Remarks made by actor-director Dhyan Sreenivasan lauding Nivin Pauly ’s comic brilliance have resurfaced on social media following the release of ‘ Sarvam Maya ’, which has opened to a positive response from audiences. Dhyan’s comments from an earlier interview with Ginger Media Entertainments have gained renewed attention after ‘Sarvam Maya’, directed by Akhil Sathyan and starring Nivin Pauly in the lead, hit theatres on Thursday. The film has been receiving favourable word-of-mouth, with viewers describing it as a strong return to form for Pauly.



“No one handles humour like Nivin”: Dhyan SreenivasanIn the interview with Mathrubhumi.com, Dhyan described Nivin Pauly as one of the finest humour-driven performers in mainstream Malayalam cinema today. “One of the mainstream actors who handle humour like no one else is Nivin, after Mohanlal and Dileep. Only he is able to do that now. There is no one like him,” he said. Dhyan also credited ‘Premam’ with giving Malayalam cinema wider national visibility, adding that the industry’s pan-India reach began with the film.



On-screen chemistry with Aju VargheseRecalling his experience directing ‘Love Action Drama’ (2019), Dhyan highlighted the effortless on-screen chemistry between Nivin Pauly and Aju Varghese, calling their comic timing unmatched. He noted that Nivin’s gestures and mannerisms make him highly relatable and that audiences continue to view him as a “boy-next-door” figure, irrespective of gaps between his film releases.



‘Premam’ and Nivin Pauly’s trendsetting impactDhyan further pointed to Nivin Pauly’s influence on popular culture, particularly the beard style popularised by the actor in ‘Premam’. He observed that the look was widely adopted by actors across South India after 2015, describing Nivin as a trendsetter. While acknowledging Pauly’s versatility, Dhyan maintained that humour remains his strongest suit.



Audience response and technical praise for ‘Sarvam Maya’

As well as earning positive feedback primarily from social media, viewers seem to be very happy about the performances, humour and music of ‘Sarvam Maya’. Fans of the film praised the chemistry between Aju Varghese and Nivin Pauly and one user even commented, “I think this could be one of the most enjoyable Nivin Pauly films I have seen since Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela.” Priety Mukhundan stars as the leading female character in the film, with Justin Prabhakaran providing the music and Sharan Velayudhan Nair handling the cinematography. The film received particular praise for these contributions, as well as being able to publicly acknowledge veteran Rajeevan for his work in the art direction.



A long-standing collaboration in Malayalam cinema



Akhil Sathyan, who directed 'Sarvam Maya', is the son of the esteemed Malayalam director Sathyan Anthikad and, prior to his work in this movie directed 'Paachuvum Albhuthavilakkum', featuring Fahadh Faasil. Dhyan Sreenivasan and Nivin Pauly have worked together on a number of films, including Love Action Drama (2019), Malayalam from India (2024) and Varshangalkku Shesham (2024). All of these films show the continued collaboration of Sreenivasan and Pauly within the Malayalam film industry over many years.