Eight Movies That Redefined The Malayalam Film Industry

Regardless of whether you’re Mallu or not, I can guess one thing about you for sure; you’re a movie connoisseur and by that, you appreciate wonderful movies no matter what language it is in. the only reason you’re reading this should be because A) you love Mallu movies in general B) you recently watched Premam. The film industry in Kerala has never disappointed its audiences, ever since 2012, for the movies that came after those have proved to be raving hits. Here is a list of eight must watch movies in Mollywood, for that’s what makes you a complete movie buff… Read on to find out what makes it this special.

1. Ustad Hotel Click to look into! >> Read More...

Set up in Kozhikode, the land of magic, this movie proves to heighten the senses in one through food. Even though this may seem like a movie about a food lover who wanted to become a chef, the brilliance lies in the way Anjali Menon Anjali Menon is a Malayalam film director who came >> Read More... worked with Dulquer and Thilakan to come up with some of the best dialogues in the movie. The grandfather-grandson combination appealed the masses. The social message that the movie tried to convey can be compared to the lemon glaze on top of a sponge cake; neither too much, nor too little.

2. Thattathin Marayathu Click to look into! >> Read More...

Even though the genre for this movie is romance, this movie has a heavy hint of the political setup in Kerala. The lovely thing about Malayalam movies is that, they make sure they have relatable elements, either politically or socially. Other than that, Nivin Pauly Nivin Pauly is predominantly a Malayalam actor. Bo >> Read More... ’s adorable acting, and Isha Talwar’s mesmerizing performance left us all with butterflies in the stomach. Even for those who preferred action movies all their life felt like they were in love after the movie. Vineeth Sreenivasan Vineeth Srinivasan is known to the music industry >> Read More... and Nivin Pauly have never failed to impress the audience, which brings me to the third movie on the list.

3. Oru Vadakkan Selfie Click to look into! >> Read More...

Even though the movie seemed like a commercial story about college boys in the beginning, the way it gained momentum in the second part of the first half is remarkable. This thriller is a must watch for people who love mystery stories. To top it off, they concluded with a social message, rather a social problem which is a very pressing issue in the current scenario; cyber crime. It was the same team that worked together for Thattathin Marayathu. The best part of the movie was that Vineeth Sreenivasan was part of the cast too, and played a rather important role, unlike in Thattathin Marayathu in which he was behind the screens.

4. Ohm Shanti Oshana

Even though this is a fairytale story of a pretty girl in love with someone older than her by five years, there were a lot of elements that made it much more realistic than what I just made it sound like. Jude Anthony Joseph did a brilliant job by breaking several stereotypes such as the boy always asks the girl out and that the only reason boys talk to girls is because they want to nail them. Through the friendship Vineeth and Nazriya shared, it was pretty evident that stereotypes were a big no for the director. It also conveyed the message of cultural integration in the end, which is a much needed change given the number of issues in India with regard to different cultures.

5. Bangalore Days Click to look into! >> Read More...

Directed by Anjali Menon, this movie had a lot to offer. From the importance of family to sacrifices for the people you love, this movie made sure it was a package to carry back home. One of the most impacting characters was Sarah, played by Parvathi. The entire cast did a brilliant job with the movie as it felt like it was a real story. The bond the three cousins shared almost made us believe that they were related in real life as well.

6. 22 Female Kottayam

Being one of the game-changing movies of Mollywood, this movie surely addressed the biggest issue of all times; women harassment. Rima Kallingal Rima is one of the gifted actors of the industry. >> Read More... did a brilliant job along with FahadhFasil who played the role of an anti-hero. The last scene was the best scene of the movie, as that revenge plan, as gory as it was, was a thirst quenching one. Even though there have been several movies about sexual harassment, this movie proved to take it to the next level, giving film makers confidence to come up with several different scripts without the fear of being unacceptable by the audience.

7. Dhrishyam

The Mohanlal starrer started off as a simple story, only to create the best plot twist ever. This movie centered around addressing issues such as sexual abuse, and just like 22 Female Kottayam, justice was served, fair and square. Charmed by the way the movie was scripted, Kamal Hassan decided to remake the movie in Tamil which was named Papanasam. He did enough justice to Mohanlal’s role and the casting in both movies was impeccable.

8. Neram

Now the big question arises; Neram or Premam? This question puts every Alphonse Putharen fan to rip their hair apart. This movie benefited majorly from the amazing cat it had; Nazriya and Nivin were chosen after their album song Nenjodu Cherthu from Yuvhh became viral on the Internet. That song decided the future of those two young, talented actors that debuted in the black comedy-thiller. Bobby Simha The transformation of Bobby Jayasimha of remote K >> Read More... also played a wonderful role in the movie proving his talent in all aspects.