Godha

Basil Joseph's 2017 Malayalam film tells a provincial story through wrestling. Anjaneya Das is the son of a wrestler but has given up the sport; Aditi Singh, a wrestler he met while studying in Punjab, comes with him to his village in Kerala after trouble with her family. Women wrestling is unthinkable in the village, and her wish to enter the pit sets her against the established order. The film relates this in a comic register rather than as heavy social drama, with the villagers' reactions, the father's pride and the young pair's stubbornness as the source of the humour. The wrestling is taken seriously and Wamiqa Gabbi trained for the role. The story follows a familiar sports-film line, but the detail of rural Kerala gives it a texture of its own. Who it's for: viewers who like Malayalam comedy and sports films. Who it's not for: anyone looking for an unexpected plot; the film follows the usual road.