Sudani from Nigeria

I am not a Malayali, but I watch Malayali movies, and I came across this wonderful little feel good movie

Kerala organizes a small tournament where more than 700 upcoming young footballers play football matches against each other of their clubs. Malayalis have become crazy about them and they come to watch the matches in hordes. The special attraction is African origin players, who have become local celebrities in Kerala's rural hinterlands.

The movie is about such a young team manager - Majeed, who does not make much money because his team does not win many matches, and thus he is not able to find a suitable girl to marry. When one of his team young African footballers Samuel is injured - to save expenses, Majeed shifts Samuel to his home where he is staying with his mother Jameela. How Majeed helps Samuel who adjust in Indian household is depicted with humane humor.

The story is woven with interesting characters, super casting, great care for details, and good acting by the whole cast. The writing, script, screenplay, dialogues, direction, music camera work - everything is exceptional - especially kudos for a first time debut director young Director Zakariay Mohammed (a Media and Mass Communication graduate) who has written and directed this movie.

Soubin Shahir as Majeed, Samuel as Samuel and Savithri Shreedharan as Jameela are excellent.

The narration is heart-warming and subtle with intricate events and characters that we can related throughout the movie which make us smile from time to time.

The movie is set in a typical small Kerala town with eager and enthusiastic rural folks who call all African players as Sudanis - and because Samuel is from Nigeria - they call him Sudani from Nigeria - worth a chuckle...!

Made from a budget of INR 20 million is a worldwide superhit raking more than INR 120 million and is trending on Netflix (catch it over there for sure)

Very rarely such movies are made, and die hard movie buffs should celebrate this unique effort for a clean family entertainer - compared to what is dished out by India's commercial mainstream cinema

I would go with 7.5 out of 10

A superb movie... Zak u proved!!! as a young successful director.. keep rocking and we expecting like this in the nearest future..

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.

In its run-time of 2 h 4 m, 'Sudani from Nigeria' manages to make viewers laugh, contemplate over certain hard-hitting realities, and reinstates the comforting thought that genuine goodness still exists amongst people in the present era.

The movie talks primarily from the point-of-view of two people: Samuel (Samuel Abiola Robinson), a Nigerian national who comes to India to play for a sevens football team in the Malappuram district of Kerala; and Majeed (the brilliant Soubin Shahir who showcases his versatility in the simplest of ways) the sponsor-manager of said football team featuring a bunch of African players. The story is set in a little town where football is a way of life - the sport is considered a means of entertainment as well as livelihood by many.

Things take a turn for the worse when Samuel falls prey to an unfortunate injury and Majeed is left with no choice but to help him on his road to recovery. The bond they develop is organic and (so) heart-warming that when the curtains eventually come falling, it is difficult not to shed tears of joy. The laughs generated along the way are clean, situational and memorable. In times where we only get to read about vile stuff happening around the world, 'Sudani from Nigeria' comes across as a whiff of fresh air, filled with much-needed positivity.

Writer/Director Zakariya deserves praise for not going overboard when it comes to churning out sentimental scenes although he easily could have. Samuel's story is told in a concise yet impactful flashback - sufficient to convey the idea that life was never easy for him. Soubin pulls off yet another convincing performance; his emoting skills fully put to the test here. It'd be heartless on my part not to mention the rest of the supporting cast as well, mostly unknown faces, who have basically 'lived' their characters - be it Majeed's friends, his loving mother Jameela, the next-door Beeyumma, or his step dad. Never does the viewer feel that these newbies were 'acting', in the conventional sense of it. Kudos to the director for extracting the best out his cast!

While the Malappuram accent was slightly difficult to follow in dialogue-writer Muhsin Parari's 'KL 10 Pathu', it' isn't the case this time around. The one-liners and counters seamlessly tickle the funny bone in scenes aplenty (the police station scene and the one with Nairettan stood out!). Music by Rex Vijayan is refreshing and fits the tone of the film well. Football is certainly an integral aspect of 'Sudani from Nigeria' but it can't be entirely said that it's just a sports movie - it is in fact, a LOT more! Humanity prevails!

Just loved each elements of this movie the story, the love and concern for people doesn't have to be ur own country men or religion, and the passion of football, shobin hats off to u man this is called a gem in direction