Rifle Club (2024)

Rifle Club is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language action comedy film directed by Aashiq Abu and written by Syam Pushkaran, Dileesh Karunakaran, and Suhas. The film is produced by Aashiq Abu, Vincent Vadakkan, and Vishal Vincent Tony under the banners of OPM Cinemas and TRU Stories. The film features Dileesh Pothan, Vijayaraghavan, Vani Viswanath, Anurag Kashyap, Suresh Krishna, Vineeth Kumar, Hanumankind, Ramzan Muhammed, Unnimaya Prasad, Darshana Rajendran and Surabhi Lakshmi.

The project was officially announced on 16 March 2024. Principal photography began on 20 March 2024, with filming taking place in Mundakayam, the Rajahmundry forest, Thrissur, and Ernakulam. The production was completed on 19 July 2024. The film's music was composed by Rex Vijayan. It marks the acting debut of rapper Hanumankind and the Malayalam debut of Anurag Kashyap.

The film was released on 19 December 2024 and received mixed-to-positive reviews. It was a commercial success at the box office.

Plot

In 1991, Mangalore-based gangster Dayanand Bhare hosts a birthday party for his son Bichu, along with his other son, Bheera. During the celebration, Bichu becomes infatuated with a dancer, Nadiya, and tries to kiss her. Nadiya's partner, Ali, intervenes and strikes Bichu, causing him to fall into a dumpster multiple levels below. Furious, Dayanand sends his men to capture Ali and Nadiya, forcing the couple to flee to Kannur, where they hope to seek refuge with Ali's cousin, Shajahan, an actor preparing for a hunter role in the film Vetamrugam.

Shajahan joins a rifle club in Sulthan Bathery to enhance his method acting. The club is led by Kuzhiveli Lonappan and secretary Avaran, whose father, Kaduvachalil Skariya, was a co-founder. The club functions as an extended family of skilled hunters. Ali and Nadiya eventually arrive at the club and are given shelter. Shajahan and Avaran engage in hunting practice in the forest with other members.

Bheera tracks the couple to the rifle club. Enraged by Bichu's death and his humiliation by club member Ittiyanam, Bheera launches an attack on the club with his gang. The club members defend themselves, killing all the attackers except Bheera and Dayanand's associate, Chittappa. Dr. Lazar, Ittiyanam's ex-husband, offers to treat Bheera's injuries, but he refuses. Dayanand arrives and takes Bheera away, but Bheera succumbs to his wounds. Vowing revenge, Dayanand organizes another assault on the club.

During the attack, Avaran's wife, Sisily, fires a flare to warn him but fails to get his attention. She then sends their dog with a message, which reaches Avaran and Shajahan in the forest just before the dog is killed by a tiger. Avaran and Shajahan return to the club and repel the attackers. Shajahan overcomes his fears and fights alongside the club members.

The confrontation ends with the rifle club confronting Dayanand directly. They ultimately kill him, ensuring the safety of the club and the couple, Ali and Nadiya.

Cast

Production

Development

The film marks the 14th directorial venture of Aashiq Abu. On 16 March 2024, he announced his collaboration with Dileesh Pothan, Anurag Kashyap, and Vijayaraghavan for the project, revealing that the script would be written by Syam Pushkaran, Dileesh Karunakaran and Suhas-Sharfu. The film is produced by Aashiq Abu himself, along with Vincent Vadakkan and Vishal Vincent Tony under the banners of OPM Cinemas and TRU Stories.

The cinematography for Rifle Club will be handled by Aashiq Abu himself. He announced on his social media that he would take on both the direction and cinematography for the film. The film's visuals and pacing are supervised by editor V Saajan.

The movie was originally announced with Dileesh Karunakaran and Suhas-Sharfu as the scriptwriters. Syam Pushkaran joined the writing team after filming had already begun.

Casting

Dileesh Pothan signed on for Rifle Club with director Aashiq Abu. The team announced that Dileesh Pothan, Anurag Kashyap, Vijayaraghavan, Vani Viswanath, and Hanumankind lead roles, with Vani Viswanath taking the female lead. The film will also feature Vineeth Kumar, Suresh Krishna, Vishnu Agasthya, Darshana Rajendran, Unnimaya Prasad, and Surabhi Lakshmi in key roles. Additionally, the director has revealed that the movie will introduce few new faces to the audience.

Filming

Filming began on 20 March 2024, with the primary shoot taking place in Mundakayam, Kottayam district, Kerala. Key scenes were filmed in rugged terrains, with additional shoots in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, and Thrissur, Kerala. Some portions of the film were also shot at Kochi Studio.The filming wrapped up by November 2024. Cinematography was handled by Aashiq Abu, and V Saajan was responsible for the editing. The shooting process was kept private, with only a few stills released towards the end of production.

Music

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack was composed, produced and arranged by Rex Vijayan.

Background score

An original soundtrack album composed by Rex Vijayan, Yakzan Gary Pereira and Neha Nair, produced by Rex Vijayan was released on 15 January 2025.

Release

Theatrical

The film was released on 19 December 2024.

Home media

The post-theatrical streaming rights were acquired by Netflix. The film began streaming on the platform from 16 January 2025. The satellite rights of the film are bought by Asianet and premiered on 14 April 2025 on the occasion of Vishu.

Controversy

Raja Azeez, son of the late actor KPAC Azeez, has lodged a complaint against the filmmakers, accusing them of using his father's image in the film without his family's permission. According to Raja, he was approached by someone requesting a photo of his father for a scene in the movie. He agreed and provided the necessary photographs, while also expressing interest in a minor role for himself. However, Raja alleges that the filmmakers went ahead with the movie's release without securing his consent or fulfilling the promise of offering him a role.

References

External links

Rifle Club at IMDb