Top 10 Malayalam Coming-of-Age Movies

1. Koodevide (1983)

Koodevide marked the debut of Rahman- who went on to become a teenage heartthrob, but also had Mammootty and Suhasini in prominent roles. This movie, ‘’ told the tale of love, lust, and jealousy. Rahman played the role of a troublesome teenager, who turns into a new leaf owing to his teacher’s interaction with him. The movie deals beautifully with the themes of infatuation, love, and teenage fantasizing.

2. Kaanamarayathu Story Coming Soon. >> Read More... (1984)

An adaptation of Jean Webster’s, ‘Daddy Long Legs,’ ‘Kaanamarayathu’ had Shobana playing Sherly, an orphan who falls in love with her sponsor. This I.V Sasi directorial, starring Mammootty, Rahman, and Seema, involves a complex love triangle in which each of the characters is smitten by one or the other.

3. Nakhakshathangal (1986)

Another love triangle, this Hariharan movie is better known as Monisha’s debut. Vineeth plays a young boy who falls in love with a girl at first sight. Monisha won the National Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of a naïve young girl in love. She became the youngest recipient of the award, and also the first actor to win it for the debut.

4. Sargam Not everyone is gifted with the talent of singing. >> Read More... (1992)

Another Hariharan film, ‘Sargam’ was a musical, starring, Vineeth, Manoj K. Jayan, and Rambha. Considered one of the best musicals in Malayalam, the movie is a tale of friendship, love, and rejection. The film won Manoj K. Jayan a State Award.

5. Premam (2015)

The movie that made Nivin Pauly Nivin Pauly is predominantly a Malayalam actor. Bo >> Read More... a super star, Premam was the second movie by Alphonse Puthren Alphonse Puthren is a versatile Indian director, a >> Read More... . It attained a cult status soon upon its release. A coming –of-age romantic comedy, it followed the love lives of George, first as a teenager, then a youth, and finally, a man.

6. 1983 (2014)

The finest sports movie in Malayalam, 1983, was a portrayal of the village youth’s love for cricket, and chronicles the game’s growth through the eyes of Ramesan, played by Nivin Pauly. Ramean’s inability to do justice to his talent, and him compensating by nurturing his son’s dreams, forms the crux of the story.

7. Jacobinte Swargarajyam Click to look into! >> Read More... (2016)

Another Nivin Pauly-starrer, Jacobinte Swargarajyam was directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan Vineeth Srinivasan is known to the music industry >> Read More... , and dealt with the theme of a family coming together to salvage themselves from a dangerous situation. Nivin plays Jerry, who is forced to come out of his cocoon and take up the struggling family business. The movie was a reminder of the strong bonding that keeps the family going.

8. Ustad Hotel Click to look into! >> Read More... (2012)

Dulquer Salmaan Dulquer Salmaan is a popular Malayalam actor, who >> Read More... plays a flamboyant young man who gets grounded for tricking his father. How he forms a relationship with his grandfather, played by Thilakan, and how this affects his worldview forms the rest of the plot in this Anvar Rasheed directorial.

9. Second Show Click to look into! >> Read More... (2012)

Dulquer Salmaan’s debut, directed by Sreenath Rajendran, was about crime and gang violence in Kochi, and narrated how youth got attracted into it. A tale of love, bromance, and betrayal, ‘Second Show’, had strong performances from Dulquer, , and Gauthami Nair Born on 13 November 1991, Gauthami Nair is a Malay >> Read More... . The movie turned out to be one of the biggest grossing films of the year.

10. Om Santhi Oshana (2014)

‘Om Santhi Oshana’ had Nazriya Nazim This bubbly girl with expressive eyes was an ancho >> Read More... in the lead, and told a love story from the perspective of a teenage girl. Directed by Jude Anthony Joseph, the movie was a sleeper hit, owing to its humorous treatment of teenage love. Nivin Pauly played the indifferent love interest to Nazriya, who won a state award for her performance.