Thallumaala
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''Thallumaala'' () is a 2022 Indian
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
-language
action comedy film The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the Americ ...
directed by
Khalid Rahman Khalid Rahman is an Indian film director and actor who works in the Malayalam film Industry. He made his debut directorial with the film '' Anuraga Karikkin Vellam''. His other works include '' Unda'', ''Love'' and ''Thallumaala''. Family No ...
, produced by
Ashiq Usman Ashiq Usman is an Indian film producer and actor who works in Malayalam films. He also acted in Malayalam films as child artist. He launched Ashiq Usman Productions in 2012, As a producer his debut was Arikil Oraal which starred Indrajith Sukum ...
and written by Muhsin Parari and
Ashraf Hamza Ashraf Hamza is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Malayalam cinema. Hailing from Ponnani, Malappuram, he debuted with 2019 Malayalam movie ''Thamaasha''. His second directorial feature was ''Bheemante Vazhi'' (2021). He was ...
. The film stars
Tovino Thomas Tovino Thomas (born 21 January 1989) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He made his debut in 2012 with the film ''Prabhuvinte Makkal''. His breakthrough roles were in the films '' ...
,
Kalyani Priyadarshan Kalyani Priyadarshan (born 5 April 1993) is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Malayalam films, in addition to Tamil and Telugu films. Kalyani is a recipient of one Filmfare Award South and three South Indian International Movie A ...
,
Shine Tom Chacko Shine Tom Chacko (born 15 September 1983) is an Indian actor and former assistant director who works in Malayalam cinema along with a few Telugu language, Telugu and Tamil language, Tamil films. After working as an assistant to director Kamal ...
and
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.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 in October 2021. The music was composed by
Vishnu Vijay Vishnu Vijay is an Indian music composer and a prolific flautist who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. His film music career began with the 2016 Malayalam film ''Guppy''. His other works include '' Ambili'' (2019), '' Thallumaala'' (2022 ...
, while the editing and cinematography were done by Nishadh Yusuf and Jimshi Khalid respectively. ''Thallumaala'' was theatrically released on 12 August 2022 to mixed reviews from critics with praise for the cast performances, action sequences, editing, colour grading, and visuals. But film's the storyline, music, screenplay and illogical situations for fight sequences received criticism. It grossed 50 crore worldwide, emerging as the highest grosser in Tovino Thomas' career until it was surpassed by
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
.


Plot

''Thallumaalas narrative is told out of
chronological order Chronology (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , , ; and , ''-logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the determination of t ...
and follows 9 chapters which happen in different timelines and begins to shift from one chapter to another and moves to the last chapter for the conclusion. Wazim meets his friends - Jamshi, Vikas and Rajesh. The friendship between Jamshi and Wazim happened due to a fight in a
Masjid A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were simple p ...
after Wazim stepped on Jamshi's shoes. Later, Wazim, Jamshi and Wazim's old friend Sathar leave for a
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
match, which gets interrupted by a fight between Vikas and Rajesh. Wazim, Jamshi and Sathar join the fight and the friendship circle expands. Wazim meets Fathima ''Beepaathu'' Beevi, a
vlog A vlog (), also known as a video blog or video log, is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one ta ...
ger, at a
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
owned by his father Abdullah, where they become friends. Beepathu invites Wazim for a shop inauguration, but he is unable to make it due to the fight with Jamshi, Vikas and Rajesh. Later, the friends meet Omega Babu, an arrogant goon, to settle an old score for Jamshi, but they could not make it as Wazim slaps Beepathu's cousin brother Siyad with whom Wazim has another score to settle. Later, Sathar brings Beepathu to Wazim's theatre to watch ''
Vikram Vedha ''Vikram Vedha'' is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language neo-noir action thriller film written and directed by Pushkar–Gayathri and produced by YNOT Studios. The film, which is inspired by the Indian folktale ''Baital Pachisi'', stars R. Madhava ...
'', but Siyad and his gang intervene, where another fight erupts, leading to the theatre's destruction and Abdullah sending Wazim to
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
. Two years later, Wazim returns home and meets Beepathu. The duo fall in love and decide to get married. One day, Wazim's friends get involved in a fight with SI Reji and his gang that leaves Wazim's friends in a state of injury and humiliation. Reji tries to patch up things, but a fight breaks out during Wazim's
wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...
. The wedding gets called off and Wazim becomes an infamous internet celebrity called ''Manavaalan''. Wazim is sent back to Dubai again. Six months later, Wazim returns home and learns that Beepathu is getting engaged to another person. Reji meets Wazim to settle the score of the wedding fight. A
hand-to-hand combat Hand-to-hand combat is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of ranged weapons.Hunsicker, A., ''Advanced Skills in ...
ensues where Reji defeats Wazim. Reji, who is finally at peace, decides to reunite Wazim and Beepathu. They leave for Dubai to meet Beepathu and prevent her engagement. When they arrive at the marriage venue to meet Beepathu, Omega Babu arrives and another fight erupts between Wazim's gang and Omega Babu to settle Jamshi's old score. Beepathu, who witnesses the fight, manages to slip away from the venue. After settling the score, Wazim runs behind Beepathu, lovingly asking her to stop.


Cast


Production

In an interview, Muhsin Parari stated: "After the
box-office bomb A box-office bomb is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the combined production budget, marketing, and distribution costs exceed the revenue after release has te ...
of '' KL 10 Patthu'', I wanted to make a film that meets what I couldn't pull off in ''KL 10 Patthu''. I signed up with
Sameer Thahir Sameer C. Thahir (born 7 November 1976) is an Indian cinematography, cinematographer, screenwriter, Film producer, producer and film director, who works primarily in Malayalam cinema. He is a graduate of Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, Mahar ...
and
Ashraf Hamza Ashraf Hamza is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Malayalam cinema. Hailing from Ponnani, Malappuram, he debuted with 2019 Malayalam movie ''Thamaasha''. His second directorial feature was ''Bheemante Vazhi'' (2021). He was ...
for my next directorial. I discussed with Ashraf Hamza that my drive is to make a film in same flavour as of ''KL 10 Patthu'' but one that attract people to theatres. Suddenly the name '''thallumaala popped up in my brain from nowhere, and we decided to make it as a chain of fights that presented in a musical way." ''Thallumaala'' was announced in October 2019 with
Aashiq Abu Aashiq Abu (born 12 April 1978) is an Indian film director, producer, cinematographer, actor, and distributor, who works in Malayalam cinema. He is best known for his films such as '' Daddy Cool'' (2009), '' Salt N' Pepper'' (2011), '' 22 Female ...
and
Rima Kallingal Rima Kallingal is an Indian actress and film producer who primarily works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. Early life and work Born in Thrissur, Kerala, Kallingal began practising dancing when she was three years old. A dancer by professio ...
as the producers.
Sushin Shyam Sushin Shyam is an Indian music composer, instrumentalist, and singer primarily associated with Malayalam cinema. He is also a founding member of the folk metal band The Down Troddence. He is known for his contributions to the films '' Varatha ...
would do the music, and
Tovino Thomas Tovino Thomas (born 21 January 1989) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He made his debut in 2012 with the film ''Prabhuvinte Makkal''. His breakthrough roles were in the films '' ...
and
Soubin Shahir Soubin Shahir (born 12 October 1983) is an Indian actor, director and producer who primarily works in Malayalam films. He made his acting debut with '' Annayum Rasoolum'' (2013). Following his breakthrough with '' Premam'' (2015), he played th ...
were announced as the lead actors at that time. Later in February 2020, Muhsin Parari announced that he would do the script part only, and Khalid Rahman would be the film director.
Ashiq Usman Ashiq Usman is an Indian film producer and actor who works in Malayalam films. He also acted in Malayalam films as child artist. He launched Ashiq Usman Productions in 2012, As a producer his debut was Arikil Oraal which starred Indrajith Sukum ...
replaced Aashiq Abu and Rima Kallingal as the producer. Soubin Shahir also dropped out of the project and
Shine Tom Chacko Shine Tom Chacko (born 15 September 1983) is an Indian actor and former assistant director who works in Malayalam cinema along with a few Telugu language, Telugu and Tamil language, Tamil films. After working as an assistant to director Kamal ...
came as the replacement in February 2020. It was reported that
Rex Vijayan Rex Vijayan (born 26 April 1983) is an Indian composer, guitarist, singer, record producer and multi-instrumentalist from Kerala. He is best known for being co-founder and guitarist for the alternative Malayali rock band Avial. He started out hi ...
and
Shahabaz Aman Shahabaz Aman (born 27 December 1969) is an Indian playback singer and composer. He was born in Malappuram, Kerala, India. He is also a stage performer of Ghazal music. Shahabaz is known for his soulful, romantic voice and unique style of singin ...
would join as music directors with Sushin Shyam working only on the background score. In February 2021, it has been reported that
Kalyani Priyadarshan Kalyani Priyadarshan (born 5 April 1993) is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Malayalam films, in addition to Tamil and Telugu films. Kalyani is a recipient of one Filmfare Award South and three South Indian International Movie A ...
is cast as the heroine of the film. Principal photography of the film commenced with a pooja function on 12 October 2021. It was confirmed that
Vishnu Vijay Vishnu Vijay is an Indian music composer and a prolific flautist who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. His film music career began with the 2016 Malayalam film ''Guppy''. His other works include '' Ambili'' (2019), '' Thallumaala'' (2022 ...
will handle music and background score.


Music


Development

Vishnu Vijay Vishnu Vijay is an Indian music composer and a prolific flautist who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. His film music career began with the 2016 Malayalam film ''Guppy''. His other works include '' Ambili'' (2019), '' Thallumaala'' (2022 ...
got involved in the project while he was working on the 2021 film ''
Bheemante Vazhi ''Bheemante Vazhi'' () is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film directed by Ashraf Hamza and written by Chemban Vinod Jose. It stars Kunchacko Boban and Megha Thomas, with Jose, Jinu Joseph, Naseer Sankranthi, Divya M. Nair and Chin ...
'', directed by
Ashraf Hamza Ashraf Hamza is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Malayalam cinema. Hailing from Ponnani, Malappuram, he debuted with 2019 Malayalam movie ''Thamaasha''. His second directorial feature was ''Bheemante Vazhi'' (2021). He was ...
, who co-wrote the screenplay of ''Thallumaala'' with Muhsin Parari. ''Bheemante Vazhi'' also featured songs written by Muhsin Parari. "The two projects went in parallel with same people on board, At a time we had a confusion which film we were working." - said Vishnu Vijay. In an interview with Club FM, Muhsin Parari stated that: "Both me and Vishnu Vijay likes wordplay or pun, we used a lot of puns in the movie. What lacks in ''Thallumaala'' soundtrack is melody, and we used to tell ''melody'' is the only '''Adi''' () missing here. The idea of the track '''Ole melody () evolved straight from this thought. Among all those fights he had, the most impactful blow he ever received was her melody. We composed this thought and included some
Qawwali Qawwali is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing originating in the Indian subcontinent. Originally performed at Sufi shrines throughout the Indian subcontinent, it is famous throughout Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and has ...
elements to make the song." In another interview Muhsin said that the
music notes In music, notes are distinct and isolatable sounds that act as the most basic building blocks for nearly all of music. This discretization facilitates performance, comprehension, and analysis. Notes may be visually communicated by writing them in ...
''"SaMa GaMa SaMa GaRiMa"'' from the song can also be read literally, which cites a meaning "Equal Dignity, Equal Pride". About ''Thallumaala paattu'', Muhsin said: "from the time we conceived the idea of the movie, I was certain about this track. All the lead male characters should be introduced through this one. But I haven't decided to write the song myself as I was supposed to be the director of the movie that time, and I wasn't confident enough to do all the jobs by myself. When
Khalid Rahman Khalid Rahman is an Indian film director and actor who works in the Malayalam film Industry. He made his debut directorial with the film '' Anuraga Karikkin Vellam''. His other works include '' Unda'', ''Love'' and ''Thallumaala''. Family No ...
replaced me as director, he insisted me to write this song. The name ''"thallumaala"'' comes from the folk term ''"maala"'' (). This is a ballad of fights, and I took it literally to write this song." In addition to his acting role,
Tovino Thomas Tovino Thomas (born 21 January 1989) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He made his debut in 2012 with the film ''Prabhuvinte Makkal''. His breakthrough roles were in the films '' ...
sang the track ''"Tupathu",'' an offbeat
Rap song Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
with
Shakthisree Gopalan Shakthisree Gopalan is an Indian vocalist, composer, songwriter and performer, famous for her collaborations with the top south-Indian music composers like A.R. Rahman. Aside from the film music, she is a regular in the independent music scene, ...
. The track ''"Kannil Pettole"'' is a peppy number with Arabic and
Hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
elements. Irfana Hameed, a popular hip hop musician from
Kodaikanal Kodaikanal () (English: ) is a municipality and hill station in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated at an altitude of in the Palani hills of the Western Ghats. Kodaikanal was established in 1845 to serve as a r ...
, who penned and rapped the English verses. ''"Ndakkippattu"'' is a dance number in which the vocal department consists mostly of the actors who appear on the song. K. D. Vincent acted as the music coordinator of the project. Songs and score were recorded at 2 bar Q Studios, Chennai.


Soundtrack

The soundtrack accompanied for the film received great attention and has eight songs in number. The
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
lyrics were penned by Muhsin Parari while the
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
rap verses featured in the song ''"Kannil pettole"'' was penned by Irfana Hameed, a popular
hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...
musician from
Kodaikanal Kodaikanal () (English: ) is a municipality and hill station in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated at an altitude of in the Palani hills of the Western Ghats. Kodaikanal was established in 1845 to serve as a r ...
. Vijay,
Benny Dayal Benny Dayal (born 13 May 1984) is a UAE-born Indian playback singer. He is a prominent singer in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Gujarati and Marathi and more languages films. He is a member of the band S5, launched by ...
,
Haricharan Haricharan Seshadri, known mononymously as Haricharan (born 20 March 1987), is an Indian Carnatic vocalist, playback singer, and musician who predominantly works in Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada Kannada () is a Dravi ...
,
Shakthisree Gopalan Shakthisree Gopalan is an Indian vocalist, composer, songwriter and performer, famous for her collaborations with the top south-Indian music composers like A.R. Rahman. Aside from the film music, she is a regular in the independent music scene, ...
, Irfana Hameed, Hrithik Jayakish, Neha Girish, Eshaan Sanil, Thejas Krishna, Shenbagaraj, Santhosh Hariharan, Sreeraj as well as
Salim Kumar Salim Kumar (born 10 October 1969) is an Indian actor, comedian, director and writer in Malayalam cinema. Mostly known for his comic and comedy roles, Salim Kumar is considered one of the best and most prominent comedians in the history of Mala ...
,
Tovino Thomas Tovino Thomas (born 21 January 1989) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He made his debut in 2012 with the film ''Prabhuvinte Makkal''. His breakthrough roles were in the films '' ...
, Khalid Rahman,
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 ...
,
Gokulan Gokulan is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. He made his acting debut through the 2013 Malayalam movie Punyalan Agarbattis by doing the character of Jimbroottan, which became popular. As of 2021, he has so far acted in more than 30 ...
, Lukman Avaran and Muhsin Parari gave vocals for the tracks featured in the album. The soundtrack is influenced by traditional
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
musical styles of
Northern Kerala North Malabar refers to the geographic area of southwest India covering the state of Kerala's present day Kasaragod and Kannur districts, Mananthavady taluk of the Wayanad district, the taluks of Vatakara and Koyilandy in the Kozhikode district, ...
and consisted of various genres and moods being incorporated. It was released on 16 August 2022 by
Muzik 247 Muzik 247 based out of Chennai, acquires music rights for South Indian Cinema films, mainly Tamil, Malayalam and Tulu. The company was founded in 2012 by Naveen Bhandari, and has achieved a large market share of the Malayalam film music. About ...
. The album also features a promotional song titled ''"Manavalan Thug"'' written and performed by
Dabzee Mohammed Fasil, (born 30 May 1991), known professionally as Dabzee, is an Indian rapper, singer and songwriter from Kerala. He is well known for his film debut as a rapper with the song " Manavaalan Thug" from the movie ''Thallumaala'' ''.'' ...
and SA, composed by Dabzee, which was not included in the film but was listed in the original soundtrack album. The soundtrack album received mixed-to-positive feedback from music listeners and critics, appreciating Vishnu Vijay for his compositions and Muhsin Parari for the catchy and fresh lyrics. It was positioned No:10 in "Global Debutant" chart on
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
over the weekend August 19 to 21, 2022. An additional track titled ''Manasakamil - Manavalan Unleashed'' was released by
Muzik 247 Muzik 247 based out of Chennai, acquires music rights for South Indian Cinema films, mainly Tamil, Malayalam and Tulu. The company was founded in 2012 by Naveen Bhandari, and has achieved a large market share of the Malayalam film music. About ...
on 10 January 2023.


Track listing


Original Soundtrack

An original soundtrack album composed and produced by Vishnu Vijay was released on 4 October 2022.


Promotional track

A promotional song titled ''"Manavaalan Thug"'' composed by
Dabzee Mohammed Fasil, (born 30 May 1991), known professionally as Dabzee, is an Indian rapper, singer and songwriter from Kerala. He is well known for his film debut as a rapper with the song " Manavaalan Thug" from the movie ''Thallumaala'' ''.'' ...
, written and performed by Dabzee & SA, members of Malayalam
Hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
band 'Manushyar', was released on
Muzik 247 Muzik 247 based out of Chennai, acquires music rights for South Indian Cinema films, mainly Tamil, Malayalam and Tulu. The company was founded in 2012 by Naveen Bhandari, and has achieved a large market share of the Malayalam film music. About ...
's
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel on 10 August 2022. The song was written in native Malabar slang with English rap verses. In an interview with ''Manorama'',
Dabzee Mohammed Fasil, (born 30 May 1991), known professionally as Dabzee, is an Indian rapper, singer and songwriter from Kerala. He is well known for his film debut as a rapper with the song " Manavaalan Thug" from the movie ''Thallumaala'' ''.'' ...
stated about the track: "The ''(thallumaala)'' team listens to this song after the film's censoring and so on. This track was done in about ten days...I wrote four lines of the song first. This was one of many independent tracks to be constructed by us. One of the ''Thallumala'' team happened to hear it. Later
Khalid Rahman Khalid Rahman is an Indian film director and actor who works in the Malayalam film Industry. He made his debut directorial with the film '' Anuraga Karikkin Vellam''. His other works include '' Unda'', ''Love'' and ''Thallumaala''. Family No ...
and Muhsin Parari were calling me. Perhaps the first recorded Malabari slang and swag connected them." A
Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...
shoes reference in the lines ''"Suggundaymoru Seriyundu"'' () was pointed out by many listeners. But Dabzee said: The track received highly positive reviews and went on to become a sensational hit across various social media platforms.


Reception

The soundtrack album received positive reviews from both critics and audience. Nirmal Jovial of ''
The Week ''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's edi ...
'' wrote: "''Thallumaala'' is a success as a great musical also. Songs are effectively used at various junctures in the plot. Muhsin Parari does pure magic with his lyrics, especially in the songs '''Ole Melody''' and '''Ndaakkippattu'''. Vishnu Vijays's music is so fresh and energetic." ''Behindwoods'' wrote that "For the new Gen music lovers, ''Thallumaala'' will be a treat. The film is peppered with impromptu situational songs with beats as popping as the frames of the music video and lyrics that are conversational and hilarious." A critique from ''Music Aloud'' stated that "''Thallumaalas music is radically different from anything that Vishnu Vijay has produced in Malayalam movies thus far, and it is great to see him absolutely nail it in a new territory. He has some solid support from Muhsin Parari, of course. And a hat tip to
Dabzee Mohammed Fasil, (born 30 May 1991), known professionally as Dabzee, is an Indian rapper, singer and songwriter from Kerala. He is well known for his film debut as a rapper with the song " Manavaalan Thug" from the movie ''Thallumaala'' ''.'' ...
and SA as well, for their outstanding guest composition." The song ''"Thallumaala paattu"'' positioned No:4 on Top Viral 50 Global Charts of
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
, on 21 August 2022. The soundtrack album was positioned No:10 in ''"Global Debutant"'' chart on Spotify over the weekend August 19 to 21.


Music video

The first song from the film ''"Kannil pettole"'', featuring
Tovino Thomas Tovino Thomas (born 21 January 1989) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He made his debut in 2012 with the film ''Prabhuvinte Makkal''. His breakthrough roles were in the films '' ...
and
Kalyani Priyadarshan Kalyani Priyadarshan (born 5 April 1993) is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Malayalam films, in addition to Tamil and Telugu films. Kalyani is a recipient of one Filmfare Award South and three South Indian International Movie A ...
was released on 3 May 2022. The video garnered attention for its vibrant and colourful picturisation and also noted for a dancing Tovino Thomas, probably the first time in his career. The lyric video of ''"Ole melody"'' was released on 4 July 2022, and the music video was released on 19 August 2022. The video song featured actor
Salim Kumar Salim Kumar (born 10 October 1969) is an Indian actor, comedian, director and writer in Malayalam cinema. Mostly known for his comic and comedy roles, Salim Kumar is considered one of the best and most prominent comedians in the history of Mala ...
in a special appearance, who also had a vocal contribution in the song. The lyric video of ''"Thallumaala paattu"'' was released on 24 July 2022. The video featured some clips of the action sequences from the film got instant attention and went viral on the internet. The song video of ''"Ndaakkippaattu"'' was released on 1 August 2022. The video featured dance performances by Tovino Thomas,
Shine Tom Chacko Shine Tom Chacko (born 15 September 1983) is an Indian actor and former assistant director who works in Malayalam cinema along with a few Telugu language, Telugu and Tamil language, Tamil films. After working as an assistant to director Kamal ...
,
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 ...
,
Gokulan Gokulan is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. He made his acting debut through the 2013 Malayalam movie Punyalan Agarbattis by doing the character of Jimbroottan, which became popular. As of 2021, he has so far acted in more than 30 ...
, Lukman Avaran, Adri Joe, Austin Dan and Swathi Das Prabhu. It was choreographed by Shobi Paulraj and the video was received well by the viewers. The song video of a rap song ''"Tupathu"'', featuring Tovino Thomas and Kalyani Priyadarshan was released after the film completed 4 days run in theatre. Even though the song's placement in the film received mixed responses, the video alone was well received. The first composed, but never recorded version of ''Ndaakkippaattu'' was used in the 'night-before-wedding' scene in the movie. The unreleased song titled as ''Ole Kolaayi'' differ considerably from the recorded version. The song was clubbed together with a stanza of ''Chakkara Chundil'' (a music single by singer Shafi Kollam, who also got an acting part in the scene) and picturised. The scene was conceived as two rival gangs singing and celebrating together, while a great tension evolves between them. This sequence was released as a music video titled ''"Chakkara Chundil"'' on
Muzik 247 Muzik 247 based out of Chennai, acquires music rights for South Indian Cinema films, mainly Tamil, Malayalam and Tulu. The company was founded in 2012 by Naveen Bhandari, and has achieved a large market share of the Malayalam film music. About ...
's
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel, on 22 August 2022. The music video of the promotional track ''"Manavalan Thug"'' was released on 10 August 2022. The video was directed by Suhail Backer and featured Tovino Thomas and singers
Dabzee Mohammed Fasil, (born 30 May 1991), known professionally as Dabzee, is an Indian rapper, singer and songwriter from Kerala. He is well known for his film debut as a rapper with the song " Manavaalan Thug" from the movie ''Thallumaala'' ''.'' ...
and SA. Along with the soundtrack, The music video of ''Manavalan Thug'' also went viral and gained more than 100 million views on YouTube.


Marketing

In August 2022, a trailer show was held on the outer wall of
Dubai Festival City Mall Dubai Festival City Mall is a shopping mall located in Dubai Festival City, on Dubai Creek in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It was officially opened on January 22, 2007 and underwent an expansion in 2017. The mall includes a variety of stor ...
. The film's title was written using laser technology on the water fountain. This was the first time that a
Malayalam film Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both the mainstream film industry ...
is drawing a picture in water as part of its promotion. On August 10, The cast were supposed to visit the HiLITE Mall in
Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...
for the promotion of the movie. However, crowd had turned out in huge numbers at the venue, which made the makers cancel the promotional event. A promotional song "Manavaalan Thug" composed and performed by
Dabzee Mohammed Fasil, (born 30 May 1991), known professionally as Dabzee, is an Indian rapper, singer and songwriter from Kerala. He is well known for his film debut as a rapper with the song " Manavaalan Thug" from the movie ''Thallumaala'' ''.'' ...
& SA was released on
Muzik 247 Muzik 247 based out of Chennai, acquires music rights for South Indian Cinema films, mainly Tamil, Malayalam and Tulu. The company was founded in 2012 by Naveen Bhandari, and has achieved a large market share of the Malayalam film music. About ...
's
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel on 10 Aug 2022.


Release

''Thallumaala'' was released worldwide on 12 August 2022.


Home media

The satellite and digital rights were sold to
Surya TV Surya TV is an Indian Malayalam language Indian general entertainment pay television channel owned by Sun TV Network. which is headquartered at Kochi. Surya TV HD became the third Malayalam language high-definition channel. Current broadcas ...
and
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
respectively. The film began streaming on Netflix on 11 September 2022.


Reception


Box office

The film was a commercial success and turned out to be the highest grossing
Tovino Thomas Tovino Thomas (born 21 January 1989) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He made his debut in 2012 with the film ''Prabhuvinte Makkal''. His breakthrough roles were in the films '' ...
film yet. In the opening day, the film grossed 7.4 crore and 15 crore from the first and second day worldwide. On its fourth day, the film grossed 31 crore at the box office overtaking the lifetime collections of Tovino's other three ventures of 2022, '' Vaashi'', '' Dear Friend'' and '' Naaradan'' within its opening day. The film is estimated to have collected 50 crore.


Critical response

''Thallumaala'' received mixed reviews from critics with praise for its action sequences, visual style, technical aspects and direction, but its storyline, screenplay, music and illogical situations for fight sequences received criticism. Nirmal Jovial of ''
The Week ''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's edi ...
'' gave 4/5 stars and said, "With a strong script—complemented by a strong flavour of Malabar—it delivers what it promises in its title and more. Thallumaala is a film with a nonlinear narrative structure with the plot divided into different chapters. Rahman uses this narrative structure to give the audience a parallel view of the present and the past of the protagonist. This also ensures no drop in the film's energy in either of the halves. The script by Ashraf Hamza and Muhsin Parari is top-notch." Cris of ''
The News Minute ''The News Minute'' is an Indian digital news platform based in Bangalore, Karnataka. It was founded by Vignesh Vellore who is also the current CEO in 2014. Apart from Karnataka, it also has bureaus in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, ...
'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Thallumala, obviously, is not everyone’s cup of tea. It is experimental with a capital E. You can either enjoy it, or understand that this is something appreciable and just not your kind of thing. But if you are the curious kind, you’d want to know just what the H this is all about." Jayadeep Jayesh of ''
Deccan Herald ''Deccan Herald'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published from the Indian state of Karnataka. It was founded by businessman K. N. Guruswamy and launched on 17 June 1948. It is published by The Printers Mysore, a privately hel ...
'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "‘Thallumaala’ can be appreciated for humanising the people of Mallapuram who are often vilified or caricatured in Malayalam cinema. The glorification of violence could offend some people. But the intentionally stylised filmmaking constantly reminds us that we are watching a make-belief world, and hence the film is definitely worth a watch." Sanjith Sidhardhan 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 3.5/5 stars and wrote "While Malayalam cinema has often been hailed for its realistic films, Tovino Thomas and Khalid Rahman’s Thallumaala could be a trendsetter, marrying both quality and entertainment with a craft that is on par with international standards." Manoj Kumar. R 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 3/5 stars and wrote "Khalid Rahman has stylishly staged the fights. But, underneath all the madness, there is a commentary too -- strong men can control their anger, weak men can't." ''Behindwoods'' gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Thallumaala is a through-and-through action entertainer with its share of humour, catchy tunes, adept stunt choreography, and decent performances. Expect the style quotient to hit the roof in this movie as you see Kalyani’s Fathima and most of the other characters sport trendy and high-end clothes. With enough action sequences to enjoy with your popcorn as Fathima does in the movie, Thallumaala is a good choice for an entertaining time at theatres."
Anna M. M. Vetticad Anna Marie Mathew Vetticad is an Indian journalist, film critic, and cultural commentator. She has been in the field of journalism since 1994. Vetticad is known for her political critiques of Indian cinema and the Indian film industry. She is a ...
of ''
Firstpost Firstpost is an Indian news website owned by Network18 Group, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC TV18. It has posted misinformation on multiple occasions. The Network 18 group was originally owned by Raghav Bahl. In January 2012, the gro ...
'' gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Tovino Thomas is loveable, but Thallumaala’s lively soundtrack and visual gimmicks conspire to generate a sensory overload that camouflages a thin-as-a-pappadum story and emotional emptiness." Princy Alexander of '' Onmanorama'' reviewed the movie as "A fun ride anchoring on new gen vibe" and said, "''Thallumala'' is more of a jovial experiment in terms of technique and narrative. The use of technology and graphics resonates well with the youth who can also relate to the characters because of their spontaneity and their lack of fear of consequences." 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 ...
'' gave praise for its action sequences and technical craft, but mentioned the lack of substance in the narrative and the same craftily hidden with non-linear style and the relentless fight-song-fight routine that would render one without a breathing space to think.


Awards


Controversies


Manhandling Incident

On 7 March 2022, two people have admitted to a hospital claiming
Shine Tom Chacko Shine Tom Chacko (born 15 September 1983) is an Indian actor and former assistant director who works in Malayalam cinema along with a few Telugu language, Telugu and Tamil language, Tamil films. After working as an assistant to director Kamal ...
manhandled them during the filming of the movie. The incident happened when the local people of Kalamassery HMT colony questioned the crew of the film regarding dumping waste while filming. Later the police intervened and set end to things.


Editing of subtitles by Netflix

On 12 September 2022, a day after the film's streaming release, the subtitling company ''Fill in the Blanks'' through their social media handles expressed their dissatisfaction of
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
editing their English subtitles for the film which were already approved by the film's writer. Upon the incident, several subtitle artists from various countries shared similar experiences they faced in the past, and showed solidarity to the company. Netflix is yet to respond on this.


Censoring by Netflix

After the movie began streaming on
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
, It has been reported that the word "beef" was completely cut from the
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
version of ''Thallumaala''. The word "beef" enters into the dialogues in many parts of the movie. However, "beef" was completely removed from the dialogue and subtitles in Kannada version, "mutton" and "curry" were used instead. Audience and critics have come forward on social media against Netflix, saying Netflix has a history of censoring "beef" from movies and the like. Some critics even pointed out that Netflix is doing ''"such degrading work"'' out of fear of cow vigilante organisations, working with the support of the then
Karnataka Government The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as GoK or GoKA, formerly known as Government of Mysore (1956–1974), is a democratically elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka. ...
.


Accusation by Animation Team

On 11 September 2022, The film's animation team ''Studio'' ''Kokaachi'' accused the makers of the film for repeatedly not crediting them in titles. After ''Thallumaala'' dropped on
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
, the animation team said that "''powers-that-be'' had refused to acknowledge their contribution and share the names of the artistes who had worked on the film's animated scenes, which were wide praised by the audience and to an extent gave the film its unique style". The makers of the movie then apologised "for missing" their names on the title credits, explaining "it was an honest mistake from our side". ''Kokaachi'', however, stated that they first spotted the error when the movie had released in theatres and they found out that their names were missing from the end credits, the makers had "ample time and opportunity to correct the mistake".


References


External links

* {{IMDb title, id=11075264 Films directed by Khalid Rahman Indian action comedy films Films shot in Kannur Films shot in Thalassery 2022 action comedy films Indian nonlinear narrative films Indian buddy comedy films 2020s masala films 2022 romantic comedy films 2022 films