Ayyappanum Koshiyum


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Ayyappanum Koshiyum is a 2020 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller drama film written and directed by Sachy. It was Sachy's last directorial venture. It was produced by Ranjith and P. M. Sasidharan under the company Gold Coin Motion Picture Company. The film stars Prithviraj Sukumaran and Biju Menon in the title roles. The story revolves around the conflict between Koshy Kurien, an influential and wealthy ex-Havildar and Ayyappan Nair, a Sub-inspector in Attappadi. The music was provided by Jakes Bejoy.
Principal photography took place from October to December 2019. Ayyappanum Koshiyum was released on 7 February 2020. The film met with positive response from critics and was a commercial success at the box office. It was the second highest-grossing Malayalam film of the year, behind Anjaam Pathiraa''.

Plot

Koshy Kurien, an ex-Havildar is on the way to Ooty with his driver Kumaran. Koshy is drunk and nearly passed out on the car's backseat with a case full of alcohol. They have opted to take the Attappadi route, which they did not know was an alcohol prohibited region. There, the car is stopped on a routine traffic stop which is a combined police, forest and excise department checking. There on finding the alcohol in the car the excise officials manhandle Koshy. Koshy,irritated by this assaults the excise officer Faisal. On seeing this Ayyapan Nair steps in and restrains Koshy.
Taking Koshy to the police station, the officers are startled to see the name of well known political and media personalities on the contact list of Koshy's mobile phone. Koshy reveals himself to be the son of Kurian John and a rich and influential ex-havildar from the Indian army living in Kattappana. Fussing over this and over consultation with his superiors, Ayyapan Nair decides to go easy on him and reasons with him. Koshy asks Ayyappan to let him return home for 5 days to spend Christmas, and promises to return for any jail sentence. But, Ayyappan refuses, stating that he has been booked under Non-bailable sections and may not return home. Later Koshy fakes a meltdown and asks for some alcohol as he is an addict. Against his better instincts, Nair pours him some from the confiscated stock with help of a lady constable. Koshy secretly records this on his phone.
Koshy is remanded to 12 days in Palakkad sub-jail, where he is visited by his family. After 12 days, Koshi gets bail on condition that he has to sign once every Monday and Thursday at Attapadi station.at Upon his release, he uses the video footage to get SI Ayyappan Nair and a lady constable suspended for breaking prohibition. Ayyappan is suspended and arrested. He is brought out on bail by the Circle Inspector. The Circle inspector makes a compromise with koshy's dad's friend MLA George, that Koshi can sign for all future bail condition at same time, and end this melee, in return for not providing original video evidence at the enquiry against Ayyappan. After signing at the station, Koshi goes back on his word, and his lawyer submits the video proof at enquiry.
Ayyappan is heavily insulted by the enquiry commission at DSP office and Koshy meets him outside the DSP office and boards the bus to attapadi to talk with him. But, due to ego, they both challenge one another and Koshy goes away in his car. Furious at this blatant act of pride, Nair savagely beats down a small time crook Kuttamani, in front of Koshy and demolishes Mani's illegal building. Frustrated, Koshy goes to drink in Tamil Nadu. While returning to Attapadi, Koshi's driver is arrested and his car is impounded. Left without mobile, purse and other options, Koshy starts to walk to Attapadi. Ayyappan picks him up on his bike and both taunt each other with death threats. Deboarding from Ayyapan's bike, Koshy walks miles to Attapadi, where he is refused lodging as per Ayyappan's instructions. Koshy's phone is illegally given to Ayyappan by a young Constable. Ayyappan calls Koshy's dad and tells that his son will be in grave danger soon.
Hearing about this and concerned for his son's safety, Kurian John sends Koshy's cousins to aid him, and covertly send professional assailants as a precaution for his son's safety. The next day, Koshy and Ayyapan fight inside the police station, and the circle inspector splits them. The CI assigns two police to guard Koshy at all times. But, those police inform Ayyapan about Koshy's goons, and Ayyappan bashes them blue and black.
Koshy's dad uses his influence to get an arrest warrant for Nair's wife as she was affiliated with a Maoist organisation years ago. Koshy decides to end this issue once peacefully and frames a plan to save Ayyappan's job. While Koshy is away to help Ayyappan, the arrest warrant arrives and Ayyapan refuses to surrender his wife. This forces them to flee from Attapadi. Nair drops her and his son to safety. Since Koshy is not in Attapadi, Ayyappan goes to Koshy's house in Kattappana to find him. After a brief showdown with Kurian, Nair heads back to Attapadi to confront Koshy. However, monitoring the tense situation, police protection has been assigned to Koshy. Kurian follows Ayyappan to Attapadi and tells Koshy that he will kill Ayyappan within 24 hours. Koshy informs police that his dad is in attapadi and that he is the one who sent goons to kills Ayyappan earlier. Kurien is arrested and imprisoned. When Ayyapan finally challenges Koshy, Koshy suggests an alternative, to have the showdown in the nearby Anaikatty town in the state of Tamil Nadu, beyond the jurisdiction of Kerala Police.
Nair agrees to this and during the fight he gains the upper hand. The IG and the rest of the police who were clandestinely watching the fight intervenes just when it seems that Nair is going to kill Koshy and pulls them apart. The Circle Inspector tells Nair that Koshy framed himself as an alcohol addict, and Nair had then poured alcohol for medical emergency to keep Koshy's blood alcohol level as required for sane functioning. This has resulted in all charges against Nair being dropped and him being reinstated to the police. Also the charges on Nair's wife have been dropped. A year later, Nair is transferred upon his request to Kattappana, after which he visits Koshy and shake hands with him.

Cast

Development

Ayyappanum Koshiyum is the second directorial of writer-turned-director Sachy after Anarkali which also had Prithviraj Sukumaran and Biju Menon in the main roles. Written by Sachy himself, the film was produced by film director and Sachy's long-term friend Ranjith along with P. M. Sasidharan under the production company Gold Coin Motion Picture Company. The film's idea was first formed as a story about the relationship between Koshi and his driver, Sachy had two real-life friends resembling them, a jewelry owner and his driver. Later, a police sub-inspector was introduced into the plot, which took the story into its present form. Prithviraj played the lead role and Menon had a supporting role in their last collaboration, Anarkali. The film was titled Ayyappanum Koshiyum as Sachy wanted to state that both Prithviraj and Menon has equal importance in the story. Sachy did not have anyone in mind for the two lead roles while screenwriting. Their casting was done after finishing the screenplay.

Filming

began in early October 2019 in Attappadi, Palakkad district. It was completed in early December 2019. Menon suffered burn injuries on hands and legs while filming in November.

Soundtrack

The songs featured in the film and background score were composed by Jakes Bejoy, while the lyrics have been penned by B. K. Harinarayanan, Rafeeq Ahmed, and Nanchamma. The soundtrack album was released on 10 February 2020 by Manorama Music.

Release

Ayyappanum Koshiyum was released on 7 February 2020. The teaser of the film was released on 11 January 2020. Final trailer was released on 23 January. The film is available on Amazon Prime Video with English subtitles.

Critical reception

The New Indian Express wrote: "This is essentially a masterclass by Sachy on how to make a three-hour film by relying mostly on dialogues which carry enough power to not just reverberate through the walls of the movie hall but also each cell and nerve in your body. With a script like this, one doesn't need bullets or pyrotechnics to excite the audience. Sachy does that with his characters, a rare skill that not many filmmakers possess today in Malayalam cinema", and praised the performances. The Hindu wrote: "It is a dialogue-driven narrative, as much verbal as visual, but without over-punctuation or the burden of forced hilarity. The film also comes with a highly textured screenplay, creating an immaculate balance between lightness and intensity", and the cast gives a stand-out performance, also its a "nearly three hours of riveting reel time devoid of any customary gimmicks".
The Times of India said that it is "a commercial film that reflects contemporary socio-political situations aptly" and Sachy "smartly scripts a story" that explains the struggles between an honest police officer and a rich spoiled brat, "the director manages to hold the audience in that compelling mood from start to finish" and "apart from a carefully written script with interesting characterisation, the casting is a bonus". According to The News Minute, "Prithviraj and Biju Menon spar in an engaging film... the movie keeps you engaged for nearly all the three hours with no dramatic twists or turns or characters turning a new leaf overnight".

Box office

In the overseas opening weekend, it grossed US$36,253 from 27 screens in the United States, US$3,562 from 7 screens in Canada, and A$24,227 from 7 screens in Australia. It grossed US$87,791 in five weeks, A$47,689 in Australia in four weeks, NZ$28,012 in New Zealand in three weeks, US$22,400 in Canada in three weeks, and £48,267 in two weeks. The film grossed around ₹50 crore worldwide from the combined sales of box office, digital and television rights.