Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, the Malayalam film co-written by Kiran Josey and Girish AD, opened to glowing reviews and has emerged as a huge box office success.

Published on: Sep 4, 2026, 06:09:20 IST

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Malayalam film Bethlehem Kudumba Unit released in theatres during Onam last month, and has turned into a box office success. The romantic drama directed by Girish AD, and starring Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju in lead roles, is now releasing in Tamil and Telugu. Ahead of the release on September 4, the film's co-writer Kiran Josey opened up on the film's warm reception, and reacted to the comparisons with Ohm Shanti Oshana.

When I ask Josey about the glowing reviews the film has received from critics and audiences alike, he says, “We are really happy with the response. Before release, I had not seen the movie and during the first day, first show, I only saw the second half. I had seen bits during the first cut of the film. I watched it during the release and was really happy to see how it came out. The music was really nice and the structure too. The performances really elevated the movie. A lot of messages came after the first day and they pointed out what they found the most beautiful in the film- which was really nice. I am happy and grateful.”

(Also read: Bethlehem Kudumba Unit review: Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju are note-perfect in a sweet, wondrous gift of a film)

On the car scenes in BKU

Some of the film's best scenes take place inside a car. It is a red Ford Ikon that Nivin's character Justin owns, where not only does he get a proposal but later, a moment of vulnerability too. The car becomes his safe abode, away from prying eyes. Josey reveals that the team had not thought of the car that way while making the film.

“We did not include that intentionally, and the car bits in the film came very organically. After release, there were so many writers and discussions and only then did we notice that the car has become one of the characters. We did not have a clear picture of the car, but we knew that Justin has an old car… but during the script stage we did not think of it as a prominent part intentionally. It came completely in an organic way,” he says.

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‘I am a very big fan of Nivin Pauly’

The writer then shares how Nivin Pauly was on board for the film even before him! “The story idea was with Girish AD from a long time, even before his first film [Thanneer Mathan Dinangal] so he wrote this character around that time. Nivin Pauly was one of the choices I think, and so when I came into the scripting stage, he was already on board for this character. It was Girish's choice. When we see Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, we can say that he was the perfect choice for that character. Of course I would love to write another character for him,” he adds.

The actor's performance in the film has been received positively, with many noting how the light rom-coms is where he shines the most. Kiran Josey adds that he is a big Nivin Pauly fan.

He shares, “Nivin is a very charming person and he can show his emotions [on screen] so nicely. I am a very big fan of Nivin Pauly. Premam [released in 2015] was the first film of him that I watched in a theatre, twice! I love him as an actor, the kinds of films he has done- be it Ohm Shanti Oshana, Oru Vadakkan Selfie, 1983… all of his films released during my college phase, so I truly like him as an actor and now as a person. I never even thought of writing a film which would have him but now that has happened!”

The comparisons of Bethlehem Kudumba Unit with Nivin's 2014 release, Ohm Shanti Oshana, has also been noted by many viewers. In OSO, Nivin starred opposite Nazriya Nazim. Both films deal with an age-gap romance. Josey admits where the audience might have found a link.

“People say this because of the age-difference part and also because in OSO, Nazriya Nazim's character took the initiative to show her interest in the man like Mamitha's Ashley in BKU. Then then there is Nivin Pauly in both films, so these are the only similarities I believe. Because otherwise, the characters in both these films are entirely different, and their situations are also different,” he concludes.

Bethlehem Kudumba Unit is currently running in theatres nationwide.

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