In Alappuzha Gymkhana, Malayalam filmmaker Khalid Rahman sidesteps the usual tropes of the sports genre as a group of aimless young men navigate a judgmental society where academic excellence defines success. Gone are the soaring speeches, underdog miracles and emotionally manipulative crescendos. Instead, Rahman avoids melodrama and lands emotionally resonant blows with his fifth feature film.

Alappuzha Gymkhana released theatrically on April 10, 2025 and can be streamed on SonyLIV. In this conversation, Rahman reflects on the personal experiences that shaped his story, and how he created a sharply observed world full of quiet humor.

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Dipankar Sarkar: Most sports films are built around a prodigy or a dark horse destined to shine. Jojo, the protagonist in Alappuzha Gymkhana, is neither. Why did you choose to center the story around someone so average?

Khalid Rahman: First of all, my intention was never to make a typical sports film. I aimed to revisit a personal memory from my own life. My friends and I went to a state-level boxing competition when we were in the 12th standard. More than making a movie, I wanted to document a diary-like memory that stayed with me all these years. In that sense, Alappuzha Gymkhana is a film rooted in something that actually happened in my life.

I didn’t want to add too much drama or commercial elements, apart from a few fictionalized bits like the multiple-girlfriend angles, because I wanted the screenplay to stay honest and grounded.

When it came to the protagonist, I had to stay true to what I experienced that day. Not every kid is a “hero” while in school. Most teenagers are still figuring themselves out. They try different things, fail and then try again. Eventually, through trial and error, they discover what truly belongs to them. I wanted to explore that process of self-discovery, which is so important during teenage years.

Jojo, the central character, is exactly that. He is a very real teenager. He’s trying everything, dealing with pressures from family and society, and he’s desperate to prove himself. But even by the end of the film, he’s still not “figured [things] out,” and that’s the point. His friends tell him, “You may not be a king or a hero, but you can make heroes. You can inspire.” That’s Jojo’s power. And I believe that’s something a lot of kids go through in real life. They are trying to find their space, their ability, their voice.

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DS: Much of Alappuzha Gymkhana takes place within an amateur boxing championship venue, giving the film a very focused, minimalist look. What led you to that decision?

KR: Most of the film stays within the boxing tournament setting, and that was intentional. I wanted to capture the tempo, the atmosphere and the real moments of the event, and share that raw energy with the audience. I had no intention of making a typical, clichéd sports film.

For me, that experience was personal. It was the first time I encountered such a large-scale event, met so many different people and faced opponents with completely different abilities and personalities. It was overwhelming but also inspiring. I wanted to communicate exactly that feeling to the audience — the awe, the chaos, the vibe of being there for the first time.

So, I decided to stay rooted in that world, to keep things real and grounded. I didn’t want to go beyond or create anything larger-than-life. The film is built on genuine experiences and emotional connections, and I wanted that to come through clearly.

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DS: The humor in Alappuzha Gymkhana feels natural. The dialogues are sharp, and the characters are placed in situations where the comedy emerges organically. How do you calibrate that tone without slipping into caricature?

KR: As I mentioned earlier, all the characters and situations in the film are drawn directly from my own life. These are real people, my friends, and I know each of them. I know how they talk, how they react to situations and how they carry themselves. So, it was easy for me to recall those memories and put them down on paper.

That made the process of communicating with the actors very natural. I didn’t try to “write comedy” or create caricature-like characters. The humor came out organically, just as it happened in real life. Nothing was forced, and I think that’s why the comedy in the film feels so genuine.

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DS: The screenplay gives each character a clear identity, even with limited screen time. What steps did you take to strike that balance in a genre typically focused on the protagonist’s triumph?

KR: As a filmmaker, that was the most exciting part for me. I wasn’t making a film where a single hero wins the tournament or leads everyone to victory. This is not a typical hero-driven story. It’s about a group of friends, each trying to achieve something meaningful in their lives.

The story unfolds through Jojo’s perspective, but he’s not portrayed as a larger-than-life leader. In fact, Jojo is inspired by his friends. Each character in the group has their personality, identity and emotional journey. And Jojo, in many ways, is learning from them. He is observing, adopting traits and growing through those friendships.

That’s why it was important for me to give every character their own space, importance and action in the film. I made sure that each one contributes meaningfully to the story, and that no one fades into the background. That balance was a conscious decision and something I focused on during the writing and making of the film.

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DS: At the same time, coach Antony Joshua (Lukman Avaran) isn’t angry, bitter or chasing past glories. He is calm, grounded and practical. Were you consciously subverting the typical portrayal of the sports coach cliché with his character?

KR: Coach Joshua, or Anthony Joshua, is also based on a real person. We had a coach like that in our lives. Of course, in reality, he wasn’t someone who was thrown off a national team or anything dramatic like that. But he had played at the national level and carried himself with a quiet confidence. He was calm, composed and very grounded.

In real life, coaches aren’t always like the loud, aggressive, overly dramatic figures we often see in typical sports films. People have their unique ways of leading, and I wanted to stay true to that. This isn’t a film made to exaggerate. It’s built on memories and real people.

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DS: Alappuzha Gymkhana’s boxing bouts feel convincing without being overly choreographed. What kind of training did the actors undergo to strike that balance between realism and performance?

KR: Choreographing and shooting the boxing sequences was both the toughest and most exciting part of making this film. From the very beginning, I was clear that I wanted boxing to feel real, not stylized or cinematic in the usual way we see in films. I didn’t want it to look like a typical choreographed fight scene. It had to feel authentic.

So, I told all my actors, “I need your time, your patience and your commitment to learn boxing. Only then can I shoot it in a way that feels real.” Boxing, unlike traditional film fights, is not just about planned moves. It’s about rhythm, instinct, timing and energy. There’s a kind of give-and-take between the fighters.

For that to work on screen, there had to be genuine chemistry and trust between the actors with a real sense of camaraderie. During filming, punches did land for real. Not every hit could be faked. So, I made sure they understood: no ego, no aggression, just the spirit of the sport. It’s all part of the game. We began training six months before the shoot. We brought in a coach and choreographer named Joffel. He is one of the best boxing and Muay Thai trainers in our town. He worked closely with the actors, both the guys and the girls, to prepare them physically and mentally. That preparation made all the difference in bringing realism to the ring.

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DS: Jimshi Khalid’s camerawork inside the ring feels intimate without being flashy. How did both of you plan the look and feel of the boxing sequences?

KR: Working with Jimshi has always been special. We’ve done several films together. He is not only my DOP but also my brother. And more than that, he was one of the people who were with me during the real state-level competition that inspired this film. So, he knew everything about the story, the people and the atmosphere. That made communication between us very easy and natural.

Jimshi also has a deep love for boxing as a sport. His enthusiasm and understanding of it helped us design and capture the boxing sequences authentically. He brought great energy and visual clarity to those scenes, and his excitement for the subject made the process smoother and more creative.

So, overall, it was a very organic collaboration. Moreover, I think that bond, both personal and professional, comes through in the film.

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DS: Alappuzha Gymkhana has a calm, steady pace, where even the fight scenes avoid the usual chaos. What were you and Nishadh Yusuf aiming for in the edit?

KR: Editing was one of the most challenging and emotional parts of the filmmaking process. Nishadh Yusuf, apart from being our editor, was a very close friend, a brilliant technician and a genuinely wonderful human being. We lost him during the post-production phase, and that was one of the saddest and most heartbreaking moments for all of us.

In the early stages, I had detailed discussions and narrations with him. He had just begun the editing work, like organizing the material, getting into the rhythm, when he passed away unexpectedly. That loss left a huge void, both personally and creatively.

After that, Blesson Thomas stepped in to complete the editing. Bless had worked closely with Nishadh before and was also part of this film as an assistant director. Together, we decided to carry forward what Nishad had started, as a tribute to him. Bless took it forward with full commitment and heart. This was his first film as an editor, and I believe he gave it everything he had.

Even now, we deeply miss Nishad. If he were with us, I’m sure the film would have been even better. At the same time, I’m also confident that Bless has done justice to the vision we all shared. He carried the emotional weight with maturity and handled the edit with great sensitivity.

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DS: Vishnu Vijay’s music adds a lot to the mood, especially in the training and match scenes. What kind of brief did you give him for this film?

KR: This is my second film with Vishnu Vijay, and I think he was the first person I narrated the story to. From the very beginning, he was fully on board with the vision of the film. We had a clear idea of the kind of songs and background score we wanted, like something rooted in the mood and energy of the story.

Once the initial editing was done, Vishnu watched the rough cut and immediately connected with it. We had multiple discussions as a team, such as narrations [and] group sessions, and we collectively decided on the musical direction. It wasn’t about using reference tracks or copying a style. It was more about creating the right emotional atmosphere.

Then Suhail Koya came on board as the lyricist. It was my first time working with him, and he turned out to be a real treasure for the project. With both Vishnu and Suhail, communication was smooth and easy. They both deeply understood what kind of feeling we wanted to convey through the music.

Vishnu put in his full effort to bring that vision to life, and I think that connection we all shared reflects in the final music.

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DS: What do you hope the viewers remember most after watching Alappuzha Gymkhana?

KR: Like I said earlier, this isn’t a big, commercial, usual type of film. It doesn’t follow the typical clichés of a standard sports comedy. We made something simple and honest, with teenage audiences in mind, as well as their parents, especially those above 50.

What I hope is that, after watching this film, people carry a sense of energy and freshness with them. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s a clean entertainer, light-hearted and easy to connect with. While watching it, they’ll feel the vibe and excitement of the sport, and I believe that feeling will stay with them even after they leave the theatre.

And if, after watching this film, even one young person gets inspired to take up boxing, that would be the biggest reward for us.

Dipankar Sarkar (@Dipankar_Tezpur) is a graduate in film editing from the Film and Television Institute of India and currently based in Mumbai. As a freelancer, he frequently contributes to various Indian publications on cinema-related topics.

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