramees apologised for his earlier stances, which he said had since changed. However, there are more posts, especially with regard to his Islamist views, that...

Mollywood The film will chronicle the battle years of Kunjahammed Haji, when he waged one of the greatest civil wars against the British empire in Malabar.Sreedevi JayarajanThe name of Vaariyan Kunnath Kunjahmmed Haji, who led to victory the 1921 Malabar Rebellion against the British Raj in pre-independent India, may have been forgotten in history but cinema might revive the legacy of this fiery freedom fighter soon. On Monday, it was announced that actor Prithviraj and director Aashiq Abu will come together for a period film titled Vaariyamkunnan in 2021, based on the life of the freedom fighter from Kerala. According to sources, the film will chronicle the battle years of Kunjahammed Haji, when he waged one of the greatest civil wars against the British empire in Malabar, known as the Malabar Rebellion of 1921. The script is the result of an eight-year research by writer Rameez. Writer Harshad of Unda fame is also on board.

MollywoodWhile Sithara has composed and sung the song, Muhsin has written the lyrics.Tnm StaffPC/Sithara Fb Page 'Chaayappaattu', a song composed by singer Sithara Krishnakumar, released recently on social media and has become a hit. Sithara, who has also sung the romantic song, posted it with the caption: "Chaayappaattu - narrates a woman’s experience in love while she enjoys tea in a lonely dawn." The effortless style of the singing is catchy and leaves the listeners captivated. The lyrics have been penned by Muhsin Parari who has written for films like Sudani from Nigeria and Virus. The locally spoken words in the lyrics give one an immediate sense of connection. The song is about love and loss. Any Malayalee would be able to relate to the visuals -- a hot cup of black tea, a dawn after rains, a vast verandah that has the perfect view of greenery.

MollywoodWhile Sithara has composed and sung the song, Muhsin has written the lyrics.Tnm StaffPC/Sithara Fb Page 'Chaayappaattu', a song composed by singer Sithara Krishnakumar, released recently on social media and has become a hit. Sithara, who has also sung the romantic song, posted it with the caption: "Chaayappaattu - narrates a woman’s experience in love while she enjoys tea in a lonely dawn." The effortless style of the singing is catchy and leaves the listeners captivated. The lyrics have been penned by Muhsin Parari who has written for films like Sudani from Nigeria and Virus. The locally spoken words in the lyrics give one an immediate sense of connection. The song is about love and loss. Any Malayalee would be able to relate to the visuals -- a hot cup of black tea, a dawn after rains, a vast verandah that has the perfect view of greenery.

After grabbing attention for its interesting award nominations and winners’ list last year, Critics’Choice Film Awards are back again with even more intriguing nominations spread across eight Indian languages.

While the first edition of Critics’ Choice Film Awards witnessed Best Film category for varied languages, for the second season the makers have upped the ante by introducing Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Film as well as Best Writing across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam, Gujarati and Kannada.

Offering a surprising twist to the usual nomination lists as usual, this year there are surprises with Best Actor nominations including names like Manoj Bajpayee for SonChiriya and Gulshan Devaiah for Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, Geetika Vidya Ohlyan for Soni, and Hamid bagging a nomination for Best Writing. Critics’ Choice Film Awards holds its ground to honour cinematic brilliance irrespective of the mass appeal of the films.

Film...

MollywoodThis is Khalid’s next film after the critically acclaimed ‘Unda’ in which Mammootty played the lead. Digital NativeDetails about director Khalid Rahman’s next are out. He has roped in Tovino Thomas and Sharafudheen to play the lead roles in the film, according to a report by the Times of India. Muhsin Parari is penning this film in association with Ashraf Hamza. The technical crew for this flick will comprise Jamshi Khalid for cinematography, Rex Vijayan and Shahabaz Aman for composing the soundtrack and Sushin Shyam for the background score, Noufal Abdullah for editing, Vishnu Govind-Sree Sankar for sound designing, Ronex Xavier for make-up, Mashar Hamsa for costume designing, Gokul Das for art direction and Badusha as project designer. This untitled film will be bankrolled by Aashiq Usman under his banner. Khalid Rahman’s last directorial was Unda, an action-comedy that was bankrolled by Moviee Mill's Krishnan Sethukumar and Gemini Studios.

MollywoodThis is the second film directed by Zakariya Mohammed, whose first 'Sudani from Nigeria' was critically acclaimed as well as popular. Digital NativeActor Indrajith has finished shooting his part for the film Halal Love Story, directed by Zakariya Mohammed. On wrapping up his part, he is reported to have told in a statement: “Always loved portraying humour on screen, and this one probably is going to be the most layered character among that lot. Thank you, Zakariya, Muhsin Parari, Aashiq Abu for giving me Shereef. Loved working with this team.” Zakaria, who debuted with the critically acclaimed and much popular film Sudani from Nigeria, has roped in Joju George, Indrajith, Grace Antony and Sharaffuddeen to play the main leads in his second film. The core technical crew includes Ajay Menon for cinematography, Saiju Sreedharan for editing, Bijibal and Shahabas Aman for music. Halal Love Story is bankrolled by Aashiq Abu,...

MollywoodThe Riz Test has five criteria for films which have Muslim characters. Neelima MenonThe Riz test, inspired from the Bechdel test and Riz Ahmed’s 2017 speech in the House of Commons on diversity on screen, talks about five criteria to measure how Muslims are portrayed in cinema and on TV. If the film/show stars at least one character who is identifiably Muslim then is the character: 1) Talking about, the victim of, or the perpetrator of terrorism? 2) Presented as irrationally angry 3) Presented as superstitious, culturally backward or anti-modern? 4) Presented as a threat to a western way of life? 5) If the character is male, is he presented as misogynistic? Or if female, is she presented as oppressed by her male counterparts? If the answer for any of the above is yes, then the film/ TV show fails the test. It is not that nobody in the Muslim community would answer to...

MollywoodTo be directed by Muhsin Parari, the film will also have Soubin Shahir playing another lead.Digital NativeTovino Thomas’s next movie was revealed on Saturday. To be directed by Muhsin Parari, the film is titled Thallumaala. Tovino took to social media and unveiled the title. The film also has Soubin Shahir playing another lead in the film. The film marks the first time collaboration of Tovino and Soubin. The film is the second directorial venture of Muhsin Parari, who started his career by directing Kl 10 Patthu released in 2015. Though the film was critically acclaimed it did not perform well at the box-office. He later co-wrote Sudani from Nigeria with director Zakariya Mohammed, which became a blockbuster hit. His recent work is Virus, directed by Aashiq Abu. Muhsin co-wrote the script with Suhas and Sharafu. To be bankrolled by Aashiq Abu and Rima Kallingal under the banner Opm, the technical...

MollywoodSoubin says that he became an actor simply because his friends insisted.Neelima MenonCrispin in Dileesh Pothan’s Maheshinte Prathikaram (2016) is an oddball from the word go. He is naïve, well-intentioned but ends up doing more harm than good. In Crispin’s world, there are no filters—be it making friends or triggering a fight, in explaining the politics between Mohanlal and Mammootty to the woman he just met or in wording the after-effects of consuming an egg puff. While one can’t take away the ingenuity of the well-written (Syam Pushkaran) role, it’s also a fact that Soubin Shahir occupies the character with such a disarming honesty and spontaneity that he blurs the boundaries between self and the character. “I would say Soubin is an irreplaceable actor. You can’t visualise any other actor doing the characters he has done,” observes writer Muhsin Parari, who collaborated with him...

MollywoodThe film will be scripted and directed by debutant Irshad Parari, who assisted Prithviraj in his directorial debut ‘Lucifer’.Digital NativeStar siblings Prithviraj and Indrajith are going to work together in a film by Irshad Parari, who will be making his directorial debut. He is also the scriptwriter of the film. Irshad’s brother and writer-filmmaker Muhsin Parari made the announcement on social media. Prithviraj and Indrajith have teamed up in a few films earlier. The last one has been Lucifer, directed by Prithviraj who also played a cameo in the film. Indrajith played an important character in his brother’s debut directorial. Interestingly, Irshad worked as an assistant director in Lucifer. The Sukumaran brothers have earlier come together in films like Police, Classmates and Double Barrel. Indrajith was last seen in an important role in the film Virus, while Prithviraj was seen in an extended cameo in the film Pathinettam Padi.

MollywoodUnni R, who wrote the dialogues of the first part, will be scripting the sequel with Suhas and Sharfu of ‘Varathan’ fame.Digital NativeCaricature of Unni R with Amal Neerad / InstagramThe character Bilal John Kurishankal in the film Big B was immortalised by the Malayalam megastar Mammootty more than a decade ago. And the announcement that there would be a sequel to it has movie buffs excited to the core. The sequel for this Amal Neerad directorial has been titled Bilal, it is confirmed. Unni R in association with Suhas and Sharfu of Varathan fame (and who also partnered with Muhsin Parari to write Virus) will be penning the script for Bilal. Sources in the know say that the team has already discussed Bilal with Mammootty and are waiting for his final nod. Catherine Tresa has been roped in to play the female lead in this sequel. Meanwhile, actor Soubin Shahir...

Mollywood Aashiq Abu's film never underestimates the intelligence of the audience, delivering an intriguing thriller though the audience already knows all the details. Sowmya RajendranHow do you make a thriller when your audience already knows the details? How do you build the suspense when the viewers are one step ahead of the characters on screen, because they're watching events unfold from the past, a past with which they're only too familiar? Aashiq Abu's Virus, a multi-starrer with the best of the Malayalam film industry in its cast and technical crew, is nothing short of a tribute to all those who withstood and fought back the outbreak of the Nipah virus in Kerala last year. There were two ways to make this movie - hijack the lives of real persons and exploit it for a dramatic experience or weave a story without such an invasion of privacy and yet make it intriguing for the audience.

MollywoodThe film will release on June 7.Tnm StaffThe trailer of Virus, Aashiq Abu's next starring a host of prominent actors from the industry, was released on Friday. The film is based on the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala in 2018. The state was commended for how quickly and effectively the disease was contained. The film is inspired by the real life stories from that period, stories of fear, courage and resilience. The cast includes Kunchacko Boban, Parvathy, Rima Kallingal, Tovino Thomas, Revathy, Remya Nambeessan, Rahman, Asif Ali Soubin Shahir, Indrajith Sukumaran, Joju George, Madonna Sebastian, Dileesh Pothan and several other well-known actors. Written by Muhsin Parari, Sharafu and Suhas, Rajeev Ravi is the cinematographer of the film. With such names in the cast and crew, Virus is expected to be nothing short of brilliant and the trailer certainly looks promising. It begins with Kunchacko Boban speaking about the disease terrorising the state.

InterviewThe film swept the Kerala State Awards and Zakariya speaks to Tnm about directing Soubin and why he's happiest about Savithri and Sarassa winning.Sowmya RajendranFacebook/Zakariya MohammedZakariya Mohammed's Sudani from Nigeria swept the recently announced Kerala State Awards, picking up the honour for Best Debut Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Male), Best Character Artiste (Female), and Best Popular Film. The 2018 film is about a Nigerian footballer who comes to a small town in Malappuram and meets with an accident, changing the course of his life and those of others who take care of him. Speaking to Tnm, a jubilant Zakariya says that he's happiest about Savithri Sreedharan and Sarassa Balusseri, the two elderly women actors, winning the award jointly for Best Character Artiste (Female). "Naturally, I'm happy about the film winning so many awards. But we, as a team, are happiest about the two women actors winning Best Character Artiste.

MollywoodSoubin shared the award for Best Actor with Jayasurya, who won for his performances in 'Njan Marykutty' and 'Captain'.Tnm StaffSudani from Nigeria Zakariya Mohammed's profoundly uplifting film on love, compassion and humanity that goes beyond borders and boundaries, reaped a rich harvest at the 49th Kerala State Awards. It fetched Zakariya and Muhsin Parari the award for Best Script, Zakariya the award for Best Debutante Director, Soubin the Best Actor, and Savithri Sreedharan and Sarassa Balusseri shared the award for Best Character Actor (woman). Sudani from Nigeria also won the Best Popular Choice film while the award for the best film went to Kanthan, The Lover of Colour. The latter, starring Dayabai, is based on the real life of tribal people of Wayanad. In Sudani from Nigeria, Soubin played the role of a small football team's manager, and an unhappy son who comes to terms with his mother's second marriage.

ControversyThe petition was filed by director Uday Ananthan alleging that his story was plagiarised for the movie, which is based on the Nipah outbreak.Tnm StaffA court has stayed the release of Aashiq Abu directed movie Virus based on a petition alleging plagiarism. Ernakulam Sessions Court on Thursday stayed the release on a plea filed by director Uday Ananthan alleging that his story was plagiarised for the movie, which is based on the Nipah outbreak. However, a person working in the movie told Tnm that the claim of a script being stolen is laughable as the movie was based on real-life events and written after elaborate conversations with doctors, patients, government officials and others. Aashiq Abu was unavailable for comment.  The director had earlier told Tnm that the film deals with real-life stories, the stories that came with the epidemic. "We also heard many stories behind the virus, heroic stories...

TrailerThe film is about Sevens Football, a version of the game played in the Malabar region of Kerala.Tnm StaffMalabar in Kerala is one of the few places in India where football rules people’s hearts over cricket. Sevens football, a version of the game which has been played in the coastal region for many years, has now found place in an upcoming Malayalam film, Sudani from Nigeria. The trailer for the film was released on Saturday. Starring actor-director Soubin Shahir and African actor Samuel Abiola Robinson, the film is about a football player from Nigeria, who joins a football club in Malappuram for the Sevens. Sevens football is played between teams which have seven players each, and the games are held between November and May every year. Tnm reported earlier, “Come summer and the small towns and villages in Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, Wayanad and Kasaragod wake up to soccer frenzy. It is a different kind of soccer called Sevens. There are only seven players in each team; the rules are different, the playing field is smaller and rigorous refereeing doesn’t kill the excitement of the game.” The Sevens, while approved neither by the Kerala Football Association nor FIFA, are hugely popular with the villages having their share of clubs and rivalries. Players from African countries also come to play in the Sevens, and collectively take home around two crore rupees for a season. Directed by Zakariya, the film is touted to be a comedy. It is produced by Sameer Thahir and Shyju Khalid, with a screenplay by Muhsin Parari and Zakariya. Rex Vijayan has composed the music. “While Samuel finds a fanbase, an injury plays spoilsport and he has to stay with Majeed’s (Soubin Shahir) family for two months,” Zakariya, a native of Malabar himself, told The Hindu. “The film also highlights how many sponsors often fail to think beyond the game when they ‘import’ these players. They are not prepared for eventualities such as injuries,” Zakariya added. ‘Kurrah Football Anthem’, a song from the film, was released earlier, and is already a hit with the fans. Actor Soubin, who also plays the owner of the football team that brought Samuel to Kerala, was earlier in the news for his directorial debut Parava, a coming of age film starring Dulquer Salman. Watch the trailer of Sudani from Nigeria here.