Movie Review
Film- Sudani From Nigeria (Malayalam)
Director- Zakariya Mohammed
Genre- Drama/ Comedy
Sudani from Nigeria is a heart warming film about relationships and confronting challenges that we face in life. It is a movie with a heart. It is a realistic portrayal of a football manager Majeed (Soubin Shahir) and his protege Sudani/ Samuel ( Samuel Abiola Robinson) as they face different situations . The film won five awards at the Kerala State Film Awards in 2018 including Best Screenplay, Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value, Best Debut Director, Best Actor and Best Character Actress. It also won the Award for Best Feature Film at the 2018 National Film Awards for Best Feature Film in Malayalam.
Majeed is a Manager of a team of footballers called 'MYC Accode', which participates in Sevens matches. He brings three footballers from Nigeria and one of his star players is Samuel. His team is successful but Majeed is always running short of money so when his star player Sudani/Samuel is injured he falls in trouble.
When Samuel is prescribed bed rest due to his injury , he is taken to Majeed's house where Majeed and his mother look after him. Majeed also has his step father coming occasionally home as Majeed is not too fond of him. He has not forgiven his mother for remarrying so his relationship with her is strained. All through the stay at Majeed's house we see a bond developing between Sudani, Majeed and his mother. We see Majeed's neighbours also pitch in to look after the needs of Sudani and that is really heart warming.
There are moments of anger too when Majeed thinks that Sudani has betrayed him by accepting money from a rival team manager. There is also tension when Sudani's passport is lost. Many incidents take place that are so subtle yet impactful. Simple things like the breaking of a beer bottle, carrying away the diaper, wait at the police station, meeting of prospective bride for Majeed are all shown in a realistic manner. The inter-action between Sudani and all those who come to meet him is well depicted .
There are so many poignant moments too that make our eyes well like the love and care of Majeed's mother and neighbour for Sudani and the difficulties Majeed has in making an attempt to send Sudani back to Nigeria . Sudani's story about his life as a refugee, the loss of his grandmother and his desire to go back home to his little sisters is heartbreaking.
The climax sees Majeed turning over a new leaf as he realizes the importance of family. He brings back his step father home and sees the happiness in his mother's eyes. The last scene where Sudani leaves Majeed's house for the airport is a show of the warmth and love he shared with everyone. Sudani captures everyone's hearts with his humility and beautiful smile. In spite of the language barrier, there is immense understanding among them all because they all speak the universal language of love. At the airport the exchange of tee shirts between Majeed and Sudani says a lot.
The movie is an emotional journey for the viewers. It is about not giving up and family ties. It also tells us that language is no barrier when there is love and understanding. This is a movie that tells us so many things without being too melodramatic about it.This is a beautiful movie with many touching moments. This is not to be missed.
Film- Sudani From Nigeria (Malayalam)
Director- Zakariya Mohammed
Genre- Drama/ Comedy
Sudani from Nigeria is a heart warming film about relationships and confronting challenges that we face in life. It is a movie with a heart. It is a realistic portrayal of a football manager Majeed (Soubin Shahir) and his protege Sudani/ Samuel ( Samuel Abiola Robinson) as they face different situations . The film won five awards at the Kerala State Film Awards in 2018 including Best Screenplay, Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value, Best Debut Director, Best Actor and Best Character Actress. It also won the Award for Best Feature Film at the 2018 National Film Awards for Best Feature Film in Malayalam.
Majeed is a Manager of a team of footballers called 'MYC Accode', which participates in Sevens matches. He brings three footballers from Nigeria and one of his star players is Samuel. His team is successful but Majeed is always running short of money so when his star player Sudani/Samuel is injured he falls in trouble.
When Samuel is prescribed bed rest due to his injury , he is taken to Majeed's house where Majeed and his mother look after him. Majeed also has his step father coming occasionally home as Majeed is not too fond of him. He has not forgiven his mother for remarrying so his relationship with her is strained. All through the stay at Majeed's house we see a bond developing between Sudani, Majeed and his mother. We see Majeed's neighbours also pitch in to look after the needs of Sudani and that is really heart warming.
There are moments of anger too when Majeed thinks that Sudani has betrayed him by accepting money from a rival team manager. There is also tension when Sudani's passport is lost. Many incidents take place that are so subtle yet impactful. Simple things like the breaking of a beer bottle, carrying away the diaper, wait at the police station, meeting of prospective bride for Majeed are all shown in a realistic manner. The inter-action between Sudani and all those who come to meet him is well depicted .
There are so many poignant moments too that make our eyes well like the love and care of Majeed's mother and neighbour for Sudani and the difficulties Majeed has in making an attempt to send Sudani back to Nigeria . Sudani's story about his life as a refugee, the loss of his grandmother and his desire to go back home to his little sisters is heartbreaking.
The climax sees Majeed turning over a new leaf as he realizes the importance of family. He brings back his step father home and sees the happiness in his mother's eyes. The last scene where Sudani leaves Majeed's house for the airport is a show of the warmth and love he shared with everyone. Sudani captures everyone's hearts with his humility and beautiful smile. In spite of the language barrier, there is immense understanding among them all because they all speak the universal language of love. At the airport the exchange of tee shirts between Majeed and Sudani says a lot.
The movie is an emotional journey for the viewers. It is about not giving up and family ties. It also tells us that language is no barrier when there is love and understanding. This is a movie that tells us so many things without being too melodramatic about it.This is a beautiful movie with many touching moments. This is not to be missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment