Sports dramas have rarely hit the mark in Malayalam cinema, with a few exceptions such as Sudani from Nigeria (2018), 1983 (2014) and Godha (2017). Unfortunately, debutant Sanju V Samuel’s Cup joins the long list of lacklustre and perfunctory films in this genre. With the tagline ‘Love all play,’ this badminton-centric film opens abruptly, lacking any establishing shots, and begins with a voiceover by Mathew Thomas as Nidhin Baby, also popularly known as Kannan.
As a high school student from a middle-class family in the village of Vellathooval, he expresses his dream of winning the Idukki District Badminton Championship amid a cheering crowd. This line more or less encapsulates the film’s whole plot in a nutshell.
Set around 2020, the film appears to have been shot four or five years ago, as Mathew and Anikha Surendran look noticeably younger than they are now. Even had it been released on time, it would still feel dated, as it follows a formulaic structure, leaving no cliche unturned and offering little to no inventiveness in writing or staging. Kannan’s family consists of his father Babu (Guru Somasundaram), mother Rosly (Thusara Pillai), and elder sister Geethu (Mrinalini Susan George).
We are also introduced to Kannan’s crush, Anna (Riya Shibu), who comes from a seemingly upper-class family and is also skilled at badminton. The issue with Cup is its attempt to be many things at once, ultimately succeeding at none. The numerous redundant subplots contribute little value or originality, recycling familiar tropes without offering anything new.
The high school romance between Mathew and Anna in the first act resembles Premam (2015), and interestingly, Cup is presented by Alphonse Puthren. We also encounter the conventional sidekick Bineesh, nicknamed Thooval (Karthik Vishnu), whose sole purpose in the film appears to be the subject of ridicule until a run-of-the-mill subplot paves the way for his coming-of-age story. This subplot revolves around his elder brother Raneesh (Basil Joseph), who juggles multiple jobs to support the family as the sole breadwinner.
Also, there is a nod to Mohanlal’s Balettan (2003) with the song ‘Innale Ente Nenjile’ playing in the background, albeit with a twist: here, the offspring show little sympathy towards their father, who has chosen to start a second family. None of these subplots contribute meaningfully to the central plot of Kannan’s quest to win the championship he has long yearned for.
Adding to the woes, the film has a song inserted at every conventional cue in the narrative like a design element. From the moment the story introduces the character who obstructs Kannan’s dreams, the film begins to spiral into a series of contrivances, one after another.
In one scene during the latter part of the film, the celebrated and nationally recognised badminton player Sandhya (Namitha Pramod) takes a pause and reflects thoughtfully before telling her students, who are eager to learn how she managed to bounce back in a game she expected to lose, “Badminton is also a tactical game.” That’s it? The dramatic build-up only heightens the absurdity of stating the obvious, an observation that any novice would already know.
The film is filled with such unintentionally funny lines, leading to an inevitable conclusion that elicits little emotion. Even Mathew and Guru’s functional performances cannot salvage this bland mishmash of sports drama, high school romance, and family dynamics.
Film: Cup
Director: Sanju V Samuel
Cast: Mathew Thomas, Basil Joseph, Riya Shibu, Guru Somasundaram, Namitha Pramod, Karthik Vishnu, Anikha Surendran
Rating : 1.5/5