Journey of Love 18+

Journey of Love 18+ is a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language coming-of-age comedy drama film directed by Arun D. Jose. The film stars Naslen K. Gafoor, alongside Mathew Thomas, Nikhila Vimal and Binu Pappu. Set in North Malabar, the plot follows Akhil and Athira's affair and the situations they face after their elopement and marriage.

This article is about the 2023 Malayalam film. For other uses, see Journey of Love (disambiguation).
Journey of Love 18+
Theatrical release poster
Directed byArun D. Jose
Screenplay by
  • Arun D. Jose
  • Raveesh Nath
Story byRajesh Varikkoli
Produced by
  • Anumod Bose
  • G. Prajith
  • Manoj P. K. Menon
  • Jini K. Gopinath
Starring
CinematographySatheesh Kurup
Edited byChaman Chakko
Music byChristo Xavier
Production
companies
  • Falooda Entertainments
  • Reels Magic
Distributed byIcon Cinemas
Release date
  • 7 July 2023 (2023-July-07)[1]
Running time
123 minutes[2]
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam

Principal photography commenced on 20 January 2023 in Vadakara. The film was released on 7 July 2023 and received mixed reviews from critics.[3][4]

Plot

Athira is the daughter of Raveendran, a political party's local secretary. She is in love with Akhil, a party worker. Athira calls Akhil one day and says she is ready to come with him. Akhil discusses the matter with his close friends, Renju and Pattar. Renju suggests that they should go and meet Rajesh, a tipper driver who eloped and married.

Akhil, Renju, and Pattar go to Rajesh's house and ask for help. Rajesh initially refuses to help them after learning Akhil's relationship is with the local secretary's daughter, but subsequently decides to help them. Rajesh suggests to Akhil and his friends that the wedding should be arranged in a temple in Taliparamba, which will cost some money. On the occasion of a human chain organized by the local political party, a fully charged mobile phone battery is handed over to Athira by Pattar as per Rajesh's instruction. Akhil approaches his mother for money for the wedding, which she arranges through a bid.

A strike led by Athira's elder brother Arjun to the BSNL office turns violent, and the party declares a 24-hour hartal. Akhil and his friends meet Rajesh to talk about the preparations for the wedding, and Rajesh instructs them to make all necessary arrangements as quickly as possible. On the day of the hartal, Akhil and his friends organize the wedding saree, blouse, and thaali. At night, Akhil arrives at Athira's house without anyone knowing and takes her along with Ranju and Pattar, who were waiting outside with a car.

The next day, Akhil and Athira get married at a temple in Taliparamba with Rajesh's help. Akhil's father tells him to stay away for a few days. Rajesh suggests to Akhil and his friends that they should temporarily move to Mookambika for two days. After checking into a hotel, Rajesh receives a call about the death of Athira's grandmother, and everyone decides to go to Athira's house. Raveendran beats Akhil and makes a scene after seeing his eloped daughter with him. Rajesh helps Athira, Akhil, Renju, and Pattar escape. At Akhil's request, Rajesh takes them to Akhil's aunt's house in Kuttiady.

Upon a missing case filed by Athira's family, police locate and present Akhil and Athira in court. Rajesh finds advocate Satish to plead for Akhil and Athira in court. Satish submits the photograph and the temple register as proof of marriage. However, Raveendran's lawyer proves that Athira is not 18 years old by producing her SSLC certificate. Satish checks the certificate and says that Athira will turn 18 in 5 days. Magistrate Sony orders Athira to be taken to the children's home as she expresses her disinterest to return home.

Raveendran's lawyer reminds Arjun that once Athira reaches the age of 18, the court will allow them to live together, and Akhil should be stopped from reaching court. The police arrive at Akhil's house to arrest him in connection with a bus burning case. But Akhil's friend and party worker, Deepak, takes responsibility for it.

Before the case is heard in court, Raveendran makes some attempts to convince Athira to change her mind. Athira acts as if she agrees to everything. When the hearing of the case begins, Athira tells Sony that she wishes to go with Akhil and discloses her father's statement regarding Akhil's caste. As Athira has turned 18, the court accepts her decision to go with Akhil. Meanwhile, Akhil's younger brother plans to elope with his lover and marry once he turns 18.

Cast
  • Naslen K. Gafoor as Akhil
  • Meenakshi Dinesh as Athira
  • Mathew Thomas as Deepak
  • Nikhila Vimal as Sony, Judicial Magistrate
  • Rajesh Madhavan as Advocate Satish
  • Safwan as Renju, Akhil's friend
  • Anshid as Pattar, Akhil's friend
  • Binu Pappu as Rajesh
  • Manoj K. U. as Raveendran, Athira's father
  • Priya as Shobha, Athira's mother
  • Shyam Mohan as Arjun, Athira's brother
  • Kumar Sunil as Dineshan, Akhil's father
  • Nidhinya as Baby, Akhil's mother
  • Babu Annur as Mohanan, party worker

Production

Filming

Journey of Love 18+ is Arun D. Jose's second directorial after Jo and Jo.[5] It also marks the reunion of Naslen K. Gafoor, Mathew Thomas, and Nikhila Vimal, who played the lead characters in Jo and Jo.[6] The principal photography of the film began on 20 January 2023 in Vatakara.[7][8]

Soundtrack
Journey of Love 18+
Soundtrack album by
Christo Xavier
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length15:26
LanguageMalayalam
LabelThink Music India

The music for the film is composed by Christo Xavier.[9] The first song, "Maarante Pennalle", was released on 10 June 2023. The lyrical video titled "Kalyana Raavaane" was released on 30 June 2023.[10]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Maarante Pennalle"Vaisakh SugunanYogi Sekar3:17
2."Kalyana Raavaane"Suhail KoyaMuhammad Mubas, Yogi Sekar, Christo Xavier3:15
3."Kaanal Kinaave"Vinayak SasikumarChristo Xavier4:39
4."Thee Veyilil"Vaisakh SugunanGowry Lekshmi4:15
Total length:15:26

Release

Theatrical

The film was released in theatres on 7 July 2023.[11]

Home media

SonyLIV obtained the film's digital rights and began streaming it on 15 September 2023.[12][13]

Box office

The film grossed ₹2.5 crore (US$310,000) at the Kerala box office after four days of release.[14] After ten days, the film grossed over ₹5 crore (US$630,000) worldwide, with Kerala box office accounting for nearly ₹4.1 crore (US$510,000).[4]

Reception

Critical reception

S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote "Director Arun D. Jose cannot muster up any chemistry between the lead pair, while the politics in the film is merely a prop except at a few points."[15] Princy Alexander of Onmanorama wrote "Overall, the film has a good, youthful vibe. However, it is not as free-flowing as it's predecessors of the same genre, like 'Thanneer Mathan Dinangal', among others."[16] Subhash K. Jha of Times Now gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "For a film about a recycled Romeo & Juliet, Journey Of Love 18+ is a surprisingly reposeful film. A slap here and an abuse there, but otherwise the lovers face no major hurdles even during the climax when, traditionally, all hell should have broken loose."[17] A critic of The Times of India gave 3 out of 5 stars.[18]

Raymond John Kuriachan of OTTPlay gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Despite its familiar template, Naslen and Meenakshi's Journey of Love 18+ succeeds in becoming a light-hearted comedy."[19] Arjun Ramachandran of The South First gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "The Naslen and Meenakshi-starrer is vocal about political parties, their double standards, infightings, and caste politics."[20] Vignesh Madhu of Cinema Express gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "At a time when mediocre thrillers and vapid feel-good dramas are a dime a dozen in Malayalam cinema, such well-packaged fun films are indeed a breath of fresh air."[21]

References
  1. "Journey Of Love 18+UA". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2023-07-07. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  2. "Journey Of Love 18 Plus". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  3. "'18+' Makers share fascinating making video of the Mathew Thomas - Naslen starrer". The Times of India. 2023-07-12. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  4. "'18+' box office collections day 10: Mathew Thomas-Naslen's comedy film rakes in more than Rs 5 crores". The Times of India. 2023-07-18. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  5. "Filmmaker Arun D Jose's 18+ Is A Quirky Take On Elopement". News18. 2023-06-21. Archived from the original on 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  6. Ramachandran, Arjun (2023-07-13). "I wanted people to understand caste politics: Director Arun D Jose". The South First. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  7. "18+ movie | 'ജോ ആൻഡ് ജോയ്ക്ക്' ശേഷം മാത്യു, നസ്‌ലൻ, നിഖില; 18+ വടകരയിൽ". News18 Malayalam (in Malayalam). 2023-01-20. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  8. "Journey of Love 18+ (2023) - Mallu Release | Watch Malayalam Full Movies". Archived from the original on 2023-08-12. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  9. "Naslen K Gafoor, Mathew Thomas-starrer 18 Plus' first look poster out". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  10. Madhu, Vignesh (2023-07-01). "Kalyana Raavane song from 18 Plus out". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  11. "Arun D Jose's Malayalam Film 18+ Is Set To Hit The Theatres On June 7". News18. 2023-07-06. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  12. PTI. "Malayalam romantic comedy 'Journey of Love 18+' to stream on SonyLIV from September 15". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 2023-09-06. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  13. Features, CE (2023-09-05). "Naslen K Gafoor, Mathew Thomas's 18 Plus gets an OTT release date". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2023-09-06. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  14. "'18+' Box office collections day 4: Mathew Thomas - Naslen starrer mints Rs 2.5 crores". The Times of India. 2023-07-14. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  15. Praveen, S. R. (2023-07-07). "'Journey of Love 18+' movie review: Average fare despite all the progressive sprinkling". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  16. Alexander, Princy (2023-07-07). "Journey of Love 18+ review: Plenty to laugh and think about". Onmanorama. Archived from the original on 2023-08-12. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  17. K. Jha, Subhash (2023-09-19). "Journey Of Love 18+ Movie Review: Meenakshi Dinesh, Nasleen Film Is A Sedate Elopement Excursion". Times Now. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  18. "18+ Movie Review : A slow, elopement drama". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  19. Kuriachan, Raymond John (2023-07-07). "Journey of Love 18+ review: A few hilarious moments, performances save this film". OTTPlay. Archived from the original on 2023-08-24. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  20. Ramachandran, Arjun (2023-07-07). "18 Plus review: Director Arun D Jose's rom-com criticises casteism in Kerala". The South First. Archived from the original on 2023-07-09. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  21. Madhu, Vignesh (2023-07-08). "18+ Movie Review: Fun, young and vibrant entertainer". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
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