Vala: Story of a Bangle
| Vala: Story of a Bangle | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Muhashin |
| Written by | Harshad |
| Produced by | Fairbay Films |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Afnas V. |
| Edited by | Siddique Hyder |
| Music by | Govind Vasantha |
Production company | Fairbay Films |
| Distributed by |
|
Release date |
|
Running time | 131 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
Vala (transl. Bangle): Story of a Bangle is a 2025 Indian Malayalam-language action comedy drama film directed by Muhashin and written by Harshad. The film stars Vijayaraghavan, Lukman Avaran, Dhyan Sreenivasan, Shanthi Krishna, Raveena Ravi and Sheethal Joseph. It is produced by Fairbay Films. Afnas V. handles the cinematography and Siddique Hyder edits the film. Govind Vasantha composes the songs and background score.[2]
Vala: Story of a Bangle was released theatrically on 19 September 2025. The film received mixed reviews and was a flop at the box office.
Cast
- Vijayaraghavan as Soopika
- Lukman Avaran as Banu Prakash
- Dhyan Sreenivasan as Purushothaman Nair
- Shanthi Krishna as Pathoocha
- Raveena Ravi as Sarala P. Nair
- Sheethal Joseph as Vishalakshi
- Arjun Radhakrishnan as Indresh Kumar IPS
- Navas Vallikkunnu
- Shafi Kollam
- Gokulan
- Abu Salim
- Yusuf Madappen
- Ibrahim Al Balushi
- Govind Vasantha as Swaminathan
Production
Principal photography of the film was began on 3 April 2024 and completed the filming on 11 November 2024.
Soundtrack
| Vala: Story of a Bangle | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | 2025 |
| Recorded | 2024 |
| Studio | |
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack |
| Length | 11:44 |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Label | Think Music |
The soundtrack album of the film is composed by Govind Vasantha. Think Music procured the audio rights of the soundtrack. The first single Ikleeli was released on 5 August 2025.[3] The second single Thankam was released on 14 August 2025.[4] The third single Daastaan teaser was released on 22 August 2025.[5]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ikleeli" | Umbachy | Yawar Abdal | 03:06 |
| 2. | "Thankam" | Siju Thuravoor | Swathi Das Prabhu | 02:52 |
| 3. | "Daastaan" | Yawar Abdal | Yawar Abdal | 03:16 |
| 4. | "Arike" | Rafeeq Ahamed | K. S. Chithra | 03:48 |
| Total length: | 11:44 | |||
Release
The title poster of the film was released 25 July 2025.[6] The teaser of the film was released on 6 September 2025[7] and the trailer was released on 13 September 2025.[8][9]
Vala: Story of a Bangle was released theatrically on 19 September 2025 through Wayfarer Films (Kerala), AGS Cinemas (Tamil Nadu) and Phars Film (GCC).[10]
Home Media
The film’s streaming right were acquired by Saina Play and it will stream from November 13th onwards.
Reception
Critical reception
Shilpa Nair Anand of The Hindu stated that Vala: Story of a Bangle "fails to capitalise on an interesting idea." She praised the cast performances, but criticised that the characters lacked depth. She also criticised the slow pacing of the first half. She said the second half "lays bare the action, and most of the whys and hows are answered."[11]
Swathi P. Ajith of Onmanorama stated that Vala: Story of a Bangle is "a gleaming idea dulled by uneven execution." The film's tone "often tips to melodrama", which makes the audience distant. The cast's performance was praised. She criticised the film for its clichés, uneven structure, and "reluctance to dig deeper into the flaws it hints at."[12]
Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express rated the film 2/5 stars, praising the performance of the cast, "good stunt" choreography, cinematography, and editing, which executed the three physical altercation scenes. He criticised poor comedy, the ending as "underwhelming," the inconsistencies and abruptness of Bhanu and Purushothaman's character arc, the themes of caste and communal politics not being explored beyond superficiality and the portrayal of Sarala and Vishalakshi leaning to "sexist stereotypes" as "gold-diggers."[13]
Vivek Santhosh of Cinema Express gave the film 1.5/5 stars and wrote, "What begins as a quirky mystery around an ancient bangle soon collapses into sluggish pacing, tone-deaf writing and a laboured morality tale few will care about."[14]
References
- ^ "Vala - The Story of a Bangle (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 15 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ^ Mullappilly, Sreejith (26 July 2025). "Kadina Kadoramee Andakadaham director Muhashin's next Vala to star Dhyan Sreenivasan, Lukman Avaran, Vijayaraghavan". Cinema Express. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ "First single 'Ikleeli' from Vala - Story of a Bangle blends Arabic folk with a groovy twist". Cinema Express. 6 August 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ "Vala - Story of A Bangle Song - Thankam". The Times of India. 15 August 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ "പ്രേക്ഷക ഹൃദയം കീഴടക്കി 'വള'യിലെ പുതിയ ഗാനം 'ദാസ്താൻ'". Mathrubhumi (in Malayalam). 23 August 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ "ധ്യാൻ ശ്രീനിവാസനും ലുക്മാനും പ്രധാന വേഷത്തിലെത്തുന്ന 'വള'; ടൈറ്റിൽ പോസ്റ്റർ പുറത്ത്". Malayala Manorama (in Malayalam). 31 July 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ "ധ്യാൻ ശ്രീനിവാസനും ലുക്മാനും പ്രധാന വേഷങ്ങളിലെത്തുന്ന 'വള'യുടെ കൗതുകം നിറയ്ക്കുന്ന ടീസർ പുറത്ത്, ചിത്രം സെപ്റ്റംബർ 19ന് തിയേറ്ററുകളിൽ". Janmabhumi (in Malayalam). 9 September 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ "Vala trailer: Lukman, Dhyan Sreenivasan, cops, gangsters and wives clash over a bangle". Cinema Express. 13 September 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ Krishna, Gayathri (13 September 2025). "Vala: Trailer of Dhyan Sreenivasan-starrer hints at mayhem over a mysterious gold bangle". OTTPlay. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ "Dhyan Sreenivasan-Lukman Avaran starrer Vala - Story of a Bangle gets a release date". Cinema Express. 3 September 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ Nair Anand, Shilpa (19 September 2025). "'Vala : The Story of a Bangle' review: An interesting premise let down by poor execution". The Hindu. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ P. Ajith, Swathi (19 September 2025). "'Vala: Story of a Bangle' review: A gleaming idea dulled by uneven execution". Onmanorama. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Nair Anand, Shilpa (19 September 2025). "Vala movie review: Lukman, Dhyan Sreenivasan film builds a strong world but gets lost within it, unable to find a way out". The Indian Express. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Santhosh, Vivek (19 September 2025). "Vala movie review: Lukman, Dhyan Sreenivasan film builds a strong world but gets lost within it, unable to find a way out". The Indian Express. Retrieved 26 September 2025.