Alappuzha Gymkhana director Khalid Rahman: Every time I make a film, there has to be something new; I make films for…

Malayalam filmmaker-actor Khalid Rahman has been in the industry for just under a decade, a time in which he made 5 films – the fifth, Alappuzha Gymkhana, ready for release this Vishu, on April 10, 2025. Each film – Anuraga Karikkin Vellam, Unda, Love, Thallumaala - has been vastly different in terms of genre, treatment, star cast, which, Khalid says has not been a conscious choice, but a result of seeking newness.

Khalid Rahman on keeping things interesting on set

Ahead of the release of Alappuzha Gymkhana, a film about a bunch of youngsters trying to get into college through the sports quota, with Premalu-fame Naslen , Manjummel Boys’ Ganapathi, among others, on the cast, Rahman spoke to Galatta Plus about his style of filmmaking. “When I go on to the set, every day I have to do something new there. Not only me, but my entire team has to feel the same way, that we are doing something different. We maybe using the same camera, angles, shots, but the end project will be something interesting. Otherwise, it will be very boring, if you do the same thing again and again,” he said.

Also read: Best sports dramas to binge-watch on OTT: Jersey to Iqbal 

Therefore, Khalid says that he prefers different ideas, which excite him. “I am making films for myself; not for anyone else,” he adds candidly. His next, Alappuzha Gymkhana is based on a very simple idea, says the filmmaker. It’s a sports comedy, revolving around boxing in which a group of boys, who’d failed their Class 12 exam, hope to get grace marks by participating in a state sports competition, which in turn will get them into college on the sports quota.

Khalid adds that there are fights in the film, but they are not very aggressive and involve no bloodshed whatsoever. Since the film was announced and promotional material began appearing on social media, Naslen’s chiselled, muscular physique became quite the talking point. This, yet again, was not intentional, but happened in the course of the making of the film, as the actor had to enlist for boxing lessons and associated fitness programmes. “If you do these activities for six months at a stretch, you will get such a physique,” reasons the filmmaker.