slasher film
A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic ...
directed by Murphy Devasy in his directorial debut. The film stars
Chemban Vinod Jose
Chemban Vinod Jose (born 24 May 1976) is an Indian actor, film producer and screenwriter, who predominantly works in Malayalam films. He is a physiotherapist by profession.Baburaj,
Sai Kumar Sai Kumar or Saikumar is the name of:
* Sai Kumar (Malayalam actor)
Sai Kumar, also credited as Saikumar, is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. He is the son of Malayalam actor late Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair. He appears in bo ...
,
Binu Pappu
Binu Pappu is an Indian actor and assistant director who works in Malayalam films. He is known for his roles in films such as '' Helen'', ''One'', '' Operation Java'' and '' Bheemante Vazhi''. In addition to acting, he has worked as an assistant ...
,
Jinu Joseph
Jinu Joseph (born 21 December 1975) is an Indian actor who works in Malayalam films
Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam ...
Rony David Raj
Rony David Raj is an Indian actor and former physician who works in Malayalam films.
Personal life
Rony David Raj was born in Thrissur, Kerala. He is the son of film producer C. T. Rajan. He graduated with a Bachelors of Medicine & Surgery ...
,
Sajin Cherukayil
Sajin Cherukayil is an Indian actor and scriptwriter who primarily works in Malayalam films. He has been associated with popular films such as ''Super Sharanya'', ''Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam'', ''Allu Ramendran
''Allu Ramendran'' () is a 2019 ...
, and Nithin George. The film follows a group of friends who arrive in
Shimoga
Shimoga, officially Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the Karnataka state of India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of the Western Ghats, the city ...
as part of a business trip and the unforeseen incidents that occur there.
The film was officially announced in September 2022 and
principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
began in the same month in
Kanthalloor
Kanthalloor is a village in Devikulam taluk, Idukki district, Kerala. It is a village nestled in the Western Ghats of India. The salubrious climate and the picturesque landscapes and wide variety of tropical crops coupled with the close proximi ...
.
Kuttikkanam
Kuttikkanam is a hill station in Idukki district, Kerala state, India. It is above sea level and surrounded by lush green tea plantations. It is within the territory of Peermade. Kanjirappally and Mundakayam are the nearest towns.
Histor ...
was another main filming location. The music was composed by
Kailas Menon
Kailas Menon is an Indian film composer who works predominantly in Malayalam films and commercials. After working as a composer for television commercials for more than a decade, he debuted as a composer in feature films with director Jayaraj's ...
, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Ajay David Kachappilly and Shyam Sasidharan. The film is the first
slasher film
A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic ...
in
Malayalam cinema
Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...
.
''Nalla Nilavulla Rathri'' was released in theatres on 30 June 2023 to mixed reviews from critics.
Plot
Dominic, Joshi, Peter, and Rajeevan are friends who run an
organic farm
Organic farming, also known as organic agriculture or ecological farming or biological farming,Labelling, article 30 o''Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2024 on organic production and labelling of ...
in
Kanthalloor
Kanthalloor is a village in Devikulam taluk, Idukki district, Kerala. It is a village nestled in the Western Ghats of India. The salubrious climate and the picturesque landscapes and wide variety of tropical crops coupled with the close proximi ...
. Dominic and Joshi are in charge of sales, while Peter and Rajeevan are in charge of production. They sell their produce to Achayan, a wealthy business person. Although Peter and Rajeevan began the farm, it became more profitable once Joshi and Dominic joined as partners. However, Peter is unhappy about Dominic's profit-driven business.
Meanwhile, Kurien, an operating manager at Siemens in
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
, borrows a large sum from Achayan and struggles to pay the interest. Kurien travels to
Marayur
Marayur or Marayoor is a town in Devikulam taluk of Idukki district in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. It is located 42 kilometers north of Munnar on SH 17 connecting Munnar with Udumalpet, Tamil Nadu. Marayur is situated at around 990 ...
with his aunt's son, Paul Joseph, a tourism consultant, and meets Achayan. He learns that Achayan plans to construct a new shopping complex on the land he pledged and assures to repay the money within the agreement's expiration date. Kurien meets Joshi and Dominic, his college juniors, at Achayan's house and goes to their farm with Paul.
Kurien meets Peter and Rajeevan, who are also his college mates, at the farm. He learns that Achayan is the one who purchases all of their farm's produce. Peter expresses his interest in finding a good buyer, as they were fed up with doing business with Achayan, who did not pay them on time. Through Paul, Kurien arranges an agreement between his friends and a supermarket company to sell their produce. Kurien tells his friends about the need to improve and expand their business. He tells them to purchase a 266-acre plot of land with a
bungalow
A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...
in
Shimoga
Shimoga, officially Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the Karnataka state of India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of the Western Ghats, the city ...
, which is in his care.
Peter tells about the risks of doing business in a faraway location, but Dominic decides to visit the property. Dominic learns from Achayan that the property belongs to Kurien and is now pledged to Achayan. Peter and Rajeevan decide to travel to Shimoga with Kurien, Dominic, and Joshi to thwart the deal. Joshi arranges for a driver named Aneesh for the journey. Irumban, a notorious person who is Dominic's and Joshi's friend, arrives at the bungalow in Shimoga on their call. Kurien is annoyed by the arrival of Irumban, as he has had issues with him in the past.
While everyone plays a
card game
A card game is any game that uses playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, whether the cards are of a traditional design or specifically created for the game (proprietary). Countless card games exist, including famil ...
at night, Paul informs them that Rajeevan is lying dead outside. After a while, Paul goes missing, and Dominic suspects that it is all part of Kurien and Paul's plan to trap them. Everyone comes out of the bungalow to escape and finds Paul lying dead near the vehicle. Kurien suspects someone has come to target one of them for unknown reasons. When Dominic reveals Kurien's plan to dump the property on them, they get into a fight. Irumban suspects Aneesh and attacks him for carrying a knife.
Dominic loses an arm in a sudden bomb explosion, and one of the hunter gang members kills him. Irumban tells Kurien that the gang came looking for him after he killed one of their members. Kurien tells Irumban about a secret underground tunnel through which they can escape. Irumban escapes through it, whereas Kurien is severely attacked by the gang's
hunting dog
A hunting dog is a Dog, canine that hunts with or for hunters. There are several different Dog type, types of hunting dog developed for various tasks and purposes. The major categories of hunting dog include hounds, terriers, cur type dogs, and ...
.
Joshi kills a gang member by pouring acid on him. Joshi, Peter, and Aneesh escape together, and Aneesh kills the dog when it chases and attacks Peter. Irumban fights the people chasing him and manages to escape from them. The next morning, Peter, Joshi, and Aneesh get into a jeep off the road, and Irumban joins them on the way. Aneesh notices the same belt inside the Jeep that was found around the dog's neck. As he asks the driver about where they are going, the driver suddenly stops the jeep and pulls out a gun.
Cast
Production
Development
Sandra Thomas, who was previously a partner of the
Friday Film House
Friday Film House Pvt Ltd is an Indian film production company based in Malayalam film industry owned by Vijay Babu (actor, born 1976), Vijay Babu who is an actor as well as a producer and is one of the most talked about production houses in th ...
, started her own production company, Sandra Thomas Productions, in 2020. ''Nalla Nilavulla Rathri'' is the first film from Sandra Thomas Productions. The film was officially announced in September 2022. The script is written by Murphy Devasy, while the screenplay and dialogue are co-written by Murphy Devasy and Praful Suresh. It is jointly produced by
Sandra Thomas
Sandra Thomas is an Indian film producer and actress. She is best known for her roles in ''Amen'' and '' Zachariayude Garbhinikal'', also as the producer of ''Zachariayude Garbhinikal'' and '' Philips and the Monkey Pen''.
Sandra, along with ...
and her husband, Wilson Thomas, under the banner of Sandra Thomas Productions.
Filming
On , the
principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
commenced with a pooja ceremony at Vrindavan Gardens in
Kanthalloor
Kanthalloor is a village in Devikulam taluk, Idukki district, Kerala. It is a village nestled in the Western Ghats of India. The salubrious climate and the picturesque landscapes and wide variety of tropical crops coupled with the close proximi ...
. The title poster of the film was released on . The first schedule was completed in
Kuttikkanam
Kuttikkanam is a hill station in Idukki district, Kerala state, India. It is above sea level and surrounded by lush green tea plantations. It is within the territory of Peermade. Kanjirappally and Mundakayam are the nearest towns.
Histor ...
on .
Marketing
The film's first-look poster and motion poster were released in April 2023. The official trailer was launched on YouTube on . The second-look poster was released on , featuring Chemban Vinod Jose, Baburaj, Jinu Joseph, Binu Pappu, and Ganapathi.
Soundtrack
Kailas Menon composed the film's soundtrack. Murphy Devasy and Praful Suresh wrote the lyrics for the film's only song "Thaanaro Thannaro". It was released on YouTube on .
Release
Theatrical
''Nalla Nilavulla Rathri'' was released in theatres on 30 June 2023.
Home media
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
acquired the digital rights and began streaming it on 30 August 2023.
Reception
Box office
The film earned $16,389 in the United Arab Emirates.
Critical response
''Nalla Nilavulla Rathri'' received mixed reviews from critics.
Gopika ls of ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'' gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Murphy Devasy's debut ''Nalla Nilavulla Rathri'' is a watchable movie with some moments of brilliance sprinkled all over. After an interesting build up in first half, the second half was a rollercoaster, which fizzled down towards the end." Raymond John Kuriachan of ''
OTTPlay
HT Media is an Indian mass media company based in Delhi. It has holdings in print, electronic and digital media. HT Media's flagship newspaper is the ''Hindustan Times'', the second most widely read English newspaper in India after ''The Times of ...
'' gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "''Nalla Nilavulla Rathri'' has a promising start, but the script lacks the necessary depth in the second half to maintain the character development from the first half. While there are some gripping moments in the second half, it fails to entertain most of the time."
Arjun Ramachandran of ''The South First'' gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "''Nalla Nilavulla Raathri'' is a thriller that loses its pace at a point but manages to entertain the audience with its technical aspects." Anandu Suresh of ''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...
'' gave 0.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "''Nalla Nilavulla Rathri'' can be seen as a slasher film; however, the only thing it truly slashes is the viewers' bank balances, particularly when the month-end is here."
S. R. Praveen of ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' wrote, "The character building and context setting by Murphy Devassy in the first half is wasted as the movie pivots to become a slasher-home invasion thriller." Princy Alexander of '' Onmanorama'' wrote, "Had makers toned down the violence and focused more on creating a convincing narrative, ''Nala Nilavulla Rathri'' would have been a better watch."