Alappuzha Gymkhana (Gymkhana, a Persian Mughal word meaning sports club) is a 2025 Indian Malayalam-language sports film directed by Khalid Rahman, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Sreeni Saseendran, with dialogues by Ratheesh Ravi. The movie stars Naslen, Lukman Avaran, Ganapathi S. Poduval, Sandeep Pradeep, Anagha Ravi, Franco Francis, Baby Jean and Shiva Hariharan.
Alappuzha Gymkhana was released theatrically on 10 April 2025.
Plot
A group of youngsters, after failing their plus two exams, aims to join a common college through the sports quota. They choose boxing as their sport. By luck, they manage to survive the district-level competitions. But what will happen at the higher levels?
The makers of this film released the title name and first look poster of the film on Instagram on 1 October 2024.[4][5] The shooting of this film was completed in August 2024.[6] The film's screenplay is written by Khalid Rahman and Sreeni Saseendran and dialogue is written by Ratheesh Ravi. Naslen plays the role of a boxer in this movie.[7] The film is debut production film of Plan B Motion Pictures.[8]
The film was theatrically released on 10 April 2025.[10][11]
Reception
Alappuzha Gymkhana received positive reviews from critics. Aditya Shrikrishna in his review for OTTPlay wrote,"Alappuzha Gymkhana is not the film for that one great pep talk or one last fight to win it all. This is a film where even the coach is in such a bad place that he picks up a fight outside the ring. Khalid Rahman stages this free-for-all with panache, a fight that begins in a field, moves to a cul-de-sac and spills over to the road. It is a film about the comfortable crisis of misplaced confidence, which becomes the bedrock for solidarity. There is simply no place for cynicism, and no one is in a hurry to grow up."[12] In his review for Mint, Uday Bhatia praised the film as a blissful boxing comedy writing,"There are shades of Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused and Everybody Wants Some, films where the stakes are low and the world seems full of promise."[13] Writing for Onmanorama, Swathi P Ajith mentioned,"This isn’t your typical underdog sports drama. It’s not about losing, failing, and crawling back to glory. It’s about falling into a sport by chance, getting hooked, and letting it take over your life in the most unexpected ways."[14] S R Praveen of The Hindu rated the film 3/5 writing,"The attempts to break cliches in a sports movie is an endeavour fraught with risks, for it also means not going along that easy path with an endless supply of emotional highs and cheap thrills. Alappuzha Gymkhana does not deliver much of the latter but makes up with a relatable tale that spares a thought for those not cut out to win. The film is written in such a way as to make us think that we wouldn’t want it any other way."[15] Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express rated the film 3/5 and praised Khalid Rahman's direction writing,"From the very first scene, Rahman makes it clear what he aims to do with Alappuzha Gymkhana and he nails the tone at the outset itself, brilliantly maintaining it until the very end. At no point does he allow the movie to derail or take a detour just for the sake of it."[16] Writing for The News Minute, Cris praised the film as a fun,engaging watch mentioning,"Calling the film a comforting, engaging joyride can seem ironic, given that director Khalid Rahman has placed it in the thick of a boxing ring. But that is exactly what it becomes."[17] Sajin Shrijith of The Week described the movie as "a perfect hangout experience that evokes the vibe of Richard Linklater films" writing,"With Alappuzha Gymkhana, we sense the intention is not really about showing a story where the characters emerge victors, but rather putting them through trying and humiliating circumstances in order to make them figure out their real strengths and weakness, and, most importantly, purpose."[18] Kirubakhar Purushottaman of News18 rated the film 4/5 and wrote,"In the end, Alappuzha Gymkhana isn’t a film about victory in the ring, but one about resilience, camaraderie, and quiet transformation. It’s like Richard Linklater’s coming-of-age tale like Everybody Wants Some disguised as a sports drama—where the biggest wins are emotional rather than athletic. With its charming characters, understated writing, and grounded storytelling, Alappuzha Gymkhana punches far above its weight—and lands with lasting impact."[19]
Box Office
The film grossed Rs.11.55 Crore in its opening weekend.[20]
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