Driving Licence is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language satirical comedy drama film directed by Lal Jr, written by Sachy and produced by Prithviraj Productions and Magic Frames.
The story follows film actor Hareendran who wants a driving licence urgently and his ardent fan, Motor Vehicle Inspector Kuruvila Joseph, agrees on delivering it illegally, but their rendezvous does not go well, on the contrary, a feud develops between them that takes a toll on each other's personal and professional lives.
Kuruvilla Joseph, a Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI) at Kakkanad RTO is a passionate fan of Malayalam film actor Hareendran.
With the climax still remaining to be shot at an Indian Navy leased land, the crew learns that Hareendran's driving licence, that needs to be submitted to get clearance, is missing.
On his arrival, he sees TV channels surrounding the premises, amidst, a peon gives a misinformation to a reporter that Hareendran, an avid driver, has been driving without a licence.
Hareendran's reputation has been severely damaged and to worsen the situation, Bhadran's fans community head, Saheer, organises a hit-and-run attack on Kuruvila.
Addressing media, Hareendran states that Kuruvila is a crazy fan and a kind of stalker who finds gratification by being a part in his idol's life through disruption.
Hareendran announces to the onlooking fans and media that he is forfeiting driving forever because Kuruvila has totally misused his power and he will retire from acting if this disrupts his life further.
[1] The music and original score are composed by Yakzan Gary Pereira, and Neha Nair with lyrics written by Santhosh Varma, and Sam Matthew.
His writing carries the sort of colour and flavour last seen in the early Priyadarshan, Sreenivasan, and Siddique-Lal films" and that "the purpose of any good cinema is to not just entertain but also deliver a wholesome community experience, which is exactly what Driving Licence does", and also praised the actors' performances.
[6] Anna M. M. Vetticad from Firstpost rated 3.5 out of 5 stars and said "Prithviraj is terrific in a captivating drama on pride and pettiness, fandom and fury", and "each time you think you have cracked Driving Licence, it takes a surprising turn.
This screenplay is one of the cleverest pieces of writing to emerge from Malayalam cinema in what is already a great year for Mollywood" and praised the direction, editing and actors' performance.
[8] Rating 3 out of 5 stars, Sify dubbed it "entertaining" and "a fine journey that keeps the viewer engaged all along", also adding: "with a tight script that has humour, emotions and drama, Sachy scores well.
Directed by Raj Mehta, Akshay Kumar and Emraan Hashmi reprise the roles played by Prithviraj Sukumaran and Suraj Venjaramoodu.