Iyer in Arabia Review: Mukesh and Urvashi steal the show in this cliché family entertainer

M A Nishad’s Iyer in Arabia is a family entertainment that parodies various modern issues, such as the generation gap and moral policing under the guise of religion.

Poster of Iyer in Arabia

Iyer In Arabia

Iyer in Arabia story

Sreenivasa Iyer, a retired government employee, has a group of "wrong" friends who encourage him to uphold his traditional outlook on life. His relationship with his son, Rahul Iyer, and wife, Jhansi Rani, is strained due to his conventional mindset. But when Rahul moves to Dubai and starts dating a girl, their lives take a hilarious turn.

Iyer in Arabia review

M A Nishad’s Iyer in Arabia is a family entertainment that parodies various modern issues, such as the generation gap and moral policing under the guise of religion, without offering anything new to the Malayalis.

After voluntarily leaving the AG's office, Sreenivasa Iyer underwent a significant mindset and lifestyle transformation. He makes the wrong friends who lead him astray in terms of religious and cultural norms. Jhansi Rani, his history professor wife, never gives up trying to disprove his nebulous beliefs.

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Meanwhile, possessiveness, anxiety, and Sreenivasa Iyer's old-school parenting methods have caused tension in the relationship between the father and son, Rahul Iyer. But when Rahul moves to Dubai and Sreenivasa Iyer and Jhansi Rani decide to live with him temporarily, their lives take an unexpected and hilarious turn. The main focus of the movie is how Sreenivasa Iyer's viewpoint on life and the people he loves changes over time due to his stay in this new city.

The movie is nothing like M A Nishad's earlier works, which primarily focused on social dramas. However, the director has made an attempt to lightheartedly address some pertinent issues regarding moral policing in the name of religion and generation gap in this family-friendly entertainment. Additionally, he has done an excellent job of illustrating these points without delving into criticism of any specific religion, instead focusing on the drawbacks of excessive religiosity.

Mukesh and Urvashi’s convincing performances steal the show. They undoubtedly bring back memories of Malayali's favourite humorous characters played by them from earlier works. With his understated performance, which avoids going too far in the humour aspects, Mukesh is perfect as Sreenivasa Iyer giving him just the right amount of emotional depth too.

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After a while, viewers find the screenplay to be too predictable, so the movie offers nothing new in that regard. Additionally, there are lags in the first and second halves and humour is out of place at times, tiring out the audience. With the exception of Mukesh and Urvashi, the supporting cast is fails to create any impression.

Iyer in Arabia, all things considered, has all the makings of a cliche family film, but because of its unavoidable defects, it fails to make much of a lasting impact on viewers.

Iyer in Arabia verdict

While Iyer in Arabia can't hide their shortcomings with humour, it may entertain families with its own poignant and lighthearted moments.

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