https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Comrade_in_AmericaComrade in America - Revision history2026-07-31T04:29:05ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Comrade_in_America&diff=162542&oldid=prev2402:8100:3917:65F5:3641:722B:5564:B975 at 10:10, 1 September 20212021-09-01T10:10:41Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{short description|2017 film directed by Amal Neerad}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2017}}<br />
{{Infobox film<br />
| name = Comrade in America<br />
| image = Comrade in America.jpg<br />
| caption = Theatrical release poster<br />
| director = [[Amal Neerad]]<br />
| producer = Amal Neerad<ref>{{cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/comrade-in-america-teaser-dulquer-salmaan-communist-act-is-the-highlight-watch-video-4592798/|title=Comrade In America teaser: Dulquer Salmaan's Communist act is the highlight. Watch video|website=Indian Express}}</ref><br />
| writer = [[Shibin Francis]]<br />
| story = <br />
| starring = {{ubl|[[Dulquer Salmaan]]|[[Karthika Muralidharan]]|[[Siddique (actor)|Siddique]]|[[Dileesh Pothan]]|[[Soubin Shahir]]|[[John Vijay]]|[[Chandini Sreedharan]]}}<br />
| music = [[Gopi Sunder]]<br />
| cinematography = [[Renadive]]<br />
| editing = [[Praveen Prabhakar]]<br />
| studio = [[Amal Neerad Productions]]<br />
| distributor = A - Release<br />
| released = {{Film date|2017|05|05|df=y}}<br />
| runtime = <br />
| country = [[India]]<br />
| language = [[Malayalam]]<br />
| budget = <!--Must be attributed to a reliable published source with an established reputation for fact-checking. No blogs, no IMDb.--><br />
| gross = 27 cr <br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''''Comrade in America''''' (abbreviated as '''''CIA''''') is a 2017 Indian [[Malayalam]]-language [[Action film|action thriller]] film directed by [[Amal Neerad]], starring [[Dulquer Salmaan]] and [[Karthika Muralidharan]] in the lead roles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/fahadh-faasil-s-voice-dulquer-salmaan-s-cia-61895|title=Fahadh Faasil's voice in Dulquer Salmaan's 'CIA'|website=The News Minute|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> The music is composed by [[Gopi Sundar]], and [[Renadive]] handles the cinematography Stunt:-Mark Chavarria<br />
.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/malayalam/2017/mar/30/dulquer-salmaan-releases-comrade-in-america---cia-first-teaser-1587821.html|title=Dulquer Salmaan releases Comrade in America - CIA first teaser|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> The film released on 5 May, also the birth date of [[Karl Marx]].<ref>[http://english.manoramaonline.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2017/05/05/cia-comrade-in-america-dulquer-salmaan-amal-neerad-movie-review.html CIA Movie Review]</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Dulquer Salmaan's next titled 'CIA: Comrade In America'|url=http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/Dulquer-Salmaans-next-titled-CIA-Comrade-In-America/article17137250.ece|accessdate=3 February 2017|work=The Hindu}}</ref> The film revolves around the travel of Aji ([[Dulquer Salmaan]]), a [[communist]] from [[Kerala]] who travels to the [[United States]] illegally via [[Latin America]] and [[Mexico|Mexican border]] to get to his girlfriend Sarah ([[Karthika Muralidharan]]) in time before she is forced to marry another person.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/reviews/story/comrade-in-america-movie-review-dulquer-salmaan-amal-neerad-975664-2017-05-07|title=Comrade in America movie review: Dulquer Salmaan's film is let down by a convoluted plot|last=ChennaiMay 7|first=Srivatsan|last2=May 7|first2=2017UPDATED|website=India Today|language=en|access-date=2019-09-04|last3=Ist|first3=2017 10:04}}</ref><br />
<br />
== Plot ==<br />
Aji Mathew ([[Dulquer Salmaan]]) is a youngster from [[Palai|Pala]] and is a strong [[communist]]. He comes from a [[Kerala Congress|Kerala Congress Party]] family, where his rich father, Mathew ([[Siddique (actor)|Siddique]]), is a prominent leader in the party. Aji falls in love with Sarah ([[Karthika Muralidharan]]), an [[Americans|American]] citizen who came to Kerala for her college studies. After getting to know one other, Sarah asks Aji to leave India and move to the US with her. Aji denies this request, as his motherland has given him everything and he cannot live in a totally capitalistic country. Within weeks, he receives news from his comrade Hari ([[Dileesh Pothan]]) that Sara's parents have taken her back to the [[United States]] and that she intends to marry another man. Aji desperately wants to meet with her, even if they cannot be married.<br />
<br />
He finds out that there is no way that he can get a visa within the period of the marriage and so decides to [[illegal immigration to the United States|illegally enter to the United States]] through [[Mexico]] as suggested by his cousin Cyril ([[Jinu Joseph]]), who is in America. Aji first goes to [[Nicaragua]], where a visa is not needed. There, he meets Arul ([[John Vijay]]), a [[Sinhalese people|Sri Lankan]] Tamil taxi driver. Together, they decide to go to America. Then both travel to [[Reynosa]] in Mexico, where they find a guide to lead them across the borders safely.<br />
<br />
Aji meets others in their group, who are also trying to cross over illegally. He becomes friends with Pallavi ([[Chandini Sreedharan]]), a Malayalee in their group. The group is cheated by their guide who robs them and escapes after the first day. Instead of dropping the plan, Akai, a Chinese man among them, says that he has a GPS and can find the route to the US. Through the journey, they encounter an armed gang but they are defeated by the group with Aji's initiation for offence. Arul, after encountering an accident, decides to drop the plan and return to Nicaragua.<br />
<br />
As the journey continues, they are found by surveillance drones. Aji, along with Pallavi, Akai and Laden (a Pakistani immigrant) escape. The American police capture other illegal immigrants and are shown the dead body of Arul, asking if they know him. Aji and Laden are captured by the police after trying to cross the border to the US. As they are transported, the police vehicle gets into an accident, and both of them manage to escape. Pallavi then leaves Aji to proceed ahead.<br />
<br />
Aji finds his cousin Cyril ([[Jinu Joseph]]), who tells him that he met with Sarah, who told him that she has already rejected Aji, and has agreed to marry the other man. He says she might have called Aji initially to self-validate her position with him before marrying another person. Aji, along with Cyril, goes to meet Sarah on her wedding day as his father had insisted, and Aji conveys to her that it was good that they separated, and the experience that his journey gave him was one of the most memorable in his life.<br />
<br />
Later, when Aji is about to leave, Cyril says "Our first love should never ever become successful!. If it does, then our life will end there" and asks Aji to stay back, as his he might be permanently banned from re-entering the US, and also says that if Aji wants to stay, he can make arrangements. Aji denies his offer and jokes to him that he has now found an alternative for a side dish for consuming [[alcoholic beverages]] and says that his homeland calls him.<br />
<br />
On the plane, he meets Pallavi. She explains that she got arrested along with Akai, and both of them are getting deported back to [[India]] and [[China]]. They then embark on their journey together back to India.<br />
<br />
In a post-credits scene, it explains that Aji's political opinions were not a success either since Kora Sir, the local Kerala Congress leader, won the election and so did [[Donald Trump]] in the US.<br />
<br />
== Cast ==<br />
{{colbegin}}<br />
* [[Dulquer Salmaan]] as Aji “Ajjippaan” Mathew <br />
* [[Karthika Muralidharan]] as Sarah Mary Kurien<br />
* [[Chandini Sreedharan]] as Pallavi<br />
* [[Siddique (actor)|Siddique]] as Mathews<br />
* [[Parvathi T]] as Lissy<br />
* [[Soubin Shahir]] as Joemon<br />
* [[Dileesh Pothan]] as Hari<br />
* Emmanuel Mani as Protestor<br />
* [[Jinu Joseph]] as Cyril<br />
* [[John Vijay]] as Arul Jebaraj Peter<br />
* Sumit Naval as [[Che Guevara]]<br />
* [[Sal Yusuf]] as [[Karl Marx]]<br />
* [[Maniyanpilla Raju]] as Babychan<br />
* [[Sujith Shankar]] as Manoj<br />
* Sandeep Narayanan as police officer<br />
* Rosshan Chandra as Bus Driver<br />
* [[Alencier Ley Lopez]]<br />
* [[V. K. Sreeraman]] (Guest Appearance)<br />
* [[Surabhi Lakshmi]] as Deepa<br />
* Harilal as Priest [[Palai]]<br />
* Prof. C.R. Omanakuttan as Kora Sir<br />
* Paul Nguyen Cuong as Akai<br />
* Amala Shaji as Choir girl in Church (Palai)<br />
{{colend}}<br />
<br />
==Soundtrack==<br />
{{Infobox album<br />
| name = Comrade in America<br />
| type = Soundtrack<br />
| artist = [[Gopi Sundar]]<br />
| cover =<br />
| alt =<br />
| released = 2017<br />
| recorded =<br />
| venue =<br />
| studio =<br />
| genre = [[Film soundtrack]]<br />
| length = 17:07<br />
| label = Gopi Sundar Music Company<br />
| producer = Gopi Sundar<br />
| prev_title = [[1971: Beyond Borders]]<br />
| prev_year = 2017<br />
| next_title = [[Sathya (2017 Malayalam film)|Sathya]]<br />
| next_year = 2017<br />
| misc = {{External media<br />
| audio1 = {{YouTube|TCYWJbAW7KM|Official Audio Jukebox}}}}<br />
}}<br />
All the songs are composed by [[Gopi Sundar]] and are released online through the composer's own YouTube channel titled Gopi Sundar Music Company.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/comrade-in-america-song-kannil-kannil-is-a-beautiful-melody-dulquer-salmaan-watch-video-4572116/|title=Comrade In America song: Kannil Kannil is a beautiful melody, watch video|date=2017-03-16|website=The Indian Express|language=en-IN|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref><br />
{{Tracklist<br />
| headline = Track listing<br />
| total_length = <br />
| extra_column = Singer(s)<br />
| title1 = Kannil Kannil<br />
| extra1 = [[Haricharan]], [[Sayanora Philip]]<br />
| length1 = 4:09<br />
| lyrics1 = [[Rafeeq Ahammed]]<br />
| title2 = Dulquer Theme<br />
| extra2 = [[Gopi Sundar]]<br />
| length2 = 2:21<br />
| title3 = Kerala Manninayi<br />
| extra3 = [[Dulquer Salmaan]], [[Vaikom Vijayalakshmi]], G. Sreeram<br />
| length3 = 4:06<br />
| lyrics3 = B. K. Harinarayanan<br />
| title4 = Vaanam Thilathilakkanu<br />
| extra4 = [[Dulquer Salmaan]], [[Mohammed Maqbool Mansoor]], Carolina<br />
| length4 = 3:49<br />
| lyrics4 = [[Rafeeq Ahammed]], Carolina (Spanish), Mohammed Maqbool Mansoor (Hindi)<br />
| title5 = African Music Theme<br />
| extra5 = Gopi Sundar<br />
| length5 = 1:14<br />
| title6 = Love Theme<br />
| extra6 = Gopi Sundar<br />
| length6 = 0:22<br />
| title7 = Party Office Theme<br />
| extra7 = Gopi Sundar<br />
| length7 = 0:28<br />
| title8 = CIA Sentiments Theme<br />
| extra8 = Gopi Sundar<br />
| length8 = 0:54<br />
| all_writing = <br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Reception==<br />
=== Critical response ===<br />
''Comrade in America'' received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Writing for [[The Times of India|''Times of India'']], Sanjith Sidhardhan said that "The film is an entertaining affair, which has humour, drama, great visuals, a good soundtrack and most of all, a splendid performance by Dulquer."<ref>{{Citation|title=Comrade in America Review {3.5/5}: CIA is an entertaining affair, which has humour, drama, great visuals, a good soundtrack and most of all, a splendid performance by Dulquer|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movie-reviews/comrade-in-america-cia/movie-review/58530833.cms|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> Anu James of ''[[International Business Times]]'' gave 3.5 stars out of five and wrote that "Comrade in America is an entertaining flick with Dulquer's impressive performance, few one-liners, beautiful picturisation, catchy music and after all with Amal Neerad touch. It is not just a movie to hail communism, and degrade others; communism just exists in the background that becomes the life for Aji, unlike what we have seen in Oru Mexican Aparatha or Sakhavu."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ibtimes.co.in/dulquer-salmaans-comrade-america-cia-review-dq-impresses-his-journey-across-world-lady-love-725687|title=Dulquer Salmaan's Comrade in America (CIA) review: DQ impresses in his journey across the world for lady-love|last=James|first=Anu|date=2017-05-06|website=International Business Times, India Edition|language=english|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> Prem Udayabhanu of ''[[Malayala Manorama]]'' writes "Dulquer Salmaan is ushered in with the aura of a mass appearance and that sets the tempo of narrative, which also hinges on a beautiful father-son portrayal, though they are opposite poles in the political spectrum."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://english.manoramaonline.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2017/05/05/cia-comrade-in-america-dulquer-salmaan-amal-neerad-movie-review.html|title=Comrade in America review: Lofty ideals, simple joys, diverse terrains|website=OnManorama|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref><br />
<br />
Elizabeth Thomas, in her review for ''[[Deccan Chronicle]]'', gave 3.5 stars out of five and wrote that "CIA is, in many ways, a fresh attempt by Amal Neerad. It is different from his usual making style. The script by Shibin Francis takes a fresh plot, which makes the story interesting. Aji’s journey is told in a different tone and set in a new landscape, which is unfamiliar to the Malayali audience. Aji’s mass entry and his power-packed and quick-witted dialogues lift the mood of the movie."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/070517/movie-review-comrade-in-america-comrade-in-love.html|title=Movie review Comrade in America: Comrade in love|last=thomas|first=elizabeth|date=2017-05-07|website=Deccan Chronicle|language=en|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref><br />
<br />
== References == <br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* {{IMDb title |id=tt5925772 |title=CIA: Comrade in America (2017)}}<br />
<br />
{{Amal Neerad}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Indian films]]<br />
[[Category:2017 films]]<br />
[[Category:2010s Malayalam-language films]]<br />
[[Category:Indian action adventure films]]<br />
[[Category:Films set in Mexico]]<br />
[[Category:Films shot in Mexico]]<br />
[[Category:Films directed by Amal Neerad]]<br />
[[Category:Indian-American films]]</div>2402:8100:3917:65F5:3641:722B:5564:B975