Movies that feature auto-rickshaw drivers as main characters

The black and yellow coloured beetle like vehicle, popularly known as ‘auto’ is an indispensable means of transport for every Malayali. The camaraderie between auto drivers and their unity is always represented in Malayalam cinema. There are many memorable Malayalam movies that have auto drivers as main characters and that tell their ever travelling lives. Here is a list of movies that features auto drivers as main characters

A rom-com movie about the life of auto drivers in the city of Kozhikode, ‘Aye Auto’ was both written and directed by Venu Nagavalli. The story revolves around the romance of an auto driver, Sudhi (Mohanlal) and Meenakshi (Rekha). Meenakshi is a college student and goes to college in Sudhi’s autorickshaw, where they share a special bond. Other casts include Sreenivasan, Thikkurisi Sukumaran Nair, KB Ganesh Kumar and Maniyanpilla Raju.

Directed by Anwar Rasheed and written by Benny P Nayarambalam, ’Chotta Mumbai’ is an action thriller movie which garnered positive reviews from the critics. The movie is about the life of a gang of six friends in Fort Kochi and their adventures. It features a female auto driver Latha, played by Bhavana, whose life crosses with the head of the gang, Vasco da Gama (Mohanlal). Other casts include Kalabhavan Mani, Vinayakan, Indrajith and Jagathy Sreekumar. The scene where Bhavana entrusts her auto with Vasco and gang is a popular comedy scene from the movie.

‘Kochi Rajavu’ is a romantic comedy film directed by Jhony Antony and written by Udayakrishna-Siby K Thomas duo. The movie casts Dileep as Surya Narayana Varma, the protagonist, a Law student who challenges his father and become an auto driver to meet his living expenses. He gets along with the auto drivers and becomes the hero of the group. Casts of the movie include Murali, Harisree Ashokan, Jagathy Sreekumar and Kavya Madhavan.

A drama movie, written and directed by Sathyan Anthikad, ‘Kadha Thudarunnu’ narrates the story of Preman (Jayaram), an auto driver who is a simple man with a sense of humour. Vijayalakshmi (Mamta Mohandas) and Shanavas (Asif Ali) gets married against the will of their families. The lives of Preman and Vidyalakshmi cross at one point and he plays a major role in her life. Other casts in the movie are KPAC Lalitha, Innocent and Mamukkoya.

Written by Najeem Koya and directed by Lijin Jose, ‘Friday’ is a multi-narrative film which tells the stories of different people happening in a day. The story revolves around a tragic but life-changing event in the life of an auto driver, Balu (Fahad Faasil). The events happening in the life of many people meet at the same point in the end. The casts in the movie include Manu as Muneer, Nedumudi Venu as Purushothaman, Nimisha Suresh as Aswathy and Ann Augustine as Jincy.