Kumbalangi Nights

Kumbalangi Nights
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMadhu C. Narayanan
Written bySyam Pushkaran
Produced byFahadh Faasil
Nazriya Nazim
Dileesh Pothan
Syam Pushkaran
Starring
CinematographyShyju Khalid
Edited bySaiju Sreedharan
Music bySushin Shyam
Production
companies
Distributed byCentury Films
Release date
  • 7 February 2019 (2019-02-07)
Running time
135 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam
Budget₹6.5 crore[1]
Box office₹39 crore[2]

Kumbalangi Nights (transl. Nights of Kumbalangi) is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Madhu C. Narayanan. The directorial debut was written by Syam Pushkaran and jointly produced by Fahadh Faasil and Nazriya Nazim under their production house Fahadh Faasil and Friends, in association with Dileesh Pothan and Syam Pushkaran under Working Class Hero.[3] The film stars Shane Nigam, Soubin Shahir, Fahadh Faasil and Sreenath Bhasi, along with debutants Anna Ben, Grace Antony and Mathew Thomas in pivotal roles.[4][5][6] The cinematography and editing were handled by Shyju Khalid and Saiju Sreedharan, respectively. The soundtrack and background score is composed by Sushin Shyam.

Set in the eponymous fishing village of Kumbalangi in Kochi, Kerala, the film centres on the strained relationship between four brothers living together in a dysfunctional home, and how they ultimately stand up for each other as a family. Pushkaran came up with the idea for the film based on the time he spent in the village in his twenties. In 2011, he discussed the story with then-assistant director Narayanan, who decided to make his directorial debut with it. By 2016, Faasil and Pothan, both of whom had worked closely with Narayanan and Pushkaran on previous films, had agreed to co-produce the film. Narayanan then spent a year in Kumbalangi to understand its culture better, before shooting began in September 2018.

The film was released in India and GCC territories on 7 February 2019.[7] It received universal critical acclaim, and has been listed by several publications as one of the best Malayalam films of the decade. The film also achieved considerable commercial success at the box office, grossing ₹39 crore worldwide,[2] against a budget of ₹6.5 crore and gained cult status.[1] It was premiered on 24 May 2019 at the Habitat International Film Festival in Delhi, and also at the International Film Festival of Kerala where it won the NETPAC Award for Best Malayalam Film (Special Mention). It won several awards, including three Asianet Film Awards, six Vanitha Film Awards, four Kerala State Film Awards, seven CPC Cine Awards and two SIIMA Awards. Faasil's character "Shammi" also developed a cult following with many of his dialogues becoming popular.[8][9]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference budget was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference bogross was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Dileesh Pothan and Shyam Pushkar announce production company, first movie". The Times of India. 14 May 2018. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Fahadh Faasil to play the antagonist in Kumbalangi Nights". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  5. ^ A dream debut in ‘Kumbalangi Nights' Archived 7 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine Thehindu.com. Retrieved 1 February 2019
  6. ^ S, Gautham (11 February 2019). "The fourth brother of kumbalangi". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Kumbalangi Nights Movie Duration: Film Length, Worldwide Release Date & Tech Specs". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  8. ^ "'Shammi hero a da hero': Mohammed Shami uses 'Kumbalangi Nights' dialogue in viral video". The News Minute. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Fahadh Faasil: Shammi of 'Kumbalangi Nights' is no regular villain - Times of India". The Times of India. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2021.