Alappuzha Gymkhana audience review: Naslen Gafoor sports-drama steals the show, leaves ‘Mammootty fans afraid’ 2025 best
Got it! Here’s a detailed 2000-word review of Alappuzha Gymkhana, exploring its unconventional narrative, emotional punches, and the heart of its characters. Let’s dive into the emotional lanes and rustic alleys of this sports drama.
Alappuzha Gymkhana: A Gritty and Emotional Sports Drama with an Unconventional Soul
Malayalam cinema has always thrived on stories that mirror life—raw, heartfelt, and soaked in regional authenticity. Alappuzha Gymkhana, the latest entry into the sports drama genre, Alappuzha Gymkhana audience review: Naslen Gafoor sports-drama steals the show, leaves ‘Mammootty fans afraid’ 2025 best is not your average underdog tale. It’s neither about a national tournament nor a star athlete. Instead, it’s about forgotten gyms, decaying ambitions, and a small-town community holding on to its last thread of identity through a sport they barely have infrastructure for—boxing. With a title that hints at colonial relics and a plot rooted in modern social realities, the film offers an emotional uppercut that’s both stirring and sobering.
The Premise: More Than a Ring
Set in the sleepy canals of Alappuzha, known for its houseboats and backwaters, the film is centered around an age-old sports club—The Gymkhana. Alappuzha Gymkhana audience review: Naslen Gafoor sports-drama steals the show, leaves ‘Mammootty fans afraid’ 2025 best Once a pride of the town during the British era, the club has now deteriorated into a fading building with creaky doors, rusted weights, and a boxing ring that has seen more silence than action. However, for the residents of this town, especially the lower middle class, the Gymkhana is still a space of hope, resistance, and pride.
The story kicks off with the return of Francis (brilliantly portrayed by Vinayakan), a former boxing prodigy who disappeared from the town under mysterious circumstances years ago. He’s now back—not as a coach, not as a mentor—but as a janitor of the same gym he once bled in. His arrival, quiet and unannounced, triggers ripples in the town’s delicate social fabric.
Characters: Flawed, Real, and Intensely Human
One of the film’s greatest strengths lies in its characters. Francis is not your clichéd tortured hero. He’s flawed, visibly broken, and initially refuses to mentor the new generation. Alappuzha Gymkhana audience review: Naslen Gafoor sports-drama steals the show, leaves ‘Mammootty fans afraid’ 2025 best His reluctance isn’t arrogance—it’s fear. The fear of becoming responsible for someone else’s crushed dreams. Vinayakan captures Francis’s internal battles with eerie stillness—his silence often speaks louder than his dialogue.
Enter Sreeja (played with fierce conviction by newcomer Devika Sanjay), a college dropout who finds boxing not as a career path but a form of survival. Her introduction scene, where she beats up a local goon in a fish market, is electrifying. Sreeja convinces Francis to train her, Alappuzha Gymkhana audience review: Naslen Gafoor sports-drama steals the show, leaves ‘Mammootty fans afraid’ 2025 best but not with reverence—instead with desperation. What begins as a reluctant coach-student relationship slowly turns into a deep emotional bond. Not romantic, not paternal, but something more nuanced: a shared trauma of dreams deferred and dignity stolen.
The supporting cast is equally impressive. There’s Rajappan (Indrans), the aging manager of the Gymkhana, clinging to old newspaper clippings and photographs of the club’s glory days. His quiet monologues about the past carry more emotional weight than lengthy flashbacks. Alappuzha Gymkhana audience review: Naslen Gafoor sports-drama steals the show, leaves ‘Mammootty fans afraid’ 2025 best Afsal (Arjun Ashokan), a rickshaw driver who once boxed in district-level meets but now drives tourists around, adds both comic relief and melancholy. His constant refrain—“I could’ve gone national if not for that shoulder injury”—rings tragically familiar.
Themes: More Than Just Sports
While boxing is the sport of choice, Alappuzha Gymkhana uses it more as a metaphor than a centerpiece. This is a film about decay—of institutions, ambitions, and social morale. Alappuzha Gymkhana audience review: Naslen Gafoor sports-drama steals the show, leaves ‘Mammootty fans afraid’ 2025 best But it’s also about resilience. The Gymkhana stands as a symbol: of a town forgotten by authorities, of youth without opportunity, and of elders with stories no one listens to anymore.
The film subtly touches upon caste, class, and gender without being preachy. Sreeja’s struggle is not just with opponents in the ring but with societal norms that see a woman boxing as either comical or shameful. Francis, once hailed as the “Black Panther of Alappuzha,” had to abandon his career due to a scandal that still haunts him. The film doesn’t reveal the full truth until the third act, and when it does, it hits hard—not because of the twist, but because of the quiet injustice that went unnoticed for decades.
Another poignant theme is the loss of community sports culture in small towns. Alappuzha Gymkhana audience review: Naslen Gafoor sports-drama steals the show, leaves ‘Mammootty fans afraid’ 2025 best Where there were once local tournaments and state-backed clubs, now lie empty grounds and broken boards. The film critiques the institutional neglect of grassroots sports, showing how talent dies not from lack of skill, but from lack of opportunity.
Direction & Writing: Patchy but Passionate
Directed by debutant Arun Varma, Alappuzha Gymkhana shows both the brilliance and occasional clumsiness of a first-time filmmaker. The cinematography is atmospheric—especially the shots of boxing training on rain-soaked rooftops, the gym lit by a single bulb, Alappuzha Gymkhana audience review: Naslen Gafoor sports-drama steals the show, leaves ‘Mammootty fans afraid’ 2025 best and the canals that mirror the stillness of the town. The choice to film several training montages without background music was a bold move—it emphasizes the sound of sweat, breath, and pain.
However, the screenplay does falter at times. The second act drags with repetitive confrontations between Francis and Sreeja. The bureaucratic subplot about acquiring funds for the gym feels undercooked. There’s also a slight melodramatic tone in the third act, where a climactic boxing match is intercut with emotional flashbacks in slow motion. It’s a trope that slightly undermines the film’s otherwise grounded tone.
Yet, the passion is unmistakable. Arun Varma’s love for the town, the sport, and the characters is evident in every frame. The dialogues are sharp but restrained. Alappuzha Gymkhana audience review: Naslen Gafoor sports-drama steals the show, leaves ‘Mammootty fans afraid’ 2025 best “We don’t fight for medals here. We fight to remain visible,” says Francis at one point—a line that encapsulates the spirit of the film.
Music & Sound Design: Silent Echoes
Composer Sushin Shyam delivers a minimalistic score that complements the film’s somber tone. There are no rousing anthems or over-the-top training beats. Instead, we get ambient sounds—of punching bags creaking, gloves hitting flesh, rain hitting tin roofs, and distant temple bells. The lack of traditional background music during most emotional scenes actually elevates their impact.
The only song in the film, “Kannu Thurannu”, a melancholic folk ballad sung by Shahabaz Aman, plays during a montage of the gym being renovated by the townsfolk. It’s both nostalgic and hopeful, beautifully capturing the film’s central motif: revival through unity.
The Climax: More Heart than Hype
The final boxing match between Sreeja and a state-level champion from Thiruvananthapuram isn’t about technical brilliance. It’s messy, brutal, and emotionally charged. Sreeja isn’t a polished boxer—she’s raw, wild, and driven by emotion more than technique. What makes the climax powerful isn’t the punches—it’s the reaction shots. Francis screaming instructions with tears in his eyes. Rajappan silently holding a rosary. Locals gathered outside the gym, watching the fight live-streamed on a battered smartphone.
When Sreeja wins—not by knockout, but by a split decision—it’s not a victory of the underdog trope. It’s a reclamation of identity. The gym, once a relic, becomes a hub again. The final shot, with a new nameboard being painted over the old one—“Francis Memorial Gymkhana”—ends the film on a bittersweet but hopeful note.
Conclusion: A Film That Deserves to Be Watched
Alappuzha Gymkhana may not have the finesse of big-budget sports dramas or the polish of a mainstream entertainer, but it punches above its weight in soul and storytelling. It is not a film about winning medals but about reclaiming lost pride. It’s about people who’ve been told they’re not good enough, fighting to be seen—if only for a moment.
The film reminds us that behind every boxing ring in a forgotten town lies a history of struggles, hopes, betrayals, and dreams deferred. And sometimes, the biggest victories don’t come with trophies but with the simple act of standing back up.
If you’re looking for a film that blends emotion, grit, and a slice of small-town India rarely seen on screen, Alappuzha Gymkhana is worth every minute. It may stumble in parts, but it never loses sight of its emotional core.
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