Rise Of Malayalam Movies: Must Watch Films!
'Drishyam' to 'Manjummel Boys', here is our list of best Malayalam films.

India is a cinema-loving country, hence it is no surprise that so many movies end up registering massive box office collections. You just need to look at the success of films like 'Pathaan', 'Gadar 2', 'Animal' and 'Jawan' to realise how the normal audience in this country goes bonkers whenever a big movie releases in theatres. However, gone are the days when the audience looked to just consume Hindi movies. With the onset of several OTT platforms such as Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, SonyLiv, and JioCinema, audiences in the country have been exposed to different kinds of cinema and that is the main reason why fans in the Hindi belt has also started criticising Bollywood films of late. Cinephiles can now watch Hollywood films or movies from all over the world.
Fans have started to look past the language barrier, and subtitles have come to everyone's rescue. But in this article, we are not going to talk about foreign language films, rather we will be going to talk about movies in India only that exist in different languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.
Ever since SS Rajamouli's 'Baahubali' series became a worldwide phenomenon, several regional films in the country have experienced pan-India success. Movies like 'Leo', 'Pushpa', 'Salaar: Part One - Ceasefire', and 'Jailer' have tasted phenomenal success. But here, we are going to talk about just Malayalam movies.
2024 has turned out to be a smashing year for Malayalam movies. Films like 'Bramayugam', 'Premalu', 'Manjummel Boys', Aadujeevitham - The Goat Life', and 'Aavesham' have proved to be phenomenal success stories, and there is a reason, several fans are calling 2024 the year of Malayalam cinema. This year has once again proved why Kerala produces the best movies in the country and this is no exaggeration.
Considering how the flavour of the year is Malayalam cinema, we thought of listing down some of our favourite films originating from Kerala. Through this list, we wanted to tell you about how Malayalam cinema has been killing it for more than a decade now, and it is time that the audience wakes up to Malayalam cinema and sees its true brilliance.
If you want entertainment, there's Malayalam cinema. If you want education, there's Malayalam cinema and if you want commentary on social and taboo subjects, there's Malayalam cinema. Malayalam cinema is there for everything.
In this article, we will be talking about some of our favourite Malayalam films and according to us, these movies should definitely be right up there in terms of your viewing list. We can promise that when you watch these movies, you would surely not be disappointed.
So without further ado, the list is as follows:
Drishyam 1 and 2 (Prime Video)
Drishyam, starring Mohanlal and Meena was released in cinemas in 2013. This Jeetu Joseph-starrer turned out to be a cult classic, and it is still viewed as one of the best thrillers to come out of Indian cinema. The movie features Mohanlal as a hill farmer while Meena plays his wife. The movie turned out to be a massive hit, paving the way for a sequel.
'Drishyam 2' was then released on Prime Video in 2021, and the movie stars Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil, Murali Gopy, and Asha Sharath. The story is set six years after the events of 'Drishyam'. This film also received a thunderous response. 'Drishyam' has also been adapted into Hindi, with Ajay Devgn playing the main lead. The movie is now set for a Hollywood remake as well.
2018 (SonyLiv)
This Malayalam film, starring Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Narain, and Lal, was released in cinemas in 2023. The film is based on the severe 2018 Kerala floods that devastated Kerala. The movie was India's official entry for Oscars 2024 as well. Last year, '2018' also became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time, however, the record has now been broken.
Manjummel Boys (Disney+ Hotstar)
'Manjummel Boys' is already the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time and this feat is all the more great, considering the movie released in February 2024. Made on a budget of just Rs 20 crore, 'Manjummel Boys' has already made Rs 236 crore at the box office and it is now available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
The film stars an ensemble cast, including Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, Balu Varghese, Ganapathi S Poduval, Lal Jr, Deepak Parambol, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Arun Kurian, Khalid Rahman, Chandu Salimkumar, Shebin Benson, and Vishnu Reghu. The movie is based on a true incident from 2006 and it revolves around a group of friends from a small town called Manjummel near Kochi, who decide to take a vacation in Kodaikanal. The film has set several box-office records, becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever surpassing the record set by '2018'.
Kaathal - The Core (Prime Video)
Starring Mammootty and Jyotika, 'Kaathal: The Core' is possibly one of the most progressive movies ever made in India. In the film directed by Jeo Baby, Mammootty is playing the role of a gay man, whose life takes a turn for the worse, after his wife (Jyotika) decides to take a divorce after years of marriage. The movie turned out to be a commercial success, and several celebrities such as Vidya Balan have shown their admiration for the film and its progressive messaging.
The Great Indian Kitchen (Prime Video)
Directed by Jeo Baby, 'The Great Indian Kitchen' stars Niminisha Sajayan and Suraj Venjaramoodu. The movie tells the story of a newlywed woman (Nimisha Sajayan) who ends up struggling to be the submissive wife that her husband (Suraj Venjaramood) and his family want her to be. 'The Great Indian Kitchen' is still viewed as one of the best movies to come out of India in recent times.
Kumbalangi Nights (Prime Video)
This Malayalam film centers around the strained relationship between four brothers living together in a dysfunctional home. This Madhu C Narayanan, stars Soubin Shahir, Shane Nigam, Fahadh Faasil, and Sreenath Bhasi, along with debutants Anna Ben, Grace Antony, and Mathew Thomas. The movie turned out to be a huge box office hit. It won several awards, including three Asianet Film Awards, six Vanitha Film Awards, four Kerala State Film Awards, seven CPC Cine Awards, and two SIIMA Awards.
Bangalore Days (Disney+ Hotstar)
'Bangalore Days' stars Nivin Pauly, Dulquer Salmaan, Fahadh Faasil, Nazriya Nazim, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Isha Talwar and Paris Laxmi. The plot of the film revolves around three cousins from Kerala who move to Bangalore. When it was released, the movie opened in 205 theatres, making it one of the biggest releases for a Malayalam film. The movie is considered to be one of the best Malayalam movies ever made.
Joji (Prime Video)
This Malayalam film's story has been inspired by William Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth'. The film has been produced by Bhavana Studios in association with Working Class Hero, and Fahadh Faasil and Friends. In the film, Fahadh Faasil plays the title character. The plot of the film revolves around a wealthy family of three sons and a father living in the countryside of Kerala. Apart from Fahadh Faashil, the movie also stars Baburaj, Shammi Thilakan, and Unnimaya Prasad.
Jallikattu (MX Player)
This action thriller film stars Antony Varghese, Chemban Vinod Jose, Sabumon Abdusamad, and Santhy Balachandran. The plot of the film revolves around a bull escaping from a slaughterhouse in a hilly remote village and how villagers make it their mission to hunt it down. The movie first premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was also showcased at the 24th Busan International Film Festival.
The Malayalam film was then selected as the Indian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. It was the third Malayalam film after 'Guru' and 'Adaminte Makan Abu' to be chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars.
Premalu (Disney+ Hotstar)
This Malayalam film, starring Naslen and Mamitha Baiju, alongside Sangeeth Prathap, Shyam Mohan, Meenakshi Raveendran, Akhila Bhargavan, and Althaf Salim, released in theatres this year. If you are a rom-com lover, then this film is definitely for you. The movie is currently the fifth highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time. A sequel, titled 'Premalu 2' has already been announced.
The movie tells the story of Sachin Santhosh, and how he plans to move to the United Kingdom, but after falling in love with a girl in Hyderabad, he ends up changing his plans.
PS: Our list comprises 10 Malayalam movies, but we have another recommendation for you. If you are a horror movie lover, then 'Bramayugam' is the movie you should definitely check out! This Mammootty-starrer deals with elements such as sacred mystery and folklore of Kerala. Mammootty has given a performance, one for the ages. You can watch this film on SonyLiv.
Had a great time reading our suggestions? Then, keep on looking out for more, as we will be coming out with these types of suggestions every weekend! If you like us coming up with these suggestions and recommendations every week, keep sharing so that we know our hard work and research is bearing some results. With this, happy weekend and happy watching!