It stars Salim Kumar and Zarina Wahab, with Mukesh, Kalabhavan Mani, Suraj Venjarammoodu, and Nedumudi Venu in supporting roles.

The film tells the story of a poor attar (a kind of perfume) seller Abu (Kumar) whose only remaining wish in life is the Hajj pilgrimage, which he strives hard to fulfill.

Hyder, a local teashop owner also empathises with Abu who in turn is frequently given genuine advice by a mysterious saint known simply as "Ustad".

Abu pays off even the smallest of his old debts as part of the preparations and travels miles to seek forgiveness from Sulaiman, a previous neighbour with whom he once fought.

When the passports and the tickets are ready and a bus journey away in Kozhikode, the sawmill owner, while handing over the money for Abu's tree, says that its wood turned out to be rotten and useless.

Man's relationship with nature and his fellow creatures is represented by a jackfruit tree and a domestic cow, which Abu sells with a heavy heart for money to go on the pilgrimage.

[4] In the original theatrical version, there is a scene in which doubting shopkeepers muse that Abu must have got a cheque from Osama bin Laden to pay for the trip.

This mention depicts the problems faced by the destitute senior citizens in India, thus helping make Adaminte Makan Abu a socially caring film.

[14] It was Kumar's outstanding performance (as a son who is forced to abandon his aged mother) in Bridge, one of the ten films in the Kerala Cafe anthology, that made Salim Ahamed choose the actor for the role.

Ahamed, however, was confident,[18][19] and assured Kumar that the film would have the top technicians in the field: He brought in the cinematography veteran Madhu Ambat, and Issac Thomas Kottukapally to handle the music.

[9] Aside from Kumar and Wahab, the film also stars several other actors like Kalabhavan Mani, Mukesh, Suraj Venjarammoodu, Nedumudi Venu and Jaffer Idukki in key roles.

To complete Adaminte Makan Abu, Ahamed had to spend every rupee raised from what he had saved up over the years working on scripts for television serials and assisting directors.

[46] In his review for Firstpost.com, critic Vikram Phukan selected Adaminte Makan Abu as one of the ten best films screened at the Mumbai festival.

[82] After the shooting and editing were wrapped, Adaminte Makan Abu was sent to the Censor Board in Mumbai and from there copies were directly sent to the national and state award committees.

[83] The producers Salim Ahamed and Ashraf Bedi was approached by four major distributors – Playhouse, Khas, Kalasangham Films and Vaishaka – for the distribution rights.

[97][98] Gautaman Bhaskaran of The Hindustan Times rated the movie three-out-of-five stars, writing that it portrays an unrealistically ideal situation (except for the couple's son) and "plays out like a placid stream", although it is "a rare study in restraint".

The critic praises Kottukappally's background score, saying that it helps create the proper mood – one that goes back and forth from depression to happiness and hope.

[99] A critic from Easternkicks.com rated it five-out-of-five stars and wrote that it is a simple story, with beautiful filming and acting, and "a rare insight into Muslim life in Kerala".

[100] The official website of the Institute of Contemporary Arts called Adaminte Makan Abu a story told gently of "irrepressible hope" and true friendship.

The review mostly praised the performances, direction and story, but gave it three-over-five stars because of emotional manipulation and an overly-positive view of a travel agency.

[103] In Deccan Chronicle newspaper, Keerthy Ramachandran gave a five-star rating, writing the film should receive honours in "the history of Malayalam cinema".

The critic labelled the setting, however, as (overly) "idyllic" and idealistic and that Ahamed wants to show "a Basheerian habitat, where inter-religious individuals" happily live together with other "pagan" beings.

[8] T. Sudheesh of the Thrissur City Journal concluded his review by saying that it is beautiful, "engaging and entertaining" and that "the film truly deserves the national award", being very worth watching.

[41] Veeyen of Indian online portal Nowrunning.com highly praised the film, saying that its meticulous pacing and magnificent staging creates a sense of hope that should help humanity "in these testing times" though not explaining why he gave only three out of five stars.

[106] Bruce Fessier of The Desert Sun newspaper wrote that the film "defines piousness" with "a sweet, gentle tale", with a couple who accept "every outcome as God's will, never showing a trace of bitterness, except for their disappointment in their son."

He felt it did not adequately explain the family division, but that this was "irrelevant" to the basic point, namely that piousness and faith in the ultimate future meant that "your disappointment in the here and now will never overwhelm."

[109] Adaminte Makan Abu was India's official entry to be considered for nomination in the Best Foreign Film category for the 84th Academy Awards.

[115] In reply, the Kerala Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, said that Malayalam film industry had to make a unanimous demand for the state government to extend help to the makers of Adaminte Makan Abu, India's official entry to the Oscars.

[121] In late May 2011, the Malayalam daily Madhyamam reported that Mumbai-based film company Mega Productions had approached Salim Ahamed with the idea of remaking Adaminte Makan Abu in Hindi.

[145] In a November 2011 interview, Kumar said that a plan exists "to remake the film in four major Indian languages,"[109] but Salim Ahamed has said that he doesn't want to give anyone the rights.