Habeebi Review Rating:
Star Cast: Kasthuri Raja, Malavika Manoj, Esha M, Dhanasree Sudhakaran
Director: Meera Kathiravan
What’s Good: Plot, music, concept
What’s Bad: Second Half losing focus
Loo Break: Anytime
Watch or Not?: Definitely a worthy watch as each person will have different takeaways
Language: Tamil
Available On: Sony LIV
Runtime: 125 Minutes
User Rating:
Meera Kathiravan’s film Habeebi has debuted on Sony LIV roughly a month after its theatrical release. The picture offers a close-up look at a Muslim family, tracking their domestic life, relationships, and adaptation to shifting eras. Immediately apparent from the start is the refreshing portrayal of Muslim lives in India. Eschewing the heavy melodrama and affectation typical of Indian cinema, Habeebi presents a grounded, straightforward depiction of the community while honoring the personal needs, ambitions, and desires of its characters.
Translated into English, Habeebi means “My Dear.” The narrative centers on Mohammed Yousuf, the patriarch of a Tamil Muslim household situated near Tirunelveli. At the core of the story is the romance between Abu Thahir (Esha M) and Nilofar (Malavika Manoj). Their youthful affection sparks local friction and alters the course of their individual lives, ultimately tracking Abu Thahir through the enduring fallout of a single event.
Habeebi Movie Review: Script Analysis
The story tracks Yousuf (Kasthuri Raja) and his relatives across a timeline stretching from 1980 to 2023. Yousuf operates a pit loom at home, preserving a centuries-old family trade whose rhythmic clatter served as his childhood lullaby—a tradition he carried on with his own children. However, the 1980s industrial revolution brought automated machines that threatened to replace the handlooms. Even as his loom business struggled, Yousuf stubbornly refused to abandon the craft.
Mirroring a broader trend among young people, his younger brother heads to West Asia in search of better financial prospects. This marked the start of an era where young men from southern India sought financial security abroad, often at the price of prolonged separation from spouses left behind in lonely hometowns.
Parallel to this, neighbors Abu Thahir and Nilofar fall in love. In a conservative society that prizes pride over personal feelings, their romance is stifled. The situation culminates when Abu Thahir accepts a theft accusation rather than exposing his feelings for Nilofar, thereby shielding her from social disgrace.
While the first half excels at exploring how people navigate changing times, the second half loses its narrative grip, turning gloomy and confusing.
Habeebi Movie Review: Star Performance
Kasthuri Raja portrays the patriarch struggling to accept the death of his family’s pit loom business as industrial machinery takes over. Though initially resistant to youth traveling overseas for work, he is ultimately forced to let his own son follow that same path. Raja infuses the role of Yousuf with considerable depth, balancing a stern exterior with deep care for his family, particularly his son Abu Thahir.
The presence of mostly newcomer actors lends an unpretentious, refreshing quality to the ensemble and highlights their characters’ innocence. Yet, as the timeline advances and the emotional demands turn more complex, the fresh cast struggles to pull off these shifts convincingly.
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Habeebi Movie Review: Direction, Music
Director Meera Kathiravan and writer VS Mohammed Ammeen establish a world that feels genuine rather than theatrical. An early highlight features Yousuf’s younger brother in Riyadh mailing audio cassettes to his wife to chronicle his absence, while she replies with cassette tapes detailing her daily routine, family updates, and the ache of missing him.
This stands out as one of the picture’s finest segments, capturing a long-distance reality often ignored in films focused on migrant workers. The narrative also weaves in traditional Muslim rituals naturally, incorporating subtle themes of secularism without sounding preachy.
Although the romance between Abu Thahir and Nilofar forms the main plot, the narrative rushes through time so quickly that viewers miss the chance to connect with or empathize with the couple. Conversely, the second half drags on scenes that could have been shortened, including Yousuf’s funeral.
The evolution of women within the community serves as an intriguing touch. Malavika Manoj’s Nilofar speaks very little, mostly confining her dialogue to exchanges with female friends. In contrast, Parveena—who later becomes Abu Thahir’s suitor—is an outspoken advocate for free speech. Though clad in an abaya, she champions the power of words, noting that silence does not equal obedience and can instead signal disrespect. The script contains several such thoughtful details.
Even so, the second half stumbles by rushing through these nuances, steering focus away from the core plot and the characters that audiences bonded with during the opening half.
Sam CS’s score provides strong support, frequently advancing the narrative and giving weight to the characters’ internal emotional states.
Habeebi Movie Review: The Last Word
Overall, the project is a commendable attempt to chart the decades-long journey of a Tamil Muslim household, offering a window into their traditions and how the community adapts over time.
If you really want to experience the 80s, maybe ChatGPT isn’t the way to do it. Give this beautiful film a chance.
2.5 stars!
Habeebi Trailer
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