Top 10 Malayalam Adaptation Films

Adaptation movies had always been a subject of austere discussions among the film critics all over the world. Indian cinema has a rich collection of such adaptation films that have made a commercial and critical success. In the trail of Malayalam movies, a recreation of world classics as movies has opened a new conduit for innovative and creative thinking. Here is a list of ten Malayalam adaptation films.

1. Kaliyattam

This film is one of the most seriously discussed adaptation movies in Malayalam. It is a reworking of the famous play ‘Othello’ by William Shakespeare. The important aspect that makes this adaptation successful is the universality of the theme and characters. Human fragility is the theme of this story. In the play, Othello, the hero is a Moor, who falls in love with Desdemona and marries her. But finally, he kills her out of suspicion of an extramarital relationship. In the film Kaliyattam directed by ‘Jayaraj’, Suresh Gopi plays the hero Perumalayan, a Theyyam artist who kills his wife ‘Tamara’ in a similar way. It won two national awards and three state awards.

2. Akale

This movie, directed by ‘Shyamaprasad’ is a stage to film adaptation of the play ‘The Glass Menagerie,’ written by the famous American playwright Tennessee Williams. The play, set in New Orleans back in the 1930s, is a portrayal of the South American genteel tradition that has undergone a deep transformation during the Great Depression of the early twentieth century. Whereas, the movie presents an Anglo-Indian family torn apart by their tormenting past, emotionally devastated and struggling to seek green pastures in life. The title Akale signifies the unfathomable distance between the psychological realms of the three characters even though they are the members of the same family. Each of them is tangled within the space of their imaginative world, far from each other.

3. Thoovanathumbikal

It is a 1987 movie by ‘Padmarajan’ which came out as an adaptation of his novel, ‘Udakappola’. Both the novel and the film revolves around the theme of love and family relationships. The hero Jayakrishnan (‘Mohanlal’) falls in love with two women. One is his distant relative Radha (‘Parvathy’), who rejects him at first and the other is Clara (‘Sumalatha’), who was forced into prostitution. The story proceeds through complex psychological situations and finally, ends when Clara leavingleaves from Jayakrishnan’s life for good.

4. Mathilukal

This movie is directed by the veteran director Adoor Gopalakrishnan.. The story, being an adaptation of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer’s autobiographical novel, ‘Mathilukal’, revolves around his life in jail, and his acquaintance with a female prisoner. But a large wall of the prison separates them from seeing each other. Throughout the film, the heroine ‘Narayani’ remains behind the wall and is unseen. The role of Basheer is played by ‘Mammootty’ whereas the sound of Narayani is attributed to ‘K P A C Lalitha’. The film bagged many awards including the National Film Awards, Kerala State Film Awards, and many other international awards like, Aubervilliers International Children's Film Festival and Amiens International Film Festival (France).

5. Ore Kadal

‘Ore Kadal’ directed by Shyamaprasad is based on Sunil Gangopadhyay’s novel ‘Hirak Deepthi.’ It tells the story of an extramarital relationship which traverses through complex emotional and psychological situations. Mammootty plays the character Nathan who is an economics professor. He falls in love with Deepti (Meera Jasmine), and ignoring her husband and son; they take on their relationship. Out of the guilt of this relationship, Deepti becomes insane, and her life is destroyed. This movie is emotionally wrenching and draws the audience into the complex psyche of the characters.

6. Chemmeen

The film Chemmeen directed by Ramu Kariat is an adaptation of the novel Chemmeen written by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai. The movie, as well as the novel, tells the story of an intricate love relationship. ‘Karuthamma’, the daughter of a poor fisherman, falls in a love relationship with a rich man, ‘Pareekkutty’. But neither of their families could accept their relationship. Soon, Karuthamma is married to ‘Palani’, who is a fisherman. Pareekkutty remains a bachelor and lives within the memory of his love. But finally, the story turns out to be tragic when Karuthamma’s chastity is doubted, and Palani dies in a sea wrench. This spoils her life, and forever, Karuthamma lives as Palani’s widow.

7. Akam

This is a deeply psychological movie directed by Shalini Usha Nair based on the novel ‘Yakshi’ by Malyattoor Ramakrishnan. It is the story of ‘Srinivasan’, an architect who is married to ‘Ragini’. As the story progresses, he suspects her of being a ghost. It has many mysterious elements that make the audience think that she is inhuman. But all the suspicion takes place in the mind of Srinivasan. The setting of the story is also dark and mysterious; that builds the thrill.

8. Aakasha Gopuram

The film Aakasha Gopuram is directed by ‘K.P Kumaran’ based on a Norwegian play ‘The Master Builder’ by Henrik Ibsen. The story takes place in London, and the major characters are Albert Samson, Hilda Varghese, and Alice, played by ‘Mohanlal’, Nitya Menon and Swetha Menon. Albert is a renowned architect who is married to Alice. Hilda comes in search of Albert because, ten years back, he had promised to build her a castle. Thus, the story proceeds in a complex manner.

9. Kannaki

This movie is directed by ‘Jayaraj’, loosely based on the Shakespearian play, ‘Antony and Cleopatra’. It revolves around the story of the love of Manickam and Kannaki. Just as Cleopatra plays a lie on Antony, Kannaki tells Manickam that she is leaving him forever and that he should forget her. But out of this grief, Manickam fights with his pet cock and finally, falls dead. Kannaki while knowing about his death, takes a deadly bite from a cobra and dies as a penance to the death of her lover.

10. Meghamalhar

This movie directed by ‘Kamal Master’ is inspired by the English movie, A Brief Encounter by David Lean. It tells the story of Rajeevan (Biju Menon), an advocate and Nandita (Samyuktha Varma), a writer, both of whom are married and leads a happy life. They accidently meet each other and develop a warm friendship. But then, they realize that they were childhood friends who had parted earlier. By that time, their relationship had grown beyond the limits of friendship, and it even starts to threaten their family life. ToIn the end, both of them travel to Kanyakumari, to replenish their childhood memories, and then they partsa ways from each other, for the sake of their family life.