Several movies have been made on the story of an expatriate and such movies often dealt with nostalgia about the homeland. Director Shyamaprasad's latest Malayalam movie English is one such attempt, which deals with the lives of a few Malayalis settled in London.
But the film is different from other attempts the the director has steered away from the oft-discussed emotion nostalgia. Rather he focuses on the dynamics of the lives of the expatriates. Written by Ajayan Venugopal, English is a family drama with slight tinges of black humour and satire. Lead actors' performances are the main attraction in it. Ajayan's interesting story, Shyamaprasad's gripping narration, Rex Vijayan's music, Udayan Ambady's cinematography and a few humours moments are the other highlights of the film.
English revolves around four individuals from diverse backgrounds and their families, who live in a London. Films against a foreign backdrop usually focus more on the glamour quotient of the place, but moving away from this trend, the director throws light on the psychology of the lead characters. He tries to show how they react when they are put in different condition. Shankardas (Jayasurya) is a Kathakali artist who reaches London due to certain circumstances.
He wishes to return to his native place but has to face difficulties as he cannot return. Nikhil (Nivin Pauly) is an IT professional in London who enjoys his London life to its maximum. He is born and brought up in Gulf. Gauri (Remya Nambeesan) reaches London to live with her husband. Joy (Mukesh) who runs a corner store in London, lives with his wife Saly (Sona Nair), children, his mother and brother. Another family is that of Dr Ram (Murali Menon) and his wife Saraswati (Nadiya Moidu). Saraswati belongs to a traditional Brahmin family who finds herself very difficult to adjust to life in London.