"Aye Auto" (2025) is more than just a nostalgic callback. By focusing on the lives of those often ignored in the fast-paced urban landscape, the series captures the heart of Kerala's working class. The first episode successfully sets the stage for a journey that promises to balance the lighthearted spirit of the original with the grit required for a modern drama.
The episode opens with a grainy, vertical video shot from a passenger’s phone. A drunk man yells at Basi. Basi doesn't flinch. He simply types a rate into his phone: ₹250 . The passenger scoffs. Basi points to a fresh dent on his auto’s fender. The passenger pays. This 90-second prologue tells you everything about the protagonist: quiet, dangerous, and precise.
Combined, strongly suggests a street-level, urban dramedy centered around auto-rickshaw drivers in a Kerala city (Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, or Kozhikode). Given Malayalam cinema's rich tradition of "vehicle-based" character studies (e.g., Auto Brothers , Kireedam 's auto driver sidekick, or the recent Padmini ), Aye Auto could follow:
S01E01 establishes the series' unique narrative device: We see the city through Basi's rearview mirror. In the first sixty seconds, we witness a politician accepting a bribe, a couple breaking up, and a drug deal gone wrong—all from the backseat of Basi’s auto, PrimeXtream Blue.