| Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal | |
|---|---|
| File:Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal.jpg Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sharan Venugopal |
| Produced by | Joby George Thadathil |
| Written by | Sharan Venugopal |
| Starring | Joju George Suraj Venjaramoodu Alencier Ley Lopez |
| Music by | Rahul Raj |
| Cinematography | Appu Prabhakar |
| Edited by | Jyoti Swaroop Panda |
Production company | Goodwill Entertainments |
| Distributed by | Goodwill Entertainments Phars Films (Overseas) Yash Raj Films (UK/Europe) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Budget | ₹5.48 crore[1] |
Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal (transl. The Three Sons of Narayani) is a 2025 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film written and directed by Sharan Venugopal featuring Joju George, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Alencier Ley Lopez in the lead roles.[2] The film tells the tale of three distanced brothers who arrive at their ancestral home after decades to be near their dying mother.[3] The film features music composed by Rahul Raj while Appu Prabhakar serves as the cinematographer and Jyoti Swaroop Panda, the editor of the director's National Award-winning film Oru Paathiraa Swapnam Pole edits the film.
Plot[edit | edit source]
Bhaskaran, Sethu and Vishwanathan alias Vishwan are three estranged brothers who reunite at their ancestral home in Koyilandi, as their ailing mother, Narayani, comes to the end of her life. Sethu, the middle brother, has remained unmarried in the family home, caring for their mother while leading a quiet and often overlooked life due to his learning disorder. Bhaskaran, the youngest, distanced himself from the family to London after marrying his girlfriend Nafisa, a decision that caused a rift between him and his elder brother, Vishwan. Vishwan upholds traditional values and sees himself as the guardian of the family’s legacy, harboring deep-seated resentments.
As the brothers return home, old tensions resurface. The situation becomes comically worse, when Bhaskaran’s son Nikhil and Vishwan’s daughter Athira gets involved in a scandalous love romantic relationship. When Vishwan discovers the romance, he reacts with fury, unwilling to accept a union between his daughter and the son of the brother he resents. Bhaskaran, though hesitant at first, supports the couple, seeing in them a chance to heal the divisions that have long plagued the family. Sethu, the mediator tries to ease the growing tension, urging his brothers to let go of their bitterness.
Cast[edit | edit source]
- Joju George as Sethu
- Master Aswajith as young Sethu
- Suraj Venjaramoodu as Bhaskaran, Nikhil's father
- Master Rashif as young Bhaskaran
- Alencier Ley Lopez as Vishwanathan (Vishwan), Athira's father
- Master Akshath as young Vishwan
- Thomas Mathew as Nikhil, Bhaskaran's son
- Garggi Ananthan as Athira, Vishwanathan's daughter
- Shelly Kishore as Nafisa, Bhaskaran's wife and Nikhil's mother
- Sajitha Madathil as Jayasree, Vishwanathan's wife and Athira's mother
- Sulochana as Narayani
- Noomi Kashi as Thanooja
- Sarasa Balussery as Devaki
- Savithri Meloor as Sarojini Amma
- Priya Sreejith as Latha, Bhaskaran's first crush
- Ganga as Indu
- Yamuna as Bindu
- Sreelakshmi Meledath as Dhanya
- Jithin as RJ Rajesh
- Kumar Sunil as Adv. Rajan
- V. K. Ravi as Raman Nair
- Rahul Radhakrishnan as Hari
- Abu Valayamkulam as Dr. Ali
- Beena Geo as Sheela
- Pradeep Kumar as Father
Family Tree of Narayani's family[edit | edit source]
Dotted lines indicate a love relationship between characters, and dashed lines indicate marriage relationship between characters.
† Indicates a deceased character.
Production[edit | edit source]
After directing the National Award-winning short film Oru Paathiraa Swapnam Pole, Sharan Venugopal, an alumnus of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute wrote a screenplay for his feature directorial debut, based on a premise he had developed in 2018. After completing the first draft, he approached actor Joju George to play the lead role. After getting a green light from the actor, he brought actors Suraj Venjaramoodu and Alencier Ley Lopez on board to play the other lead roles.
He signed Rahul Raj as the composer, Appu Prabhakar as the cinematographer and his film school colleague Jyoti Swaroop Panda as the editor.
The principal photography of the film began in December 2022 and got wrapped up in January 2023.
Release[edit | edit source]
The film had its worldwide theatrical release on February 7, 2025, garnering widespread critical acclaim. In India, the film started its online streaming through Amazon Prime Video from March 7, 2025.[4]
Reception[edit | edit source]
The film opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews and critical acclaim. S. R. Praveen of The Hindu reviewed the film positively calling it "A character-driven drama marked by its remarkable restraint".[5] Sanjith Sidharthan of OTTPlay reviewed the film praised the film saying "Sharan Venugopal's soothing, simmering family drama is an absolute gem".[6] Kirubhakar Purushothaman of News18 rated the film 4.5 out of 5 calling it "An Incredibly Moving Family Drama Of Homecoming".[7] Subhash K Jha in his review for News 24 online called it a "Subtle, Emotionally Charged Masterpiece!".[8] Vivek Santhosh of The New Indian Express rated the movie 3.5/5 and called it "A tender ode to family, love and letting go."[9]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Malayalam cinema's February fallout: Rs 53 crore loss, one film earns just Rs 10,000!". The Times of India. 20 March 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
- ↑ "Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal director Sharan Venugopal on getting a dream cast for his debut, National Award-winning short film and more | Exclusive". OTTPlay. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ↑ Praveen, S. R. (8 February 2025). "'Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal' movie review: A character-driven drama marked by its remarkable restraint". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 10 February 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ↑ "From 'Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal' to 'Officer On Duty': Malayalam OTT releases you should not miss this weekend".
- ↑ Praveen, S. R. (8 February 2025). "'Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal' movie review: A character-driven drama marked by its remarkable restraint". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 10 February 2025. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ↑ "Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal review: This Joju George-starrer is an absolute gem". OTTPlay. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ↑ "Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal Movie Review: An Incredibly Moving Family Drama Of Homecoming". News18. Archived from the original on 11 February 2025. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ↑ "Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal Review: A Subtle, Emotionally Charged Masterpiece!".
- ↑ "'Narayaneente Moonaanmakkal' review: A tender ode to family, love and letting go".