Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai Review: Nivin Pauly's 8,000-Year-Old Love Story Is Gorgeous in Parts, but Ram's Train Ride Goes in Circles

An immortal lover, a rat on a train and a lot of lecturing. The film has a magical heart but too many detours.

CHENNAI: What would you do if you lived for 8,000 years and spent every one of them searching for the same woman? That’s the dreamy idea behind director Ram’s Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai (Seven Seas, Seven Mountains), starring Nivin Pauly, Anjali and Soori. The film arrived in theatres on Oct. 1, and the early verdict is a split decision: the concept is beautiful, but the execution is bumpy.

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The Story: Love That Outlasts Time

Nivin Pauly plays a nameless immortal who has walked the earth for over 8,000 years. He is weary, irritable and driven by one thing: love. He has met the same woman (Anjali) five times across the centuries, and between meetings he spends his life yearning for her. He even loves sleeping, since that’s the only time he gets to be with her.

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The film opens as a bedtime story told to a child searching for a permanent home, which is a lovely way to begin a tale about a man who has never had one. Then the action moves to a moving train, where the immortal meets a mortal (Soori) who is returning home after eight years. The setup invites big questions about love, longing and belonging.

What Works: The Fairy-Tale Core

When the film steps off the train and returns to the love story between the immortal and his dream woman, it shines. One standout moment has Anjali standing by the sea, where love turns even unwelcome glances into tears. In another, Nivin’s character wonders whether he could return to the time when sleeping on her lap felt like home. The dialogue about flowing water and swaying breeze taking on new meaning when she is beside him is poetic, and Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music helps carry the heavier themes.

Nivin and Anjali are at their best in these segments, and N K Ekambaram’s cinematography gives the different timelines an authentic feel. These stretches show what the film could have been: a mystical, melancholy romance that restores your faith in soulmates.

What Doesn’t: The Train That Keeps Going Round

Sadly, those moments are rare. Much of the runtime goes to philosophical debates about human nature and how humanity evolved from early man to the rushed commuter. Critics describe these sections as whimsical but confusing, a jumble of ideas that quickly turns exhausting. The structure also repeats itself, with the immortal and the mortal telling overlapping stories that add little new.

The message about humanity’s selfishness is hammered home again and again, and the film often feels preachy rather than moving. One critic put it neatly: there’s a difference between a gentle nudge and a violent push onto a coming train.

The Performances

Nivin Pauly has the right soulful look for the role, but one review says he overplays the weariness in the train scenes. Soori is reportedly underused, with little to do except look bewildered. With both leads working on a broad scale, one reviewer finds the film’s most human moments come from a rat on the train, whose safety the audience actually cares about.

Another idea, fatherhood, is introduced but not fully developed, and a late addition to the journey feels random.

The CGI Controversy

The film also faces criticism for its visuals. Scenes that travel across timelines use computer effects that one critic called subpar, adding that AI-generated imagery clashes with a film about reconnecting with nature. It is an eyebrow-raising choice from a director known for deeply human storytelling.

What Other Critics Say

The reception is mixed rather than hostile. One review says the concept of an immortal meeting a modern mortal has enough potential to spawn a franchise, but leaves you wanting more from its hero. Another gives it 2.5 out of 5 and says the creative choices dilute its message of empathy. A third notes that it is densely packed with philosophy about humans repeating the same flaws across millennia.

The Box Office: A Quiet Start

The film faces a tough commercial road. Both leads are coming off big hits. Nivin Pauly’s Bethlehem Kudumba Unit is reported to be the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever, and Soori’s Mandaadi is nearing Rs 100 crore net. But this film arrived with limited buzz, and advance booking opened less than 24 hours before release. Trade reports put advance sales at about Rs 32 lakh, with an opening-day estimate of Rs 50 to 60 lakh. Early tracking figures suggest a modest start, and it now depends on word of mouth.

What It Means Next

For Ram, a director with a loyal following, the film is an ambitious but risky experiment. A weak commercial result could push him to return to more grounded stories, though festival audiences may appreciate its boldness.

For Nivin Pauly, the film is a stretch after a record-breaking hit. It shows his willingness to take on unusual roles, even if this one may not add to his box office streak.

For Soori, it is another attempt to move beyond comedy, though critics say the writing doesn’t give him enough to work with.

Also Read: https://ultapaltakhabar.com/baththa-review-vijay-sethupathi-locked-in-a-school-toilet-delivers-one-of-tamil-cinemas-most-heartfelt-surprises/

The Verdict

Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai has a beautiful idea and a few truly magical scenes, but it wanders off its own track too often. If you love slow, philosophical cinema and Ram’s world, you may find moments worth treasuring. If you want a tight, emotional love story, you might leave feeling the train never reached its destination.

Our Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)

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