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Wolf Malayalam Movie Review, Out On ZEE5: A Thrilling Setup Steps Into Mansplaining Territory In This Problematic Lockdown Chamber Drama

Director: Shaji Azeem

Cast: Arjun Ashokan, Samyukta Menon, Irshad. 

Shaji Azeez's first film Wolf, based on writer GR Indugopan's short story Chennaya, starts off promisingly. Sanjay (Arjun Ashokan) takes a detour on his way home to visit his fiancé Asha (Samyukta Menon) a couple of weeks before they are due to get married. But when he gets there, she's not pleasantly surprised nor is she excited to see him. There's an obvious indifference in her attitude and she wants him to get out of there as soon as he can. The awkwardness is hilarious and you almost feel bad for the guy. They're just days away from getting married but their 'chemistry' is that of total strangers being forced to speak to each other. 

  But it's not just their relationship status that's forcing them to finally open up. Apart from being locked into an engagement, they're also locked up in this house. It's the night before PM Modi's first nationwide lockdown and there are police officers right outside the house to enforce it. Her mother is away too and the situation demands that this couple spend the night under the same roof in what's a dress rehearsal for the future. 

Her displeasure is a result of a variety of Sanjay's character traits. On his way there, you get glimpses of his temper and the male ego that amplifies it. His friends, too, are complicit in accommodating his anger, as though it's his personality or quirk. But Asha is repulsed by it. "Do not call me edi or nee," she says sternly, to her future husband. She also asks him why he has never given her the chance to open up to him. "Do you think talking rudely makes you more of a man?," she asks, revealing more about Sanjay than the previous half hour of the film. 

But you soon start seeing why his tone is more than just a personality trait. As their conversation reaches a point where they're finally revealing themselves to each other, you understand how deeply misogyny is ingrained in someone 'normal' like Sanjay. When he opens up about reasons why he can never marry his best friend Riva, he states what he thinks is an acceptable excuse. "I cannot marry someone who wears shorts," he says, nonchalantly. Stuck in a different era, this line also reveals that he's created a 'marriage type' while also hinting that this type should only wear what her husband approves of. 

In these scenes, the dialogues are powerful and in Asha, we see a confident woman who will not be burdened by the whims of a man-child. But Sanjay isn't merely an archetype either. You sense his willingness to change or at least an effort to try. During these discussions, you get the idea that it is perhaps the first time he's coming across concepts like equality and mutual respect in the context of relationships. While it's obvious that they're a mismatch, you also understand why this discussion needs to happen. Even Asha seems relieved at the changes the discussion is bringing in Sanjay, even though he's still got a long way to go. 

But the film never settles for this pitch. It wants to be more than a discussion and wants this conflict to be placed on a more primal setting. Instead of seeing people simply as people, the film now wants to place this couple in the scope of nature itself, with the theory of natural selection being referred to in detail. For this, the film uses the help of a third character even though his introduction is not milked for shock value.

His presence early on develops into a stretch of excellent dark humour where you see the frailties of someone like Sanjay. The presence of a 'man' exposes the nativities of a boy who has never ventured out of the comforts of his closed, narrow universe. So when Sanjay begins to play protector, this 'intruder' hits him with science and nature, appearing progressive at first and then creepy later on. But his shift in behaviour is not backed by the writing. It's as though it is time for the screenplay to shift gears into the third act and the intensity is ramped up inorganically. 

While these dialogues remain fascinating from a distance, like listening to the escapades of a traveller, a fatigue sets in quickly. This dialogue is between two adult men and the topic deals with the inherent nature of women. While appearing progressive at first, this discussion moves into familiar territory all too quickly, especially when Asha leaves the room. From a participant, Asha too recedes to spectator mode as we pull up front row seats to a mansplaining lecture about the inner workings of a woman's mind. It's a one man show really and the film takes a detour for the worse when it appears to reinforce everything Sanjay appears to be right at the beginning. 

The politics of the films seems to tie itself into knots and we never really stay with the characters during their transitions. And by the end, what the film does is make you feel sorry for Asha. She appears independent but not enough to breakaway without the protection of a man. Like in Kappela , this film too paints the heroine as someone naive and innocent, incapable of distinguishing between good and bad. For all the great performances and the making, Wolf needed a stronger point to put across than what it finally does. But it eventually ends up like a wolf in sheep's clothing, representing problematic politics in the garb of discussion. 

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Wolf Review - A thriller that tries to expose patriarchy through an interesting idea

Published date : 22/apr/2021.

Wolf - A thriller that tries to expose patriarchy through an interesting idea but falls short in its final leg!

Bharath Vijayakumar

It is heartening to see how Malayalam cinema keeps finding ways to expose patriarchy through different genres. It is not just the hard hitting arthouse films like The Great Indian Kitchen that exist to try and make a difference. A film like Ishq and more recently Love pulled the rug from under your feet. These two films were primarily positioned as thrillers and they work as thrillers but the message that you take away from them was the whole point of those films.

Wolf in a way is very similar to Love. This is also a film where almost the entire narration happens inside a household with just a handful of characters. Sanjay (Arjun Ashokan), a hot headed guy pays a surprise visit to his fiancée Asha (Samyuktha). Asha seems to be a reluctant host and is in a hurry to bid him goodbye. But an unforeseen situation forces them to be together for the night.

Director Shaji Azeez sets it up well in the initial hour. A certain uneasy tension is built up and there is a definite urge to find out where things are going to head. But the film loses its grip in the final leg. The film stops showing us what it wanted to either visually or through character development and resorts to having explicit dialogues to convey the message. This explicitness works against the film. Think of it and this starts right from the title. Ishq and Love were two movies that showcased how patriarchy (at times) manifests itself in the name of love. Something similar happens here but what we have here is a very apparent title - Wolf. In the former films, the takeaway was that even seemingly good and normal men might have patriarchy and misogyny ingrained in them. But things are more like black and white here. (A strange coincidence is that Shine Tom Chacko is a part of all these three films. His part here though is negligible)

The bigger problem in Wolf is the ease with which characters change their stance without any strong reasoning. And this reflects in the performances too. We expect a reveal or a payoff towards the end but the climax is a letdown. It is not about how the story concludes but the way in which it happens is what is a dampener.

Bottomline :

Wolf has an interesting idea and is a pretty decent thriller till a point. It then loses its way.

Rating: 2.5/5

PS : Streaming on Zee5

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Home » Review » Wolf movie review: A confused lockdown thriller  »

Wolf movie review: A confused lockdown thriller 

The plot of Wolf displayed so much potential in the first half talking about toxic masculinity and preconceptions, but it soon falters as it takes a preachy route and ends up as a confounding mess

• Sanjith Sidhardhan

Last Updated: 12.00 AM, Apr 20, 2021

When Malayalam director Shaji M Azeez and his team would have started shooting Wolf, which dropped on ZEE5 on April 18, they must have thought they would have had a relevant subject at hand. In fact, they did too. The movie, based on GR Indugopan's story, is set on the night before and the day the unexpected nationwide lockdown comes into force in the country. It was shot right after the lockdown rules were eased and hence the minimal cast, which was also used effectively for most parts of the movie.

The film starts off by introducing a hot-headed Kochi youth Sanjay (Arjun Ashokan) who after a visit to Kottarakara, decides to surprise his fiancée Asha (Samyuktha Menon) in Parippally. However, when he arrives at her house, they learn that a lockdown is declared, rendering Sanjay unable to travel back to Kochi. The two, who are set to get married in two weeks, learn more about each other in the course of the night and next day.

The plot of Wolf displayed so much potential in the first half talking about toxic masculinity and preconceptions, but it soon falters as it takes a preachy route and ends up as a confusing mess. How a couple bonds so quickly, even when posed with the circumstances in the film, is unconvincing and even more are the character arcs of Samyuktha Menon and Irshad, whose intentions confuse those on-screen and off it as well. 

The trio's performances build up the tension in the first half. Actors Shine Tom Chacko and Jaffer Idukki aren't used well either. What starts out as an insightful relationship thriller about man-woman dynamics soon becomes an inconsistent, self-indulgent piece about a hunter. 

Verdict: Wolf's first half shows potential but the movie falters due to its inconsistent character development and self-indulgent writing in the second half. 

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Directed by Shaji Azeez

When the police try to unravel the truth behind a series of mysterious crimes in a locality, they face an unexpected situation.

Arjun Ashokan Samyuktha Shine Tom Chacko Jaffer Idukki Irshad Kevin Jose Ameya Mathew Maya Menon

Director Director

Shaji Azeez

Producer Producer

Santhosh Damodharan

Writer Writer

G.R. Indugopan

Editor Editor

Noufal Abdulla

Cinematography Cinematography

Faiz Siddik

Art Direction Art Direction

Jyothish Shankar

Composer Composer

Songs songs.

B. K. Harinarayanan

Costume Design Costume Design

Manjusha Radhakrishnan

Makeup Makeup

Ranjith Manaliparambil

Damor Cinemas

Releases by Date

18 apr 2021, releases by country.

113 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by ash ½ 3

Joe nalla calm aanu , mild aan sweet aanu. Kopp aanu

Lol these people completely lost the plot , tried to make a progressive movie and it ended up as a regressive one 😂, a fine example of forced wokeness.

Joe was okay till the moment he opened his mouth and started his animal planet thallu and hasn't shut up since.

Sometimes I wonder why am I even watching these movies even after knowing it's crap ( I love watching crap movies ihihihihih)

P.S Challenge find a watchable indugopan movie! Ehhhhhh mission failed

Review by V ★★

Mansplaining feminism gone horribly wrong. If the celebrated writer GR Indugopan actually wrote this kalippan - kaanthaari glorification story to reflect on gender politics, in spite of the manner in which the film progressed until the beginning of its godforsaken third act, all I've to ask is one question. What was he actually smoking, especially while writing that ending?

Review by NimmUwU ★

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

conservative incel vs chad facebook page owner

wow such a dumb movie. I thought the first half was trying to build a base or something but the last act completly destroyed what they made. mediocre performances i guess, felt as if all characters had bipolar disorder. idk if its just me but Jo's character felt cringey and ironically funny at the same time. and why was shine tom chako in this again ? just so that can he can barge into a house and take a shit?

Review by Deepak Chazhoor ★★★ 2

To be very honest, I didn’t find this film as bad as many makes it out to be. This was the kind of treatment of the subject matter I expected, but didn’t get, in  The Great Indian Kitchen . To be more precise, the three main characters are flawed, which worked to good advantage of the narrative, at least to me. My major gripe is the casting of prominent artists like Shine Tom Chacko and Jaffer Idukki in totally non-consequential roles, and also the abrupt ending which came out of nowhere. There isn’t a payoff which complements all that buildup. Otherwise Wolf  is an okay single location survival thriller, set in the backdrop of lockdown, with a relevant social commentary.

P. S.  Funny title though.

Review by 𝗡 𝗜 𝗞 𝗛 𝗜 𝗟 🍿 ★★★

Wolf is an experimental suspense drama which is engaging but let down completely by poor writing after a point and an unconvincing ending. Sanjay (Arjun Ashokan) and Asha (Samyuktha Menon) are about to get married soon and they are forced to stay together alone for a night at Asha’s place due to the sudden lockdown announcement. What unexpected events happened after that forms the story. 

The entire film takes place inside a single house. The movie started off well with an interesting setup and unpredictable proceedings. The film is very conversational and there are dialogues almost non-stop throughout the film. Still, the film managed to be gripping and held my interest upto beyond the   halfway mark. After that, things…

Review by freespirit96 ★

First half - Hero is bad, Villain is good Second half - Hero is good, Villain is bad..

Plus the most absurd climax ever.. P.S : How to turn a girl into a Kalippans Kanthari??? Introduce her to a psycho ,that the kalippan is now better compared to him.. 🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦

Review by Rinsha ★★

The movie was okay kind wit good performance of the leads but the message they conveyed is not acceptable.

Review by Film Companion

Shaji Azeez’s first film Wolf, based on writer GR Indugopan’s short story Chennaya, starts off promisingly. Sanjay (Arjun Ashokan) takes a detour on his way home to visit his fiancé Asha (Samyukta Menon) a couple of weeks before they are due to get married. But when he gets there, she’s not pleasantly surprised nor is she excited to see him. There’s an obvious indifference in her attitude and she wants him to get out of there as soon as he can. The awkwardness is hilarious and you almost feel bad for the guy. They’re just days away from getting married but their ‘chemistry’ is that of total strangers being forced to speak to each other. Read the full review on Film Companion, here: bit.ly/3gz0nAD

Review by Rahul Radhakrishnan ★

വെൽഡൻ വാസു...

Review by Vinayan U R ★

Except for Irshad's excellent acting I cant pick anything good from this. The story from Indugopan is a huge letdown. The character arc is miserable. The female lead has no clue about her character. The director's job on most part seemed like asking his actors to utter what has been written.

Review by jafar sadique ★

ഒരു ലയർ ഉണ്ടാക്കി ആ ലയറിനുമുകളിൽ കഥാപാത്രങ്ങളെ സൃഷ്ടിച്ചു അവയെക്കൊണ്ട കഥ പറയിക്കുന്നതാണ് GR ഇന്ദുഗോപന്റെ രീതി. അത് കൊണ്ട് തന്നെ പുസ്തകം വായിച്ചു കൊണ്ടിരിക്കുമ്പോൾ ചില അത്ഭുതങ്ങൾ നടക്കും എന്നു നമ്മൾ പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുമെങ്കിലും വായിച്ചു തീരുന്നതോട് കൂടി ആ കഥാപാത്രങ്ങളും കഥയും പൂർണ്ണമായും വായനക്കാരന്റെ മനസ്സിൽ നിന്നും ഇല്ലാതാകും. അയാളുടെ കഥയെടുത്തു സിനിമയാക്കിയപ്പോയും അത് തന്നെ സംഭവിച്ചു. 🥱🥱

Review by stk ★★

movie started of brilliantly and it made me glued to the screen from the word go but then its gone all over the place. have lots of issues in the latter half and climax is the “shittiest” climax i have ever seen. frequent story about animals and south africa reminded me of well done vaasu of kunjiramayanam. writer.....were u high writing this?

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'Wolf' review: Engaging psychological drama with shaky third act

Wolf, directed by Shaji Azeez and coming from the imagination of GR Indugopan, one of contemporary Malayalam literature’s most gifted storytellers, has enough factors that make for a riveting mind game. Like Love and Irul before it, a house becomes a playground for intense characters. For a large part of its runtime, its three principal actors have us in a vice-like grip until a baffling climax brings everything down. Fortunately, Wolf is no Irul (it doesn’t have a casting problem like the latter), but both films have a shaky third act that undoes everything that came before. 

Based on Indugopan’s short story, Chennaya, Wolf opens with Sanjay (Arjun Ashokan) on the way to see his would-be, Asha (Samyuktha Menon), hoping to surprise her. When she opens the door, she is surprised, alright—and visibly agitated too. The first half belongs entirely to Arjun and Samyuktha, who effectively deliver one anxiety-inducing moment after another. It soon becomes apparent that these two are not a match made in heaven. She doesn’t want him there for reasons valid from her point of view—and, of course, us. Every minute he spends at her home makes us more uncomfortable. 

Asha has a conservative mother who is not at home at the moment, and the daughter worries that Sanjay’s presence at this hour will turn her into gossip fodder. (The suspicious mom sounds like the male version of another Indugopan creation, Amminipilla, from his brilliant short story, Amminipilla Vettu Case). Besides, Asha sees Sanjay’s short-temper and rude manners—even to his close female friends—as good enough reasons for not wanting him as her better half.

She expresses her doubts about spending the rest of her life with him. He gets increasingly irritated and is desperate to ensure that he wouldn’t be this way after their marriage. But we also get the sense that Asha is hiding something from us. To make matters worse, the PM announces the lockdown on the same night. Her mother won’t get home on time, and since Sanjay’s residence is hours away, the cops stationed outside her home (Shine Tom Chacko, Jaffer Idukki) forbid him from travel.

 The film only gets more intense after a third character, Joe (Irshad), enters the picture; but our amusement lasts only up to a certain point. In an interview with us, Shaji Azeez called the third character a ‘surprise’ and, with that in mind, I won’t describe who this man is and why he is in the story. But it would be safe to say that Shaji and Indugopan use him to launch a discourse on the intricacies of the male-female dynamics, the deeply entrenched patriarchal mindset of Indian men, a woman’s agency when it comes to her personal choices, and how someone’s ‘image’ on social media doesn’t necessarily tell you who they really are. Though Sanjay’s character traits are clear to us, we later realise that the other two characters are not exactly what they led us to believe initially. 

For the most part, the film gives us the effect of watching a tightly constructed play, aided by appropriate staging and camera movements. It’s fun to see the three characters slowly unravelling their true selves. The interplay reminded me of the Mike Nichols film Closer. However, Wolf has a problem: the inconsistency in character development. The primary issue here is the contradictory behaviour of the characters—none of them stays faithful to their arc. They sometimes exhibit behaviour that makes one wonder if one person is trying to be three different people. They seem not sure of themselves but like to make you believe that they are. 

When the film ends, all three characters undergo unconvincing character transformations, making one feel cheated. (The climax reminded me of a popular Shaji Kailas film scripted by Ranjith. You may remember the title once you see Wolf.) After all those long, colourful, and occasionally insightful dialogues, you wonder why a couple of characters decided to take a different route in the end. And I’m still trying to make sense of the casting of Shine Tom Chacko and Jaffer Idukki as those policemen. Were they necessary?  Perhaps Wolf had the potential to be another debate-worthy film like Ishq or even The Great Indian Kitchen, but that ending...

Film: Wolf Director: Shaji Azeez Cast: Arjun Ashokan, Samyuktha Menon, Irshad Streaming on: Zee5

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Wolf Malayalam Movie

Wolf is a 2021 Indian movie directed by Shaji Azeez starring Arjun Asokan, Samyuktha Menon, Shine Tom Chacko and Jaffer Idukki. The feature film is produced by Santhosh Damodaran and the music composed by Ranjin Raj.

Director: Shaji Azeez Producer: Santhosh Damodaran Music Director: Ranjin Raj Song Lyrics Writer: Harinarayanan Cinematographer: Faiz Siddik Editor: Noufal Abdullah Art Designer: Jothish Shankar Screenplay Writer: G R Indugopan Dialogue Writer: G R Indugopan Original Story Writer: G R Indugopan

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• Samyuktha Menon, Shine Tom Chacko, Jaffer Idukki Starrer Wolf Malayalam Movie Review Rating

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Wolf Crew Info

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Wolf

In this Wolf film, Arjun Ashokan , Samyuktha Menon played the primary leads.

The Wolf was released in theaters on 18 Apr 2021.

The Wolf was directed by Shaji Azees

Movies like Paalum Pazhavum , Haal , Bharathanatyam and others in a similar vein had the same genre but quite different stories.

The Wolf had a runtime of 113 minutes.

The soundtracks and background music were composed by Ranjin Raj for the movie Wolf.

The cinematography for Wolf was shot by Faiz Siddik .

The movie Wolf belonged to the Thriller, genre.

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mathur 1223 Days Ago

Good movie. anxiety to the end. but climax should have been another ways. very less scene for Shine Tom Chacko.

Manoj 1224 Days Ago

Movie revolves around a thin script which can be finished off within 15 mts as a short film. Even though the running time is close to 2 hrs, I felt exhausted and fatigue. Direction is absolute non-sense with no sense towards any logic or story line..

Aayna 1225 Days Ago

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Naked but not afraid, a young man roams the forest, growling in all fours. He behaves like a beast. To him, this is not a theatrical exercise but the true manifestation of his instincts. In Nathalie Biancheri's offbeat drama “Wolf,” he is one in a group of teenagers convinced their fragile human bodies don’t correspond with their animal identities. Their condition, described as “species dysphoria,” ostracizes them from society.

For Jacob ( George MacKay ), the wolf in question, being admitted into a facility where those afflicted receive corrective treatment is a last frontier between fulfilling his parents’ wish for normalcy or running wild without remorse.

Jacob steps into a pack of fellow patients and meets among several others, Rufus ( Fionn O'Shea ), who thinks of himself as a lovable German Shepherd, and love interest Wildcat ( Lily-Rose Depp ), a long house-trained resident under the thumb of a key staff member. Some of them have a hard time adjusting, and get “prop privileges” to wear costumes that bring them closer to their desired form. Despite what it entails, the setup is never played for laughs, but the opposite. Their desperation has a deep sadness. 

But for as much writer/director Biancheri pumps copious ideas into this concept, the solemn tone and lack of thematic focus renders the overwrought outing underwhelming. A premise like this would have been more effective had it been executed with the acidity of someone like director Yorgos Lanthimos , in which the premise could unfold as satirical commentary rather than straightforward indignation. 

Still, as it stands, there’s notable value in her direction of a cast that goes along with the quasi-bizarre premise without falling into caricature. The ensemble’s devotion to the animal conducts and sounds, to the detriment of their characters’ mental health in this brutal environment, elicits in one a decidedly uncomfortable reaction.

Utterly committed to the part, MacKay is the film’s most absorbing asset; his feral physicality convinces us that Jacob harbors zero doubt about his most fulfilling state. And when finally in front of a real wolf, he seems at ease. As they howl together, a fleeting sense of recognition is sparked. MacKay’s unmannered raw turn perseveres in holding our tested attention amid the mostly haphazard plot.

MacKay stares at his companions in pain with a conflicted gaze, half compassion and half pity. He is almost perpetually stoic. Jacob puts honest effort into trying to change for the sake of his bipedal family, but as the torment increases the less he can contain his truth—one he recalls feeling from an early age.

It’s in his romance with Wildcat, played proficiently by Depp as someone blatantly pretending to suffer from the same ills as the others to belong, that Michal Dymek ’s cinematography is the most in sync with the content. As Wolf and Wildcat gnaw at each other with playful aggressiveness, the fluid shots emulate the spontaneity of their movement, changing in speed and closeness.

Conveniently, none of the creatures these kids choose to mimic are farm animals raised for human consumption. No cows, chickens, or pigs are among them. Instead only pets, wild creatures, and a horse comprise the main cast. Since the film strives to draw parallels connecting this fiction to oppressive conventions applicable to issues closer to our common reality, considering modern human’s carnivore tendencies in relation to these adolescents seems like an obvious entry point into speciesism.

The most overt concern in Biancheri’s “Wolf” is mankind’s certainty of its superiority over all leaving creatures. An inexplicably villainous "zookeeper" ( Paddy Considine ), ruler of this domain of brutality, repeats phrases alluding to that internalized grandeur, begging us to realize what he claims is wrong. Late in the tale, he asserts his leadership position like a lion in a jungle would, hinting at his own savage inclinations.

There are scenes in "Wolf" in which the antagonist forces the teens to recognize their humanity, making them aware of their inability to carry out activities their animal counterpart naturally could. One of the guys breaks a nail attempting to climb a tree like a squirrel would, while a young woman in full parrot attire is asked to jump off a window and fly, until she breaks down admitting to her girlhood. These traumatic results prove all of them to be conscious of their reality.

But is it performance for all of them, except Jacob? If that’s the case, does the film imply that not everyone who claims to have been born in an incorrect body is to be believed? Taking stock of the conundrums introduced, the most essential query remains a basic one: what is Biancheri trying to communicate? Is it likening these situations to conversion therapy camps or the treatment of trans people? If so, the allegory feels murky at best. 

Now playing in theaters.

Carlos Aguilar

Originally from Mexico City, Carlos Aguilar was chosen as one of 6 young film critics to partake in the first Roger Ebert Fellowship organized by RogerEbert.com, the Sundance Institute and Indiewire in 2014. 

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Film Credits

Wolf (2021)

Rated R for some abusive behavior, sexuality, nudity and language.

George MacKay as Jacob

Lily-Rose Depp as Wildcat

Paddy Considine as The Zookeper

Fionn O'Shea as German Shepherd

Lola Petticrew as Parrot

Senan Jennings as Duck

Darragh Shannon as Squirrel

Elisa Fionuir as Horse

Amy Macken as Spider

Helen Behan as Jacob's Mother

Shelley Atkinson as Squirrel's Mother

• Nathalie Biancheri

Cinematographer

• Michal Dymek
• Andonis Trattos
• Stefan Wesolowski

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• Vinu Venkatesh
• Prabhu Deva
• Anju Kurian
• Vasishta N. Simha

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