Our reactions to a film often depend on everything from our life experiences, the social and political atmosphere around us, and even our mood on a given day. In an age where hate speech fills the air with alarming frequency, progressive thinkers might welcome a film that attempts to target overt and covert attempts at communal polarization and maintains a message of friendship, even if it is lacking in other departments.

Filmmaker Dijo Jose Antony and screenwriter Sharis Mohammed seemed to be motivated by this thought during the making of the film Malay Indian, their third release together. Because, apart from the political power they want to convey and the presence of Nivin Pauly on screen, there is not much that can hold this film together convincingly.

Even politics, at times, is presented in a way that suggests a desire for a standing ovation rather than genuine belief. You can almost feel the power in integrating different scenarios into the story to make certain political points. Nuance and depth are still lacking, both in character writing and in revealing situations. But its targeting of religious extremists of all stripes is laudable, despite difficulties in striking a balance.

Alparambil Gopi is a tailor-made character for Nivin Pauly, reminiscent of the slacker roles he essayed in films like 'Oru Vadakkan Selfie'. The only additional trait he gains here is his affinity for right-wing communitarian politics. Together with his close friend Malghosh (Dhyan Sreenivasan), who drags him into trouble after trouble, he does quite a lot to ruin the peaceful atmosphere in his village. The film, as expected, unfolds as a chronicle of this character's evolution, as he interacts closely with the very people he despises.

Dijo's authoritarian approach characterized by heightened, forced drama and stilted dialogue, with an attempt to convey everything in words, is repeated here, as in 'Jana Gana Mana'. Some of the humor works, but a lot of it doesn't. We can see that there are obstacles in integrating various contemporary events into the story. At one point the film changes to Aadujeevitham, with the protagonist finding himself in a situation similar to this film. Later, a character similar to Malala appeared.

Female characters don't get their due in other Malayalam films. Only Manju Pillai, as Gopi's mother, gets to act out a few scenes. Anaswara Rajan only has a cameo role of a few minutes.

Despite his clear intentions and stance against Community policy, Malay Indian it just ends up being average fare due to its overly preachy nature and the forced nature of its narrative. Some subtlety and an organic narrative could have made this film much more relevant than it is today.

Malayalee from India is currently playing in cinemas