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Sudani from Nigeria

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Sudani from Nigeria
Theatrical release poster
Directed byZakariya Mohammed
Written byZakariya Mohammed
Muhsin Parari
Produced bySameer Thahir
Shyju Khalid
StarringSoubin Shahir
Samuel Abiola Robinson
CinematographyShyju Khalid
Edited byNoufal Abdullah
Music byScore:
Rex Vijayan
Yakzan Gary Pereria & Neha Nair
Kishan Mohan
Songs:
Rex Vijayan
Shahabaz Aman
Production
company
Happy Hours Entertainments
Distributed byE4 Entertainment
Release date
  • 23 March 2018 (2018-03-23)
Running time
124 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam
Budget₹90 lakhs[2]
Box office₹ 30 crore [3]

Sudani from Nigeria is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language sports drama film written and directed by Zakariya Mohammed , with dialogues co-written by Muhsin Parari. Shyju Khalid was the cinematographer, who also produced the film with Sameer Thahir. It stars Soubin Shahir and Samuel Abiola Robinson.[4] The story follows a Nigerian football player who joins a club in Malappuram, Kerala for a sevens football tournament.[5]

Sudani from Nigeria was released in India on 23 March 2018. It met with widely positive critical response and was a commercial success at the box office. The film won five awards at the 2018 Kerala State Film Awards, including Best Screenplay, Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value, Best Debut Director, Best Actor (Shahir), and Best Character Actress (Savithri and Sarasa). At the 2018 National Film Awards, it won the award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam and Savithri Sreedharan received a Special Mention for her performance in the film.[6] It was included in The Hindu's top 25 Malayalam films of the decade.[7]

Plot

The movie is set in a rural town in Malappuram district in the state of Kerala in India. Majeed is an unmarried young man who is rejected due to of his lack of a well paying and constant job. Majeed, like many people in his town, has an enormous passion for football and is even a manager of a local team, named 'MYC Accode', which participates in Sevens matches. He manages to recruit three Nigerian talented players to his team, who catapults the team's talent and fame. Although successful in matches, Majeed, his friends and players are financially set-back.

Due to an unfortunate accident, the team's star player Samuel "Sudu" Robinson is hospitalised and is forced to rest for a month while he recovers. Afraid he'll not be able to afford the hospital charges, Majeed decides to let Samuel rest at the former's house, where he and his mother are the only inhabitants with occasional visits from his step-father who works as a security guard. Samuel becomes a spectacle for the townsfolk and many people visit the recovering "Sudani from Nigeria". Majeed and Samuel bond over time and share their personal life stories with each other.

Majeed hates and does not talk to his step-father due to emotional attachment with his late father. He also resents his mother for marrying a second time following the death of her husband (she agreed due to pressure from family and relatives), and refuses to talk to her unless absolutely necessary. Samuel on the other hand lost both his parents in the civil war and lived in a refugee camp with his grandmother and two sisters. Samuel only left in hopes of being able to financially support his family. Trouble comes looking for them when an article in the newspaper, showing a recovering Samuel, Majeed, his friends and neighbours, attracts the attention of Police officials who come asking for Samuel and his passport.

Samuel learns that his grandmother has passed away, and wants to immediately leave in order to be with his sisters who were left alone. Chaos ensues when they discover the passport to be missing, and Majeed and his friends looks for it everywhere they could've kept it, but in vain. Majeed decides to apply for a duplicate passport, prompting Samuel to reveal that his passport is a fake. He was not able to legally acquire a passport due to him being a refugee and so had to forge a fake one in order to leave for India. The passport is eventually recovered and Majeed manages to buy a ticket for Samuel to Nigeria.

Samuel bids the town and Majeed an emotional farewell and leaves. Returning from the airport, Majeed decides to mend his relationship with his family. He meets his step-father and brings him back home to his mother's surprise and happiness.

Cast

  • Soubin Shahir as Majeed
  • Samuel Abiola Robinson as Samuel Abiola Robinson, a football player from Nigeria.
  • Aneesh G. Menon as Nizar
  • K. T. C. Abdullah as Majeed's stepfather.
  • Savithri Sreedharan as Jameela, Majeed's mother.
  • Sarasa Balussery as Beeyumma
  • Lukman Lukku as Rajesh
  • Abhiram Pothuval as Kunjippa
  • Navas Vallikkunnu as Latheef
  • Sidheek Kodiyathur as Naserkka
  • Ashraf Thangal as Bavakka
  • Mashar Hamsa as Puthiyapla
  • Ashraf Hamsa as Doctor
  • Najeeb Kuttippuram as Activist
  • Hikmathulla as Journalist
  • Unni Nair as Unni Nair
  • Nasar Karutheni as Muthu Kaku
  • Aroop as Shahid

Production

The film was produced by cinematographers Sameer Thahir and Shyju Khalid and directed by debutant Zakariya. Soubin Shahir co-star along with Nigerian actor Samuel Abiola Robinson. With an idea to make an independent film, Zakariya Muhammed initially approached cinematographer-director Rajeev Ravi to find out if he could produce the film under his company Collective Phase One. Ravi suggested to make the film in a bigger scale and that Shahir would be apt for the role of Majeed. Ravi himself contacted Shahir for the film. Later, Muhsin Parari, who co-wrote the dialogues insisted Zakariya to approach Thahir, who agreed to produce the film with Khalid. Zakariya found Robinson through internet.[8]

The film is set in that backdrop of Sevens football matches held during November in the Malabar region of Kerala, but according to Zakariya, it is not a sports film, rather a "comic family drama". The film marks Robinson's debut foreign film. He plays Samuel, a Nigerian footballer brought to Kerala to play the sevens football match in Malappuram. Shahir plays his manager, Majeed. Despite Nigeria being popular for football, Robinson was not interested in the game, he said: "I belong to the 0.001 per cent population of my country that is not interested in football". He underwent training in Kerala. The film had a 35-day long shoot in Malappuram, few scenes were shot in Nigeria and Ghana.[9][10]

Music

The film features songs composed by Rex Vijayan and Shahabaz Aman. Aman wrote and composed the song "Kurrah" many years ago for a documentary. Rex re-arranged the song for the film.[8]

Sudani from Nigeria
Soundtrack album by
Rex Vijayan
ReleasedApril 6, 2018[11]
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length27:40[11]
LabelHappy Hours Entertainments
ProducerRex Vijayan
Rex Vijayan chronology
Mayaanadhi
(2017) 		Sudani from Nigeria
(2018) 		Thamaasha
(2019)
Sudani from Nigeria - Original motion picture soundtrack[11]
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Kurrah"Shahabaz AmanShahabaz AmanShahabaz Aman2:31
2."Cherukadhapole"B. HarinarayananRex VijayanRex Vijayan, Imam Majboor3:54
3."Kinavu Kondu"Anwar AliRex VijayanImam Majboor, Neha Nair4:18
4."Majeed-Intro (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:55
5."Umma (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:38
6."Beeyumma (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:12
7."Sudu taken home" Rex Vijayan 0:43
8."Majeed (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:26
9."Nair (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:24
10."The visitors (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:11
11."Father (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:45
12."Take back Sudu to home (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:32
13."Police station (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:12
14."Beer for Sudu (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:12
15."Better World (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:25
16."Passport lost (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:44
17."Grandma's death (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:55
18."Sudu's story (theme)" Rex Vijayan 4:07
19."Sudu's arrest (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:28
20."Police checking (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:20
21."First aid box (theme)" Rex Vijayan 0:47
22."Sudu and Umma's part (theme)" Rex Vijayan 1:15
23."Farewell (theme)" Rex Vijayan 1:28
24."The End (theme)" Rex Vijayan 1:22

Release

Sudani from Nigeria was released in India on 23 March 2018. The film dubbed in Telugu with same title and released on Aha[12]

Critical response

The New Indian Express rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote: "Very few stories cleanse your heart like Sudani from Nigeria. It is hard not to be swayed by the humanity here. Very few can leave the theatres without their eyes welled up. Sudani from Nigeria is one of the best movies made this year".[13] Sify gave the verdict "heart-warming and honest" and added that "Sudani from Nigeria has been competently packaged and is a gripping tale. It's one of the finest movies that has come in Malayalam during recent times that steals your heart in a big way".[14] Malayala Manorama awarded 3.5 in a scale of 5 and commented: "The 2-hour show is a delightful watch and viewers will have enough reasons to be awestruck as well as to laugh their hearts out".[15] Rating 3.5 out of 5 stars, The Times of India wrote that "Sudani from Nigeria might not have big names to boast of but it’s got everything in its right place, be it comedy, sentiments, thrills or tears".[16] Movie Critic Veeyen rated the film 'Excellent' and stated that "Heartbreaking, hilarious and hopeful by turns, ‘Sudani from Nigeria’ is a glorious triumph whichever way you look at it, be it the exemplary performances, the proficient scripting or the competent direction". He added that "..Words would probably do little justice to this gem of a film, that should not, at any cost be missed in the theatres."[17] Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion South wrote "The film is a heart-warming celebration of humanity, but not in the overblown, vulgar, “triumph of the spirit” mode that Hollywood specialises in."[18]

Box office

The film grossed ₹13.46 crore in less than a month from Kerala box office, with a distributor's share of 5.42 crore.[19] It performed well at Indian domestic multiplexes (particularly in home state Kerala) and in gulf countries. Made at a budget of ₹90 lakhs, the film collected nearly ₹18 crore from Kerala alone with an estimated distributor's share of ₹6 – 6.5 crore. Sudani from Nigeria was the highest-grossing Malayalam film among the summer (March – May 2018) releases.[2] It grossed $758,462 from the United Arab Emirates in three weekends.[20]

Payment dispute

After the release of the film, actor Samuel alleged the producers that he was underpaid because of racism.[21] He added that more money is promised if the movie become success, but no additional payment was given, despite the film being a success.[22][23][24] Producers responded that the film was a low budget one and they will give more money once box office collections are finalized. They also added that racial allegations were unfortunate.[25] Later Samuel informed that all issues were solved and racial discrimination allegations were all a misunderstanding.[26]

Accolades

Award[a] Date of ceremony[b] Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Aravindan Puraskaram 15 March 2019 Best Debut Director Zakariya Mohammed Won [27]
Asianet Film Awards 6–7 April 2019 Best Film Sameer Thahir, Shyju Khalid Won [28]
Best Character Actor Soubin Shahir Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Savithri Sreedharan Won
Sarasa Balussery Won
Asiavision Awards 16 February 2019 Best Movie Sudani from Nigeria – Happy Hours Entertainments Won [29]
CPC Cine Awards 17 February 2019 Best Movie Sameer Thahir, Shyju Khalid Won [30]
Best Script Writer Zakariya Mohammed, Muhsin Parari Won
Best Cinematographer Shyju Khalid Won
Best Editor Noufal Abdullah Won
Best Character Actress Savithri Sreedharan Won
Filmfare Awards South 21 December 2019 Best Film – Malayalam Sudani from Nigeria – Happy Hours Entertainments Won [31]
[32]
Best Director – Malayalam Zakariya Mohammed Nominated
Best Actor – Malayalam Soubin Shahir Nominated
Critics Award for Best Actor – Malayalam Won
Best Supporting Actress – Malayalam Savithri Sreedharan Won
Sarasa Balussery Nominated
International Film Festival of Kerala 7–13 December 2018 FIPRESCI Award: Best Malayalam Film Sudani from Nigeria – Zakariya Mohammed Won [33]
Kerala State Film Awards 27 July 2019 Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value Producers: Sameer Thahir, Shyju Khalid
Director: Zakariya Mohammed 		Won [34]
Best Debut Director Zakariya Mohammed Won
Best Screenplay Zakariya Mohammed, Muhsin Parari Won
Best Actor Soubin Shahir Won
Best Character Actress Savithri Sreedharan Won
Sarasa Balussery Won
Mohan Raghavan Award 2018 Best Director Zakariya Mohammed Won [35]
National Film Awards 23 December 2019 Best Feature Film in Malayalam Producers: Sameer Thahir, Shyju Khalid
Director: Zakariya Mohammed 		Won [36]
Special Mention Savithri Sreedharan Won
Padmarajan Award 25 May 2019 Best Film Zakariya Mohammed Won [37]
South Indian International Movie Awards 15–16 August 2019 Best Film – Malayalam Sudani from Nigeria – Happy Hours Entertainments Won [38]
[39]
Best Director – Malayalam Zakariya Mohammed Nominated
Best Debut Director – Malayalam Won
Best Cinematographer – Malayalam Shyju Khalid Nominated
Best Supporting Actor – Malayalam K. T. C. Abdullah Nominated
Best Supporting Actress – Malayalam Savithri Sreedharan Nominated
Best Comedian – Malayalam Navas Vallikkunnu Nominated
Best Music Director – Malayalam Rex Vijayan Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer – Malayalam Shahabaz Aman – ("Kurrah") Nominated
Vanitha Film Awards 2 March 2019 Best Debut Director Zakariya Mohammed Won [40]
Best Cinematographer Shyju Khalid Won

Notes

  1. ^ Awards, festivals and organizations are in alphabetical order.
  2. ^ Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.

References

  1. ^ "Sudani from Nigeria". Central Board of Film Certification. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b Pillai, Sreedhar (23 May 2018). "Sudani From Nigeria to Aravindante Athidhikal, small films lead summer box office collections in Kerala- Entertainment News, Firstpost". Firstpost. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Sudani from Nigeria". Top Movie Rankings. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  4. ^ VR, Ragesh (5 January 2018). "Nigerian actor googles for Malayalam words 'Pwoli' and 'Katta Waiting': Sudani From Nigeria is the answer!". International Business Times. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  5. ^ Soman, Deepa (11 February 2018). "'Sudani from Nigeria' trailer is all about a talented footballer who isn't from Kerala". Times Times of India. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  6. ^ Ajith Kumar, P.K. (9 August 2019). "Not a lot to cheer for Malayalam cinema". The Hindu. Chennai. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  7. ^ Nagarajan, Saraswathy (19 December 2019). "The 25 best Malayalam films of the decade". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  8. ^ a b M., Athira (15 February 2018). "'Sudani from Nigeria' weaves a tale around sevens football". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  9. ^ Express News Service (4 November 2017). "Soubin Shahir to play the lead in Sudani from Nigeria". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  10. ^ Mohandas, Vandana (8 December 2017). "Soccer hero from Nigeria". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  11. ^ a b c "Sudani from Nigeria (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Rex Vijayan & Shahabaz Aman".
  12. ^ Bureau, Binged (21 October 2020). "Sudani From Nigeria: AHA Video Bringing Another Successful Malayalm Film into Telugu". Binged. Retrieved 6 December 2020. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  13. ^ Suresh, Meera (24 March 2018). "'Sudani from Nigeria' review: Sudani... never leaves, you cannot help but get carried away". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  14. ^ "Sudani from Nigeria review: Heart-warming and honest (2018)". Sify. 23 March 2018. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  15. ^ Krishnan, Arjun R. (24 March 2018). "'Sudani from Nigeria' review: a magical delight laced with football". Malayala Manorama. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  16. ^ Soman, Deepa (23 March 2018). "Sudani From Nigeria Review {3.5/5}: An amazingly refreshing tale, set in the electric environment of football frenzy in Malappuram". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  17. ^ Veeyen. "'Sudani from Nigeria Malayalam Movie Review - Veeyen'". Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  18. ^ "Sudani From Nigeria: Sweet Storytelling In Between Superb Stretches Of Comedy". Film Companion. 9 April 2018.
  19. ^ Upadhyaya, Prakash (24 April 2018). "Kammara Sambhavam box office collection: Dileep's film fails to strike gold". International Business Times. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  20. ^ "Sudani from Nigeria". Box Office Mojo. April 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  21. ^ TNM Staff (31 March 2018). "Paid less because I'm African: 'Sudani from Nigeria' actor slams Malayalam producer". The News Minute. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  22. ^ Philip, Shaju (1 April 2018). "Nigerian actor in Kerala film cries racism, less pay; producers deny". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  23. ^ Scroll Staff (31 March 2018). "Nigerian actor Samuel Abiola Robinson alleges racial discrimination by his Kerala producers". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  24. ^ Deccan, Chronicle (1 April 2018). "Nigeria actor claims he's racially abused". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  25. ^ Shrijith, Sajin (2 April 2018). "'All a misunderstanding': Industry on 'Sudani from Nigeria' actor Samuel Robinson's allegations". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  26. ^ "Kerala: No racism in Kerala, all of it was misunderstanding, says Nigerian Actor Samuel | India News - Times of India". The Times of India.
  27. ^ "'Sudani from Nigeria' director bags Aravindan Puraskaram". The Times of India. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  28. ^ "Asianet Film Awards 2019 Winners List: Mohanlal, Manju Warrier, Prithviraj & Others Bag Top Honours!". Yahoo! News. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  29. ^ "Winners of Asiavision Movie Awards 2018 -Complete list". Vinodadarshan. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  30. ^ "CPC Cine Awards 2018: Joju George, Aishwarya Lekshmi & Lijo Jose Pellissery Win Top Honours!". Yahoo! News. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  31. ^ "Nominations for the 66th Filmfare Awards (South) 2019". Filmfare. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  32. ^ "Winners of the 66th Filmfare Awards (South) 2019". Filmfare. 21 December 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  33. ^ "The Dark Room bags Suvarna Chakoram". The Hindu. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  34. ^ "Kerala State Film Awards, Here's the complete winners list". Malayala Manorama. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  35. ^ "I'm happy to be doing good work: Samuel Robinson". The New Indian Express. 25 November 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  36. ^ "66th National Film Awards 2019" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  37. ^ "സുഡാനി ഫ്രം നൈജീരിയക്ക് പത്മരാജൻ പുരസ്കാരം" [Padmarajan Award for Sudani from Nigeria]. Madhyamam (in Malayalam). madhyamam.com. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  38. ^ "SIIMA 2019 FULL nominations list out! Vijay Sethupathi, Samantha Akkineni and others bag top honours". Times Now. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  39. ^ "SIIMA 2019 winners full list: Dhanush, Trisha, Prithviraj win big". The Indian Express. 17 August 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  40. ^ "Vanitha Film Awards 2019: Mohanlal, Manju Warrier & Lijo Jose Pellissery Adjudged The Big Winners!". Yahoo! Finance. 23 March 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
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