Aashiq Abu’s Virus helps you feel the fear and terror of people who are stricken with an unknown sickness, as well as the exhilaration of being a member of a dedicated group of frontline workers on the hunt for a virus that is spreading much too quickly.

Yes, now we are actually experiencing this situation. But this was a film released back in 2019 about the Nipah virus that spread in Kerala. 

Individual stories are shown surrounding the Nipah virus. There’s the mother who lives with the guilt that it all started with her son; the attendee who returns to work after going on strike for a permanent job and puts his life on the line to move the bodies of the dead; the ones who were afflicted only because they were kind enough to help a patient; and the real-life nurse who writes a dying wish for her child.

The film Virus, directed by Aashiq Abu and written by Muhsin Parari, maybe the greatest on-screen representation of the Nipah Virus outbreak in Kozhikode, Kerala.

The film is narrated in a non-linear style from beginning to end, but it was the casting that caught my attention the most. The casting was so amazing that I have to admit that this film had one hell of a casting crew.

Another item I must commend is the film’s background soundtrack, which Sushin Syam did a fantastic job on.

Cinematographer Rajeev Ravi did an outstanding job at capturing each shot individually. The first part of the film is engrossing, detailing the shocking realities and atrocities of the Nipah virus, as well as how the health community reacted to it.

There is never a dull time in the script by Muhsin Parari, Suhas, and Sharfu. The fast-paced writing keeps viewers from turning away as they are constantly assaulted with new information.

The brigade of actors comprising Kunchacko Boban, Tovino Thomas, Revathy, Parvathi, Rima Kallingal, Sreenath Bhasi, Madonna Sebastian, Rajamani Senthil, Joju George, Asif Ali, Rahman, Indrans, Sharafudheen, Ramya Nambeesan, Sudheesh, Indrajith, Poornima Indrajith, Savithri Sreedharan, Soubin Shahir, Basil Joseph, Dileesh Pothan, Sreekanth Murali, Jinu John amongst a lot of others gives you the best out of them. Every actor in this film has made their role appear completely believable and authentic, and we could go on and on about every one of them. The duration of the roles isn’t important, although there are some incredible performances even by performers whose roles are only a few minutes long.

The film also provides us hope that we live in a society where honest and devoted members of the administrative system are prepared to go to any extent to deal with a crisis scenario that might arise at any point in our life. This is a fantastic film that everyone should see. Humanity and collaboration will always produce kindness and victory.