How the delightful ‘Alappuzha Gymkhana’ champions the idea of an atypical sports film
On June 07, 2025, Temba Bavuma had more supporters than he knew after he led South Africa to a historic World Test Championship triumph against Australia. Bavuma, ridiculed for his short stature, managed to turn critics into friends.
Ahead of the final, despite being the captain, Bavuma wasn’t the one expected to be the X factor in the team. Experts rated the likes of Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, and Ryan Rickelton higher than the top-order batsman. Battling a hamstring issue, Bavuma had to play out of his skin to prove to the world that he was beyond the description of a black African cricketer.
Bavuma’s journey is a testimony to the heart-over-height phenomenon in sports. The entertaining Malayalam film Alappuzha Gymkhana, currently streaming on SonyLiv, reflects this inspiring quality in a sportsperson. Director Khalid Rahman explores the idea of the unlikely hero through a character named Shifas (played by Franco Francis). He is called “cheruth” (meaning small) for his build, and the film cleverly keeps our attention away until he knocks down an opponent inside the boxing ring. “I hope you all realised that being tall doesn’t make you big,” he snaps at his teammates after his win.
An atypical sports film is less obsessed with the sporting result and more interested in exploring the vulnerabilities of its characters. Alappuzha Gymkhana is yet another Malayalam film that beautifully subverts a popular cinematic trope. Boxing is a vast genre, and the temptation to follow the structure of the underdog story (a la Rocky) is hard to resist. Rahman chooses the path less trodden.
In one line, Alappuzha Gymkhana can be described as a tale of amateurish boxers competing at a high level, only to realise they aren’t good enough yet. A traditional boxing drama would have made the bunch of boys overnight champions. Director Rahman, who has co-written the script with Sreeni Saseendran, focuses on the mindset of the losers.
Naslen, who plays Jojo Johnson, is the lead of the movie, albeit only on paper, as the inventive writing strips off from Naslen’s character all the qualities of a commercial hero. Jojo is a goofy youngster and a team player. He cheers up his teammates battling self-doubt.
A still from ‘Alappuzha Gymkhana’.
| Photo Credit:
Sony LIV/YouTube
Jojo is less of a skilled boxer and more of a cheerleader. Nalsen, with his charming screen presence and natural dialogue delivery, is perfect for the role. In a film filled with several adrenaline-inducing bouts, the clever casting produces several wonderful little moments, like when Jojo rallies for his crush with the famous line from Mohammad Ali, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
The story denies all the main characters a conventional ending, bolstering the believability of the plot. The team’s captain (essayed by Ganapathi) is willing to sacrifice a crucial game for the safety of his players. The coach openly talks about his imperfections in a heartwarming scene.
The unusual treatment notwithstanding, Rahman never dilutes the “vibe” of a fun boxing drama and films the boxing battles with verve. The camera becomes an important character. Cinematographer Jimshi Khalid captures the tension inside the ring and the minute expressions of the fighting participants.
Bollywood has squeezed the sports genre like a well-served tube of toothpaste. Amid the overdose of generic sports films, Kacchey Limbu (2022) stands apart for its ideas. In the movie, siblings Aditi Nath (Radhika Madan) and Rajat Barmecha (Aakash Nath) see cricket as a breeding ground for their respective dreams. Aditi seeks agency and self-respect, while Rajat tries to renegotiate his goals even as he enjoys his fame as a talented gully cricketer. The film indugles in the almost-forgotten idea of ‘colony-cricket‘, yet it falls short from being perfect thanks to its over-stuffed themes.
In Tamizharasan Pachamuthu’s brilliant Lubber Pandhu, ego, and not skill, defines the rivalry between the lead characters. You witness the conflict of generation gap, as an up-and-coming bowler and a veteran batsman don’t see eye to eye. When cricket fades into the background, you feel the tension caused by the impending off-the-ground battles fuelled by two egoistic men.
Harish Kalyan and Dinesh in ‘Lubber Pandhu’.
Nothing is on the face in this rural drama that celebrates cricket in a delightfully casual manner. In the middle of intense cricketing encounters, commentators slip in details of memorable matches in hilarious manner. A subtle scene elevates cricket when a woman asks a character why he loves the game so much. “I just love it, that’s all,” he says, with a beaming smile that reflects his love for the sport. And when it comes to the lead character losing for a cause, the message (caste discrimination) isn’t thankfully hammered home.
Basil Joseph’s Godha (2017) is as mainstream as it can get. It ticks every cliche in the book, like a sportsperson (in this case, a wrestler) defying odds, a coming-of-age tale of a man, a love story and a rousing climax. Yet, the writing focuses on the joy of small things, as the film brims with hilarious conversations and beautiful moments of realisation and the redemptive quality of sports. And in the final act, the movie organically portrays the hero as a second fiddle by providing ample room for the leading female character to shine, a significant sign of an atypical sports drama.
Published – June 25, 2025 05:53 pm IST
