ARM (film)

The movie begins with a grandmother telling a bed time story to her granddaughter the lore of Chyothivilaku. Chyothivilaku is a sacred light which was made from a melted mixture of an asteroid which once crashed in the land of Haripuram in the ancient times. The lamp was commanded to be made from the asteroid by the Edakkal King at the time, who takes it to his palace owing to its supernatural powers. During the invasion of the thugs in the land, a scared King calls upon a warrior from Haripuram called Kelu Nayanar known popularly as Kunjikelu to help save his citizens and his nephew Mana Varma, the heir apparent. After his victory over the thugs, Kunjikelu requests the Chyothivilaku as a gift. The king agrees and Kunjikelu brings it to Haripuram. Kunjikelu is romantically interested in Chothi, a woman from a lower caste. Kunjikelu promises Chothi on building a temple and so that the lamp is accessible to everyone without discrimination. Meanwhile smallpox spreads across Haripuram. An affected Chothi on the brink of death is saved by Kunjikelu. Chothi survives where Kunjikelu gets affected. During his bed rest he gets a secret letter from Mana Varma which breaks his heart. Kunjikelu learns that even though he wanted the temple to have no discrimination, no one from the lower caste is allowed into the temple. Seeing all the distress Kunjikelu dies. The grandmother ends the story by describing the lore on how their village came to be known as Chyothikkavu. The grand daughter asks the grandmother on if Chothi was pregnant and she dismisses the thought and that Chothi had left to Nagercoil after her recovery from the smallpox.

Kunjikelu's descendant Maniyan was a crooked yet sharp thief who ends up stealing the Chyothivilaku but dies by the hands of the people.

In 1990s, M. V. Ajayan (Maniyan's grandson) is an electrician who is secretly in love with Chathutti Nambiar's daughter, Lakshmi. He is carrying the weight of his grandfather Maniyan's unfavourable image as a thief and the villagers mostly insult him for being from a thief's family. His first and only theft was a bunch of keys when he was young as a playful act but was returned after advice from his grandmother and mother. His friend K. P. Suresh stand up for him during the tough times. He finds himself in a difficult situation when a stranger, Sudev shows up unexpectedly on their land posing as a photographer with the intention of stealing the Chyothivilaku and sell it off to the British archives. Suresh, under the orders of Sudev, traps Ajayan and himself. Sudev reveals that the Chyothivilaku in the temple is fake and is banking on Ajayan's skill to find the real Chyothivilaku before the temple festival. He searches all possible places near Chyothikkavu but fails miserably. But Lakshmi asks him to check places where a man such as Maniyan and only Maniyan could get into. He reaches a hillside and goes inside a cave near a waterfall, and finds cave paintings on the walls.

Years ago, Maniyan went into hiding. The townspeople brought Nanjappa, a policeman, to help catch him. Furious at the fact that Maniyan was nowhere to be seen, the policeman misbehaves with Maniyan's wife, Manikyam. Maniyan beats up Nanjappa and asks him if it was the thief or the police who came first. Maniyan, saddened by the state of his wife, plans to steal the Chyothivilakku to prove to the townspeople that Manikyam's dignity is greater than the idol the townspeople worship so dearly, and when he does, he goes into the cave which Ajayan went to years after, and announces his win over the townspeople. But Naanu, a blacksmith, tells him that this was not the real Chyothivilakku. It is revealed that the letter which Kunjikelu received informed him that the Chyothivilakku was a fake. Maniyan then plans to find the real one and sets off to the royal palace.

After getting through various traps and obstacles, Maniyan finds the lamp and brings both of them to Manikyam, and claims that he will bring the fake lamp to the temple, where it was kept and worshipped. On the way, he is trapped and the townspeople, enraged by the fact that he tried to steal the lamp, tries to kill him. They chase him up a mountain, and the villagers corner him at a cliff near the waterfall. He refuses to give up the lamp but they threaten him with his wife and daughter. He puts the fake idol back down and he lets himself go and falls into the waterfall, leading to his death.

In the present, Ajayan agrees to participate in a Kalaripayattu competition, but fails at the last minute under the orders of Sudev. Since he was unable to find the idol, he plans to run away. He goes to Chathutti Nambiar's house to meet Lakshmi and run away, but gets locked in a room and is trapped by Chathutti Nambiar. He manages to escape with the help of their caretaker but gets chased by the villagers into the same hillside where his grandfather also fell to his death. They have showed in past Maniyan and Naanu were discussing about the plan after hiding the lamp, at that moment Naanu informed he is immortal hence Maniyan is also immortal. Ajayan also falls to the waterfall, but instead of dying as said by Naanu, he survives and finds the lamp by using a key which his mother gave him days prior for searching the lamp, thinking it would prove useful. After a brief confrontation with Sudev and his cronies, Ajayan beats them up and the original lamp is returned to Chyothikkavu. Ajayan goes to find Lakshmi and the movie ends with him riding along the car in which Lakshmi was ordered to be taken away by her father suggesting Ajayan's second theft was nothing but his true love.

A final scene shows Maniyan overlooking Chyothikaavu as a pillar of light erupts from it, suggesting that Maniyan survived after all, and that he might have been the one who saved Ajayan as well.

On 1 January 2020, coinciding with New Year's, Tovino Thomas officially announced through his social media pages that he would collaborate with Jithin Laal for an upcoming film, Ajayante Randam Moshanam. Tovino will be seen in triple role for the first time as Maniyan, Ajayan and Kunjikelu; characters from three different timelines; 1900, 1950, and 1990. The film is the debut of Jithin Lal who has been part of Malayalam cinema for the past few years assisting in several films. The project would be funded by UGM Entertainment and written by Sujith Nambiar. Touted to be a periodic film, Ajayante Randam Moshanam will be shot in Kerala.^[7]

According to Jithin Laal, ARM took him six years to make taking inspirations from fantasy fiction, folktales, and children's stories. He mentioned some of the earlier Malayalam films in similar genre such as My Dear Kuttichathan, Sakshal Shreeman Chathunni, and Ananthabadram which explores fictional world. Sujith Nambiar wrote the script with additional writing by Deepu Pradeep as they developed it during the covid pandemic.^[8] Tovino revealed that, "ARM was a story that got us excited way back in 2017 and faced delays in taking off in the way they were meant to." He learned Kalarippayatt and horseback riding to portraying his roles. ^[6]

The technical team consists of cinematographer Jomon T John, music director Dhibu Ninan Thomas, and editor Shameer Muhammed.^[9] Mohanlal gave the voice role of cosmic creator. ^[10]

In August 2022 Krithi Shetty was reported to play the leading lady in the film who is making her Malayalam cinema debut.^[11][12] Aishwarya Rajesh and Surabhi Lakshmi have been cast as the other female leads.^[13] Rohini, Harish Uthaman, Pramod Shetty, Basil Joseph and Hareesh Peradi were cast to play important roles.^[14]

It began filming on 11 October 2022^[15] with a planned schedule of 125 days.^[16] The makers revealed that around 45 days would be allotted for shooting fight sequences that are mostly Kalari-oriented.^[17] The second schedule of the film commenced in Cheruvathoor in Kasaragod with Krithi Shetty joining the set.^[18] Filming was wrapped up on 11 March 2023, lasting 118 days.^[19] Majority of the film's shooting took place in Kasaragod, Kerala.^[20] The film was originally shot in 2D format which was converted to 3D. The film was made on a budget of ₹30 crore.^[5][21]

The songs and background score for the film were composed by Dhibu Ninan Thomas. The first single "Kiliye" was released on 2 September 2024.^[22] The second single "Angu Vaana Konilu" was released on the occasion of Onam, 14 September.^[23][24] The album was released through Think Music on 26 September.^[25][26]

ARM was released in theatres worldwide on 12 September 2024 in both 3D and 2D formats.^[27]

The film began streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from 8 November 2024.^[28]

Rohit Panikker of Times Now gave 4/5 stars and wrote, "Ajayante Randam Moshanam is a visual spectacle supported by some masterful story-telling. If not anything, the film is worth it for its performances from all quarters, but most of all, as a story-telling vehicle that has taken Tovino Thomas the performer up a few notches. The film is an excellent theatre-watching experience that you can hope for from a festival release".^[29] Christy Rosy Sibi of The Week gave 4/5 stars and wrote, "Tovino should take on more menacing, villain roles".^[30] Anna Mathews of The Times of India gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "Ajayante Randam Moshanam could be like another one of those impressive films that have come out of the Malayalam industry - which is currently ailing from several issues driven by the Hema Committee report - but does it have that emotional hook to pull in audiences is a question that we will have to wait and watch out for".^[31] Goutham S of Pinkvilla gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "Ajayante Randam Moshanam aka ARM is surely not a commercial cinema that is filled with crazy elements or fanfare. However, the film provides a tale of action and adventure which is mixed with myth and folklore".^[32] Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "Dhibu Ninan Thomas’s background score stands out, especially in the mass-appeal moments, though his songs are not all equally memorable. Gokuldas’s production design, Praveen Varma’s costume design and Ronex Xavier’s makeup also deserve recognition for their contributions".^[33] Vignesh Madhu of Cinema Express gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "It is precisely why ARM is that much-needed breath of fresh air from Malayalam's overpopulated realistic dramas and generic thrillers".^[34]

Janani K of India Today gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "ARM intriguingly blends folklore and action. However, the screenplay has some shortcomings that prevent it from fully conveying the intended message".^[35] Kirubhakar Purushothaman of News18 gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "In Ranjith’s film, the coveted object is gold; in ARM, it’s the lamp. Both symbolize what is denied to the oppressed. It’s interesting how both Ranjith and Jithin Lal use fantasy as a genre to delve into this topic. If only Ajayante Randam Moshanam was as captivating as its concept.^[36]

S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote, "Despite the underwhelming writing, Jithin Lal gives us a hint of his craft with a visually impressive drama. And yes, the film belongs to Tovino".^[37] Swathi P Ajith of Onmanorama wrote, "The film benefits from a well-balanced blend of genres, incorporating magic, supernatural elements, folktales, history, and romance, all mixed together in perfect harmony. The film is a must-watch for those seeking a dynamic performance and is perfectly suited for the big screen experience".^[38] Latha Srinivasan of Hindustan Times wrote, "Technically, the cinematography by Jomon T John stands out but the songs by Dhibu Ninan Thomas don’t. Thomas’ BGM however did work well in the film. Tovino Thomas shines in ARM but the execution is, unfortunately, flawed".^[39]

On 17 September 2024, the director of the film Jithin Lal, shared a video of a man watching the pirated version of the film in train through his Facebook page criticising the piracy.^[40] Following this on 19 September 2024, Kerala Police registered a case regarding the incident.^[41][42]

In an interview, the director Jithin Lal revealed that the makers are planning to expand the universe of ARM and the script writer Sujith Nambiar developed a concept of nine spin-off films.^[43]

• ARM at IMDb