Premam is a 2015 coming-of-age Malayalam romantic film starring Nivin Pauly, which cemented his status as a heartthrob among college girls at the time. Premalu is a 2024 Malayalam romantic comedy film (though with a Telugu title), starring Mamitha Baiju as the female lead, which made her a heartthrob among young boys. These two come together in 2026 for the first time in Bethlehem Kudumba Unit (BKU), a romantic comedy-cum-coming-of-age Malayalam film. The film is delectably sweet as a romcom, with proceedings that feel very relatable to a bygone era.
In Kerala, local churches keep Christian families together. “Kudumba Unit”, or Family Unit, is a structure that organises neighbourhood Christian families under a local church. The film takes its title from one such family unit in Angamaly in Central Kerala. The film opens on a sombre note as Mamitha, the female lead, returns home from abroad. As she nears her home, her eyes wander across the neighbourhood with a sense of yearning. Enough of a hook to take us back two years through a flashback, when Mamitha’s family moves to Angamaly and becomes neighbours with Nivin’s family. And thereby becomes part of the Bethlehem Kudumba Unit.
Girl meets Boy. They fall in love almost at first sight. The boy is quite a popular figure in the neighbourhood. He has a melancholic past. He is the typical macho and self-conscious type. The Girl is vivacious. She plays the guitar. She is also a compliant type. There are supporting characters on both sides who keep fishing in troubled waters. Then a conflict separates the boy and the girl. The unfolding of the conflict takes us to the climax and the present day. Now, this is a story that has been rehashed multiple times, not just in Malayalam but in every other language in which films are made. Yet, if BKU keeps us engaged throughout, it is because of the entire cast, which plays their roles so naturally and the writing, which is a laugh riot for the most part.
We will come to the cast in a moment. Talking of writing, the film is replete with deadpan comedy lines for almost all the lead characters, and they land brilliantly. Hence, a word of caution for those who watch this film in languages other than Malayalam or depend on subtitles. The comedy may not be relatable if you can’t follow the language or the cultural references. Like when a character says his name is Cherpulaserry Somanath, the other character retorts, “Ivan Aanaiyaano?” (Is this guy an elephant?) This joke probably will land only in Malayalam. Like in another scene, Nivin, who runs a local catering service, is at an event where their food is being served. Seeing Nivin look sick, his colleague nonchalantly asks if he ate the food served there!
At the beginning, as the romance blossoms between Mamitha and Nivin, I wondered why Nivin was cast in such a lover-boy role when he is no longer the Premam-type young boy. There is also a significant age difference between Mamitha and Nivin in the film. The screenplay addresses this quickly as it progresses, and we get it. Mamitha brings the right mix of effervescence and sobriety to the role, as demanded in different parts of the film, and it is one of her best performances to date. Nivin, in comeback mode these days, plays a macho, headstrong man with inner vulnerability, with effortless ease. At times, you can see a sliver of Mohanlal in his performance and body language. Special mention to the writer duo Girish A.D and Kiran Josey, who keep Nivin’s Justin character relatable, with a high male ego and flaws. He is not always politically right and not the Mr Perfect type.
As I mentioned earlier, the film is enjoyable largely because of the cast. The supporting cast around Mamitha and Nivin is quite relatable and reminds me of many supporting characters from Malayalam cinema in the past, such as Jagadeesh and Maniyam Pilla Raju.
BKU’s only weakness is its lack of a serious conflict to resolve. Everything seems to be working for the couple, yet the film forces a conflict into the proceedings. As a result, the final stretch feels filmy, and the climax pretty middling.
There are many references to other popular films, which add to the comedy. For example, at a school reunion, there is a reference to Trisha’s yellow churidar from the film 96. One action sequence also references Vikram’s hairstyle from Anniyan. They mostly work, except probably the Kantara reference towards the end, which didn’t work at all.
Vishnu Vijay’s music is an added asset to the film. Almost all the songs, and there are many, add to the film’s breezy storytelling. The whole picturisation is warm, and the cinematography by Ajmal Sabu plays a beautiful second fiddle to the screenplay.
As the film ended, I wondered again why a film with such a predictable, oft-repeated storyline really clicked. The film is set in the era of smartphones and social media, where love can blossom through WhatsApp messages and Instagram DMs, and breakups can be amplified by social media blocking. Yet Director Girish A.D chooses to convey the romance in a style we have often seen in films from the 90s and probably the early 2000s. The lead pair meet mostly stealthily in places like a supermarket or college, go on quick long drives, do not communicate freely, and hold back their feelings – all part of the old-school romance template. Perhaps there is a yearning for that old-school mushy romance these days, which explains why the film clicked with today’s audience as well.
Bethlehem Kudumba Unit has tapped into the need for simple, enjoyable romcoms – a genre that is slowly getting extinct in almost all languages. For filmmakers today, this genre is almost out of the syllabus. With Premalu and now Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, Girish has shown that he is an exception and can ace this genre. I thought Premam was overrated and Premalu was just about okay. However, I found BKU good and worthy of the hype around it.
Bethlehem Kudumba Unit is streaming now on Jio Hotstar. Watch it if you haven’t, and thank me later.
My Flash Verdict: A good, enjoyable romcom that will take you back to the 90s.
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