Alappuzha Gymkhana Movie Review: India Is Not Ready For This!!

Malayalam cinema is talked about everywhere. They make movies on very low budgets that reach the top level in both money and respect. The audience is used to watching Malayalam’s masterpiece suspense movies, many of whose remakes have made several actors superstars. But today, I’m not going to talk about a suspense thriller; instead, I will tell you about a Malayalam sports film. Wait, wait, before you decide to close this blog, let me tell you, this was the best cinema experience of 2025, and missing it on OTT and TV would be the biggest foolishness by the public. Alappuzha Gymkhana is not like the other boring sports films. In fact, it doesn’t even need to be called a sports film because it is truly an amazing life story on screen. What is a life story on screen? For example, a few days ago, you might have watched Tourist Family, which felt less like a film and more like real life. That movie showed a family story, portraying the household. But in this Malayalam film, boxing itself is the whole family, and when the family breaks, a tsunami follows.

Alappuzha Gymkhana was made on a budget of 12 crores and collected 70 crores, which means a straight 500% profit. And now, this film has finally released on OTT for you at home. Without listening to anyone else, just close your eyes and watch this film immediately. I promise you won’t see an ending like this anywhere else in 2025. A boy falls in love with a girl, but that girl is madly in love with someone else. So, the original boy, with his goon friend, goes to get that girl’s boyfriend beaten up. But just then, a powerful punch lands on his face, and all thoughts of love vanish. Right at that moment, boxing enters these boys’ lives for the first time. They approach the city’s most famous boxing coach, who had trained the boxer who won the national boxing championship last year. But then something happened that caused a fight between the coach and the champion boxer himself. It is important to mention this because when you watch the climax of the film, you will understand what a boxing champion really is. For now, let’s focus on what happened to these boys.

One of the boys falls in love again, but here comes a twist: this time, the girl he falls for is herself a dangerous boxer madam. And to impress her, he has to become an even greater boxer. A word of caution: watching this girl in the film, you too might fall in love with her, and for this reason, you might get beaten up by your girlfriend while watching the film together! Later in the film, there is a boxing championship where four or five matches are shown. You can’t even imagine how all those matches end. The soul of this film is not the story but those four or five boxing matches. After seeing them, you might start boxing in real life or at least start watching it regularly on TV. The most special part is the film’s ending, where something happens that only Malayalam cinema could think of.

Pure wild cinema, it goes completely wild. This film crosses every level of fighting and brawl. The film is two hours long and is easily available on Sony LIV with Hindi dubbing. Just remember one thing: don’t judge the film by its first half hour. The beginning might seem like a normal college love story, but as soon as boxing starts, you will realize that one of the best films of 2025 has begun. Have you seen Premalu? If not, please watch it soon. The lead actor from that film also leads this Gymkhana story, and you will truly be shocked. Such acting at such a young age is only possible in Malayalam cinema. Salute to the actors and this kind of filmmaking.

I would give this film four out of five stars for its stylish presentation, engaging even those who don’t watch boxing, its emotional parallels to sports, and the utterly unpredictable climax. If I have to say something negative, then a little more suspense could have been added, the boxing matches could have had even better endings, and some characters should have been used more. If you’re not in the mood to watch Ballerina from Hollywood, then definitely watch this film on TV. Don’t miss it this Friday; this film will turn your home into a theatre. It is currently streaming on Sony LIV.