Aavesham (2024)

Aavesham () is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language action comedy film directed by Jithu Madhavan and produced by Nazriya Nazim and Anwar Rasheed under the banner of Fahadh Faasil and Friends and Anwar Rasheed Entertainments. The film stars Fahadh Faasil, Hipzster, Mithun Jai Shankar, and Roshan Shanavas, while Midhutty, Sajin Gopu and Mansoor Ali Khan appear in supporting roles. The music was composed by Sushin Shyam, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Sameer Thahir and Vivek Harshan.
Aavesham was released on 11 April 2024 to highly positive reviews from critics with praise for its direction, performances (especially Fahadh Faasil and Sajin Gopu), action sequences, cinematography, music and technical aspects. The film became a major commercial success by grossing over against a budget of . It is currently the fourth highest-grossing Malayalam film of 2024, the eighth highest-grossing South Indian film of 2024 and the seventh highest grossing Malayalam film of all time.
== Plot ==
Aju, Bibi and Shanthan arrive in Bangalore from Kerala to pursue their engineering degrees, where they opt for the BK Hostel for its perceived freedom compared to college accommodation. Initially, they enjoy their time there, until a confrontation with a senior student Kutty escalates, bruising his ego. In retaliation, Kutty and his gang forcefully take the trio to his place and thrash them, only to offer friendship afterwards. Feeling humiliated, Aju seeks revenge and leads his friends to multiple bars in search of gangsters and they eventually befriend Ranga, a prominent Malayali-Kannadiga gangster in Bangalore. 
Disillusioned by Ranga's lack of action, they realize his gang merely praises him while engaging in minor violence. When Bibi confronts Ranga about the incident with Kutty, Ranga unleashes his fury during the college Holi celebration, beating up Kutty and his gang in front of everyone. Despite their initial victory, their association with Ranga begins to consume their lives, affecting their studies. They face expulsion after being unable to pass exams, but are given a second chance, with assurances of passing all future exams. The trio's troubles escalate when they are kidnapped by Reddy, Ranga's former boss.
Reddy accuses Ranga of identity theft and seeks their help to eliminate him. Fleeing from Reddy's threats, they discover a grim truth in the house provided by Ranga. The trio meets Ranga and express to sever ties with him, revealing that they only befriended him for revenge. Distraught at their betrayal, Ranga faces Reddy's gang alone and emerges victorious, revealing that he kept the boys with him as no one had gotten close to him in his life unless they needed something out of him. Realizing their mistake, they apologize to Ranga. Aju and Bibi are unable to clear their exams, while Shanthan passes them. They encounter Ranga, clad in all-black now as a new attire, outside the college, where he humorously punishes Aju and Bibi for their inability to pass the exams.
== Cast ==
*Fahadh Faasil as Ranjith Gangadharan aka Ranga
*Hipster as Aju
*Mithun Jai Shankar as Bibi
*
*Roshan Shahnavaz as Shanthan
*Sajin Gopu as Ambaan
*Midhutty as Kutty aka Kuttettan
*Pooja Mohanraj as Deepa a.k.a Deepechi
*Mansoor Ali Khan as Reddy
*Krishna Kumar as Nanjappa
*Neeraja Rajendran as Bibi's mother
*Pramod Veliyanad as Ranga's cousin brother
*Ashish Vidyarthi as Executive director of college (cameo appearance)
== Production ==
===Development===
In March 2023, Jithu Madhavan announced his second film starring Fahadh Faasil, who also co-produced the film through his production company Fahadh Faasil and Friends with Anwar Rasheed Entertainments. The film's title Aavesham was announced in May 2023. Madhavan wrote the script during early-December 2022 and completed within February 2023 during the period when his debut film Romancham (2022) was delayed from an October 2022 to February 2023. Though, being reported that the film being a spin-off of Romancham, Madhavan later clarified that Aavesham is a standalone film and have no connections with Romancham. The technical crew consisted of Sushin Shyam, Sameer Thahir, Vivek Harshan and Ashwini Kale as music composer, cinematographer, editor and production designer respectively.
===Casting===
Fahadh plays the role of Ranga, a Bangalore-based gangster; He was featured in a thick handlebar moustache and an all-white attire in a leaked picture from the film's production in May 2023. Fahadh attributed that he had not explored such characters before, which led him agreeing to the story, adding that "Jithu [Madhavan] gave me a very clear understanding of who Ranga would be. However, we finalised the look and attire after we started filming for the movie." Compared to his previous films, Fahadh's character would be loud in the film and would speak in a mixture of Kannada and Malayalam, resembling how gangsters from the city would speak. Sajin Gopu, who previously acted in Romancham was assigned for an important role in the film, with Mansoor Ali Khan and Ashish Vidyarthi in supporting roles. The film also featured newcomers including Hipzter, Mithun Jai Shankar, Roshan Shanavas and Midhutty.
===Filming===
Principal photography commenced in Bangalore on the same date as the announcement. The film was shot extensively in Bangalore and its outskirts and production completed in November 2023.
===Costumes===
Mashar Hamsa served as the film's costume designer. Throughout the film, Fahad's character Ranga appears in an all-white clad attire wearing gold chains, except for the climatic portions where Fahadh would appear in an all-black attire. Ranga's younger version sport a trimmed deep fade hairstyle and wears a windbreaker, which resembled Dali Benssalah's looks from the music video of the French musical duo The Blaze's single "Territory" (2017) and also British boxer Naseem Hamed.
== Music ==
The film's soundtrack composed by Sushin Shyam with lyrics written by Vinayak Sasikumar featured nine songs performed by independent artists. The soundtrack was released by Think Music on 19 April 2024 after being preceded by four singles: "Jaada", "Galatta", "Illuminati" and "Mathapithakkale".
== Marketing ==
The film's theatrical teaser trailer was unveiled on 25 January 2024. A promotional event was held at the Union Christian College, Aluva on 26 March 2024 with the presence of Fahadh, Madhavan and Shyam, along with the principal cast.
== Release ==
===Theatrical===
Aavesham was theatrically released on 11 April 2024, during the Eid al-Fitr and Vishu weekend. It was earlier scheduled for theatrical release during the Onam (25 August 2023) and Christmas weekends (22 December 2023), but Fahadh in July 2023 announced that the film will be released during the first quarter of 2024. Its current release date was announced in December. The film will be distributed by A&A Release across India, while Phars Film acquiring the overseas theatrical rights.
Aavesham was listed as one of the "most anticipated Malayalam films of 2024" by several publications and industry sources. In comparison with Varshangalkku Shesham and Jai Ganesh which released on the same weekend, the film garnered from the ticket pre-sales which opened three days prior to its release. More than 50,000 admissions from Kerala theatres were recorded from 567 tracked shows. The film, along with several other Malayalam films, were not released at PVR INOX multiplex chains across India in response to a dispute between the Film Employees Federation of Kerala and the authorities of PVR INOX management over Virtual Print Fee, as well as the federation's plans on distributing films through their newly established content providing service over Qube Cinema Technologies,the primary content provider for PVR INOX theatres. However, the ban was lifted on 13 April and the film was released in the multiplex chains the following day.
Prior to the film's release, the film garnered U/A certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with the duration of the final edit being 157 minutes. A scene from the film's second half was being removed prior to the theatrical showcasing in Kuwait, owing to the recommendation of the censor board.
===Home media===
The film's digital rights were acquired by Amazon Prime Video.
== Reception ==
Aavesham received positive reviews from critics with praise for its performances (especially Fahadh Faasil and Sajin Gopu), script, direction, action sequences, humor, music and technical aspects.
===Box office===
On the opening day of its release, the film grossed ₹3.9 crores worldwide, gaining first spot between concurrent releases Varshangalku Shesham and Jai Ganesh. The film's ticket sales were further boosted by its positive word of mouth, which helped it to earn a total of ₹18.75 crores domestically on Vishu holiday. As of 23rd April 2024, the film has grossed ₹100 crore worldwide.
===Critical response===
Goutham S of Pinkvilla gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Aavesham is ideally one of those movies that you could enjoy in theaters if you love a comedy film with a wild ride happening. The show is definitely run by Fahadh Faasil who is all set to entertain you with a great array of actors supporting him." Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Nevertheless, the performances make up for the narrative flaws in Aavesham."
Anna Mathews of The Times of India gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Apart from scripting superb side characters, Jithu Madhavan has crafted the comic timing of his dialogues well." Janani K of India Today gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Aavesham is truly an enjoyable affair with brilliantly choreographed action sequences and comedy sequences. If you're a fan of Fahadh Faasil, then Aavesham will prove why you became his fan in the first place."
Nirmal Jovial of The Week gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "The film maintains a celebratory mood from beginning till end." Arjun Menon of Rediff rated 3/5 stars and applauded "Aavesham is smooth in its storytelling and leaves a chilling aftertaste, thanks to its one-of-a-kind anti-hero."
Swathi P Ajith of Onmanorama termed it as "the perfect choice if you're seeking laughter and entertainment in equal measure." S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote "Romancham director Jithu Madhavan returns with his sophomore effort, that is held afloat by Fahadh Faasil running riot in one of his most colourful characters."
== External links ==
== References ==
Category:2024 films