The film ‘Machante Maalakha’ is a Malayalam language comedy-drama film directed by director Boban Samuel, released in theaters on 27 February 2025. The film stars Soubin Shahir, Namitha Pramod, Dhyan Sreenivasan and Dileesh Pothan in lead roles. The story revolves around a bus conductor Sajeevan (Soubin Shahir) who slowly falls in love with Bijimol (Namitha Pramod), a regular passenger on his bus. Initially the love story develops amidst light humour and conflicts, but as the film progresses, its format begins to give a different message.
The film tries to portray the male characters as oppressed and innocent, while the female characters are presented as cunning and plotting against the men. This approach seems extremely outdated and uncomfortable in today’s times. The writing clearly reflects ideas that seem to be influenced by the men’s rights organizations that have emerged in recent years. The biggest drawback of this film is its conservative approach and weak screenplay, which fails to engage the audience.
| Title | Machante Maalakha |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Boban Samuel |
| Written by | Ajeesh P. Thomas |
| Story by | Jexson Antony |
| Produced by | Abraham Mathew |
| Production Company | Abaam Movies |
| Starring | Soubin Shahir, Dhyan Sreenivasan, Namitha Pramod, Dileesh Pothan |
| Cinematography | Vivek Menon |
| Edited by | Ratheesh Raj |
| Music by | Ouseppachan |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Country | India |
| Genre | Comedy, Drama |
| Release Date | 27 February 2025 |
| Original Release Date | 14 June 2024 (postponed) |
| Running Time | 127 minutes |
| Reception | Mostly negative reviews |
Machante Maalakha story
Machante Maalakha is a Malayalam comedy-drama film that tells the story of a simple KSRTC bus conductor named Sajeevan (Soubin Shahir). Sajeevan is an emotional and simple man who falls in love with Bijimol (Namitha Pramod), a girl who runs a medical shop. Initially, there are many fights between the two, but gradually these fights turn into love.
However, the film takes a turn here when it is not just limited to a love story. The film aims to talk about men’s rights and show how some women misuse the laws for their benefit. Bijimol’s character is also shown to be confusing, changing her behaviour multiple times in the same scene.
Other female characters in the film are also presented negatively – such as Bijimol’s mother Kunjumol (Shanthi Krishna), who constantly nags her husband. Through such portrayal, the film tries to convey the message that men are always victims, while women are cunning.
However, this view of the film seems one-sided and full of old ideas. Technically also, there is nothing new in the film. Direction, acting and humor all seem to be lacking.
On the whole, Machante Maalakha is a film that unsuccessfully tries to bring in age-old social ideas in a new-age storytelling style.
Movie Review
Machante Maalakha is a family drama that tells the story of a husband and wife and their family life with some light humorous moments. The story takes a turn when the daughter starts acting on her mother’s advice, which leads to a rift in the husband-wife relationship. Though it could have been an interesting subject, the way the story is presented makes it mundane and predictable.
The film has some humorous moments that provide some relief to the audience, but the screenplay lacks coherence. Many scenes lack emotional connection and the story develops like clichéd family dramas that the audience has already seen many times. Some scenes in the film do seem natural and real, but the overall flow of the story is uniform and predictable.
Experienced actors like Soubin Shahir, Namitha Pramod, Shanthi Krishna, Manoj and Dileesh Pathan have tried to play their respective characters well, but due to weak writing and direction, their performances do not have the impact to captivate the audience. Soubin Shahir’s acting in particular seems as if he himself did not believe that the film would be a success.
On the other hand, a critic has called it one of the worst films of recent years. According to him, the film tries to give an important message, but that message does not come across with clarity and the film ultimately disappoints the audience. Screenplay, acting and story are all counted among the weak points. The ending of the film also does not impress and the audience feels incomplete.
Technically, there is nothing new in the film. The direction is old fashioned and the dialogues are also uncharacteristic. Attempts at comedy seem artificial and the emotional moments lack depth.
Movie Trailer
Conclusion
Machante Maalakha is a conventional family drama that fails to impress the audience. The story of the film is predictable and the screenplay lacks freshness. The portrayal of the characters is superficial and the dialogues lack depth. Though some scenes look natural and the acting of the actors is average, the weak writing and outdated ideas hold the film back. This film will not attract the audience who expect novelty. Overall, this is a mediocre film that does not seem to be worth watching even once.