- Date of Release: 22 January 2026
- Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, Sports
- Language: Malayalam
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Chatha Pacha
Introduction
It is interesting on how the new Malayalam film Chatha Pacha kickstarts from the childhood portion of three friends who are obsessed with wrestling. The period is presumably the late 90s or the early 2000s wherein the Attitude era of WWE (it was WWF back then) coincided with the childhood of many 90s kids like me. I still remember tuning in on Mondays and Tuesdays at 5 PM to watch RAW and Smackdown respectively – while vaguely participating in the killer moves inflicted by some of my favourite stars. Be it the Rock Bottom or the signature 619 or the Stone Cold Stunner, a large part of me was alive to the madness while also ensuring that I discuss the specific matches with my friends from school. And yeah, we did try replicating some of the moves at home too😅. So in an early scene in Chatha Pacha wherein you see a character indulging in the iconic ChokeSlam’, it definitely hit my nerve of nostalgia – taking right back in my childhood wherein we refused to believe that most WWE fights were staged. It is the kind of nostalgia that the drama here thrives on, even while shifting base to the present.
Story & Screenplay
Written by Sanoop Thykoodam and Adhvaith Nayar, Chatha Pacha masks a slender storyline for specifically a nostalgic ride that it wishes to present to the viewers. It is a drama that you know unfolds in broad strokes, but it always is capable in keeping your interests piqued. In many ways, the writing represents the fights of WWE – you after a point do realise that they are fake, but they still become a part of your guilty pleasure! You have surely experienced themes of brotherhood, misunderstanding and revenge play out in many films – Chatha Pacha isn’t very different too. But the packaging of fights is what hits a nerve – something that is so enjoyable that it ably kept me distracted from the flaws.
The premise here remains simple – three childhood friends namely Savio ‘Loco’ Lobo (Arjun Ashokan), Vetri Lobo (Roshan Mathew) and ‘Little’ Lobo (Ishan Shoukath) separate after unrest in the area, only for Little to return years later and notice that everything has changed. Savio works on a soon-to-be-sold boat while barely making his ends meet with a little child Rose (Vedhika Sreekumar), while Vetri is in jail after a smuggling act gone wrong. It is a classic lost and found setup reminiscent of the 70s Hindi films that is laced with themes of brotherhood, even as the drama ventures into an entrepreneurship zone. The difference though remains on how the entrepreneurship zone of the characters is linked to their childhood dream of creating a fight arena on the lines of WWE.
There are nuggets of nostalgia sprinkled in the narrative – you have a parrot being named ‘Brandy Orton’, a character imitating the classic water-splash move of Triple H, the classic ‘You-Can’t-See-Me’ move of John Cena makes its presence too, as do Ray Mysterio’s 619 and Shaun Michael’s ‘Bring It’. Oh and the iconic ‘If You Smelllllllll’ of The Rock too! In the midst, you are witness to characters who are pure fanboys here – almost getting a chance to live their dream. It is met even with apprehensions in the events leading to the halfway mark wherein there is uncertainty on the magnitude of the ‘Friday Night’ Fight event that would be carried out. But with one fight after another and culminating into the third and final fight, the boys definitely raised the levels of engagement in a banger of an interval block that brought the house down. The level of hooting and cheering in a multiplex in Mumbai isn’t a sight you would expect, and it isn’t a sight that you would easily forget either.
One of the characters that do work well from a writing standpoint, remains the chief antagonist Cherian Maani (Vishak Nair), the son of a rival wrestler Maani who was often pitted against Walter, the guardian of the Lobo brothers. Cherian does suffer from ‘Daddy Issues’, of the expectations of carrying forward his family legacy at any cost, something that makes his character exciting. So the ‘Friday Night Fight Club’ is viewed by him as his competition (he owns a now-deserted fight club too), thereby pushing him to create enmity amidst the chief characters.
The issue for me starts in the second hour that is written with a lot of convenience. I liked how a past incident became the talking point of the current dynamic between Vetri and Savio – a perfect tribute to the Kane-Undertaker rivalry, I still felt that the revelation and the eventual realisation was far too convenient for my liking. Even the much-talked about star cameo felt a little abrupt, although the fight sequence on either side of it did score. But the writing definitely felt a little binary here with its conflict.
But still the drama uses a delicious wave of humour to keep you significantly distracted from its flaws. In a hilarious sequence, you see a character using Rose to emotionally blackmail another character into participating in the fights. In another, <span;>a character’s love interest hilariously elopes with his bestie right before his fight, resulting in a chaotic heartbreak on the stage. These moments don’t make you question the basics – how did Savio arrange money for the glittery setup of the fight club? Why was Savio’s boat sold? Why did Savio rat out Vetri? What was a local smuggler’s involvement in the city of Kochi? The transformation of characters dealing with fake body blows to actual body blows is the only thing that mattered at the end of the day. And that made for a supremely engaging watch, in a screenplay that can so easily branch out into a full blown franchise. Probably, it could begin with the back story of Walter😏.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are swift to tap into the nostalgia with several references of famous WWE wrestlers. A special shoutout to the match announcer’s lines that absolutely pump you up with the right doses of intensity and humour. The music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (in their Malayalam film debut) absolutely rock the arena by creating vibes that trascend the screen, while contributing to the theatrical ambience of the drama. The music is trippy but well within the boundaries of nostalgia that beautifully compliments the narrative. The BGM by Mujeeb Majeed is pulsating and resounding at so many levels. The original score is critical of creating an aura around the characters, while also being energetic to compliment the iconic wrestling moves being implemented onscreen.
The cinematography comprises of frames that give you an experience of an actual wrestling match transpiring within you – so much so that you are within touching distance of its characters. Be it every (fake) punch landing or a wide money shot of the characters in the ring, every frame boasts of an incredible production design determined to give you a memorable experience. The editing pattern comprises of swift cuts that also keep you connected to the fights, without trying to overpower the drama in any way.
Director Adhvaith Nayar in his directorial debut creates his own rendition of the WWE – almost being a version of it brewing in his mind in his childhood. He smartly keeps the focus on the core of the drama which is wrestling, even whilst doing enough through the broad strokes of the writing. He keeps his characters colourful and mostly in kinetic motion, that offers a strong distraction from the moderately generic writing on show. The direction is truly spectacular here.
Performances
The performances are wonderful by the members of the cast. Without entering the spoiler territory, the much talked about starry cameo had a strong buildup but I dearly wished for that ‘high’ to linger on for a while (perhaps I am being greedy there). Zarin Shihab as Jasmine, Thesni Khan as Suprajamma, Lakshmi Menon as Uma and Krishna Nambiar as Diaz have their moments to shine. Minon as Kunjappan was phenomenal during his scenes of match announcement, and how well did he get the pitch of act here – filled with humour and intensity.
Syamaprakash MS as Varkey is hilarious to the core, and his performance will definitely tickle your funny bone. Vyshnav Biju as Ashkar is wonderful to witness too, despite a limited screen time. Dartaganan Sabu as ‘Kadalkomban’ plays to the galleries and absolutely smokes it here with his incredible act. Carmen S Mathew as Kuruvi/Nitro Kill can definitely kick some a**, and she was a delight to witness here – matching the boys with every punch of hers. The veterans Sai Kumar as Kallathu Maani and Siddiqui as Mayor Shivan have their moments to shine too. Little Vedhika Sreekumar as Rose is phenomenal to witness, while nailing her one-liners along the way.
The ‘boys’ are incredible too. Vishak Nair as Cherian Maani brings a sinister energy to his demeanor and body language, while deftly tapping into the eccentricity of his character. Roshan Mathew as Vetri brings a raw intensity to his character suffering from a torrid past, and he manages to impress as always. Ishan Shoukath as Little oscillates between bouts of humour and pure drama filled with action, and he nails both aspects brilliantly here. Arjun Ashokan as Savio muscles his way to the top here. You can see him having an absolute blast with the moves that he possesses, something that he nails. But the actor in him also steps up in quieter moments, putting in his best foot forward even when the writing wobbles. And with this outing, he just showcases his range as a performer – he can be understated like in Bramayugam (2024), vulnerable like in Thalavara (2025), and absolutely raw and intense with his character here.
Conclusion
Despite moderately wobbling with the writing, Chatha Pacha is madness personified in a fitting tribute to WWE fights and childhood nostalgia that makes for an enjoyable theatrical experience. It was unhinged, fun, and entertaining in what remained a memorable theatrical outing for me early in 2026. Available in a theatre near you.