Bethlehem Kudumba Unit is a recently-released Malayalam film which is making waves for its content and box office. The film is directed by Girish A D of Premalu fame and is yet another light-hearted, sweet, family entertainer. Its biggest strength is its simplicity. The characters are extremely relatable and the humour quotient is strong. A few scenes would raise lots of laughs. Meanwhile, the love story is beautifully executed. The conflict that occurs, however, is not fully captivating. But the finale makes up for it. Nivin Pauly is excellent in the lead. He brings out the alpha-male side of his character very well, in a way that feels different from the loud, testosterone-heavy heroes we often see in films nowadays. Mamitha Baiju, as always, delivers a very impressive performance. Sangeeth Prathap (Joel) rocks the show. Shyam Mohan (Hari) is over the top but his special appearance works. Suresh Krishna (Baiju), Vinay Forrt (Alex), Bindu Panicker (Sister Cicily) and Parvathy Ayyappadas (Sayooja) leave a huge mark. All in all, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit is one of the best films of the year and shouldn’t be missed.
My rating – **** out of 5!