Best malayalam movies

In today's article, we will be giving you a list of some of the top-rated Malayalam movies that you would love to watch. Whether you are already a fan of Malayalam Cinema or want to start with some good movies, this list will cover all your needs. All the movies in the list below are the "Best Malayalam Movies". You may find one film more entertaining than the others. This is a subjective thing, and the list follows the order of their ratings. Let us begin!

1. HOME ( 2021)

A Malayalam drama film which is written as well as directed by Rajin Thomas. The main cast in the film consists of Sreenath Bhasi, Indrans, Johny Antony, Manju Pillai, Kainakary Thankaraj and Naslen K. Gafoor. In the movie, Indrans plays Oliver Twist, Manju Pillai plays Kuttiyamma, Sreenath Bhasi plays Antony, Naslen K. Gafoor plays Charles, and Kainakary Thankaraj plays Appachan. The plot revolves around an old father, Oliver Twist, who is a technologically challenged man, while his sons, on the other hand, stay updated about all the latest technologies and are tech geeks.

The movie follows a regular middle-class family and has a slice of life attributed to it. This movie is very well suited to be called "family-friendly", which every person in the family can enjoy watching. It is perfect for watching with your whole family and has many heartwarming moments. The film was released on Amazon Prime and can be watched anytime.

2. Kumbalangi Nights ( 2019)

Another Malayalam drama-based film. Syam Pushkaran served as the film's writer, and Madhu C. Narayanam was the director of the movie. Fahadh Faasil, Nazriya Nazim, Syam Pushkaran, and Dileesh Pothan worked together in order to produce the film. The main casting of the film includes Shane Nigam playing Bobby Napoleon, Soubin Shahir playing Saji Napoleon, Mathew Thomas playing Franky Napoleon, Fahadh Faasil playing Shammi Sreenivasan, and Sreenath Bhasi playing Bonny Napoleon.

The movie is about 4 brothers who share a love-hate relationship with each other, who, even after multiple different events throughout the film, eventually stand up for the family. The movie was commercially successful, considering the budget it was made with. Surely worth your time, it has been rated very positively by many and is considered a great movie which is a high scorer in all departments of a movie. The film claimed many awards, including NETPAC Award, 2 SIIMA awards, 3 Asianet film Awards, 4 Kerela State Film Awards, and multiple others. It was listed under Best Malayalam Films of the Decade by many reputed publications.

3. Drishyam 2 (2021)

You will like this one if you are a fan of thriller elements in films. It was written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. The film's producer is Antony Perumbavoor. As the name suggests, this film is a sequel to the 2013 film "Drishyam". The main cast of this movie includes Mohanlal as Georgekutty, Meena as Rani George, who is Goergekutty's wife, Ansiba Hassan as his elder daughter Anju George, Esther Anil as the younger daughter Anu George, Saikumar as Vinayachandran, Siddique as Prabhakar, Murali Gopi as Thomas Bastin, and Asha Sharath as Geeta Prabhakar.

The plot follows in continuation from Drishyam and presents the story of George Kutty doing everything he can to protect his family from the investigation. It is strongly recommended by everyone who has watched it and has gotten many positive reviews after Drishyam. The sequel did not disappoint and lived up to its expectations.

4. Premam (2015)

A perfect movie for those looking to find some comedy and romance elements together. Alphonse Puthren has written and directed the film, while Anwar Rasheed is the producer. The story mainly revolves around two characters - George David, played by Nivin Pauly, and Malar, played by Sai Pallavi. The Sai Pallavi won Best Female Debut and Best Male Playback Singer awards at the 63^rd Filmfare Awards South while scoring a nomination in 5 other categories as well.

The film also got listing in the Best Malayalam Films of the Decade. The film shows the transition from teen to adulthood, where the male lead, George, falls in love with Malar, his lecturer. It was a well-liked movie with very positive reviews. The film even got a Telugu remake in 2016 with the same name.

5. Maheshinte Prathikaaram ( 2016)

You will find a mix of comedy and drama in this movie. Dileesh Pothan made his debut as a director with this film. Aashiq Abu produces it. The main cast of the film comprises Fahadh Faasil as Mahesh - a photographer and also the owner of Bhavana Studio, Aparna Balamurali as Jimsy Augustine, Alencier Ley Lopez as Baby, Anusree as Soumya, and Shoubin Shahir as Crispin. Syam Pushkaran wrote the story. The story of the movie followed Mahesh - a photographer, trying to sort out a dispute between his friend and a few youngsters. He faces embarrassment upon being knocked to the ground and getting defeated. He then vows not to wear his slippers until he gets revenge for the humiliation he has faced.

It received overwhelming praise for its humour, cinematography, screenplay, and the performances everyone had presented. It won multiple awards like Best Original Screenplay and Best Feature Film Malayalam at the 64^th National Film Awards and also won two more awards during the 47^th Kerela State Film Awards. The film got a Tamil and a Telugu remake as Nimir in 2018, and Uma Maheshwara Ugra Roopasya in 2020, respectively.

6. Jana Gana Mana ( 2022)

A thriller Malayalam film with political aspects in it. The movie was directed by Dijo Jose Antony and was written by Sharis Mohammed. Supriya Menon and Listin Stephen jointly produced the movie. The main cast of the movie includes Prithviraj Sukumaran as DCP Aravind Swaminathan, Suraj Venjaramoodu as ACP Sajjan Kumar, Pasupathi Raj as Moorthy, G.M. Sundar as Nageshwar Rao, and Mamta Mohandas as Sabe Mariyam.

The story follows the student unrest of college students caused by the brutal murder of a professor, which is then investigated by ACP Sajjan Kumar while Adv./ DCP Aravind Swaminathan seeks justice in the court. The movie received immense positive reviews and was praised for the narrative style and performance of the cast. The movie was also confirmed to have a sequel in the making.

7. The Great Indian Kitchen ( 2021)

This drama film was written and directed by Jeo Baby. The film was produced by Dijo Augustine, Jomon Jacob, Vishnu Rajan, and Sajin S Raj jointly. The main leads of the film are Nimisha Sajayan and Suraj Venjaramoodu, playing the roles of the wife, who is also a dancer, and the husband, respectively.

The story revolves around the wife's struggles in the family and her sufferings, where she is supposed to be a submissive woman. Over the course of the film, she faces many challenges and is prevented from pursuing her dream as a dancer until, one day, she breaks free for the sake of her freedom and her dreams. Apart from being an amazing movie, the film also throws light on the ill-treatment of women in backward households. The film received critical praise and won awards like the Kerela State Film Award for Best Film, Best Sound Designer and Best Screenplay. The movie is a very well-developed piece of work, which one should definitely watch.

8. Android Kunjappan Version 5.25 (2019)

If you like sci-fi movies, then you will enjoy this one a lot. It is a mixture of sci-fi, drama and comedy meshed perfectly. The film was written by Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval and directed by him as well, making it his directorial debut. Santhosh T. Kuruvilla produced the movie. The main cast of the film consists of Suraj Venjaramoodu, Soubin Shahir, Sooraj Thelakkad, Saiju Kurup, and Kendy Zirdo.

The story follows Subrahmanyan (Soubin Shahir), who has to leave India and go to Russia in order to get the job offer he received and pursue his dreams. His father, Bhaskaran Poduval (Suraj Venjaramoodu), who is very old age needs someone to take care of him, so his son leaves him with an Android Robot called Kunjappan (Sooraj Thelakkad), but his father is against the idea as he wanted his son to be by his side and not go for any jobs during his last days. However, later on in the movie, Poduval develops a very close bond with the robot, and it becomes an irreplaceable part of his life.

The movie won three Kerela State Film Awards and also received great praise for everyone's performance; and was titled one of the best films released in the year 2019. Suraj's performance was heavily praised in the movie and regarded as one of his best movies. The movie presented a refreshingly new idea in the Malayalam film cinema and was very successful, which alone tells someone that it's a good film worth your time.

9. Ee. Ma. Yau (2018)

Ee. Ma. Yau is a Malayalam movie and is a tragic story. The film was written by P. F. Mathews and was directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery. The film's main cast consists of Kainakary Thankaraj as Valiyathuparambil Vavachan Mesthiri, Chemban Vinod Jose as Eeshi, Vinakayan as Ayyappan, and Dileesh Pothan as Fr. Zacharia Parappurathu and Arya Salim as Elisabeth. The producers of the movie are Aashiq Abu and Rajesh George Kulangara.

The movie takes place in a coastal village, Chellanam, Kochi, and follows the story of the death and then the funeral of an older adult named Valiyathuparambil Vavachan Mesthiri, who belongs to the Latin Catholic Community. The film earned Best Director Awards at the 48^th Kerela State Film Awards and 49^th International Film Festival of India, as well as a Best Actor Award for Chembon Vinod at the latter ceremony. Furthermore, it won two more awards at the International Film Festival of Kerela. The film also made it to the list of the Best 25 Malayalam Films of the Decade by THE HINDU. It won several more awards as well and received amazing reviews for shedding the audience's tears.

10. Sudani from Nigeria (2018)

This is a sports-based drama Malayalam movie. Zakariya Mohammed did the job of being a director and a writer for the film, although Muhsin Parari helped him to co-write dialogues. Sameer Thahir and Shyju Khalid produced the film. The main cast revolves around Majeed, who was played by Soubin Shahir, while Samuel Abiola Robinson played the character with the same name as his real one, who was a football player hailing from Nigeria. The movie's scene is set in a rural area of Malappuram, Kerela. The story revolves around these two people living in different areas who get connected because of their passion for football. They eventually face some setbacks and challenges on their way.

The film won a total of 5 awards at the 2018 Kerela State Film Awards - Best Screenplay, a Best Film with Popular and Aesthetic Value, Best Actor, Best Character Actress, and Best Debut Actor. At the 2018 National Film Awards, it won another award for being the Best Feature Film in Malayalam. The film also made it to THE HINDU's List of 25 top Malayalam Movies of the Decade. The film received a positive critical response from the audience and the critics and was rated as one of the best movies made in the year. It won a majority of the awards it got nominated for and won several of them.

11. Thondi Muthalum Driksakshiyum (2017)

Directed by Dileesh Pothan and written by Sajeev Pazhoor, this Malayalam movie is a crime-based film. Sandip Senan and Anish M. Thomas jointly produced the film. The main cast of the film comprises Fahadh Faasil and Suraj Venjaramoodu, playing the roles of the thief Prasad and the farmer Prasad respectively. The thief steals a gold chain from the farmer and is then accused of swallowing it, and how the trial for him goes on.

The movie earned a total of 36 awards, which includes three awards at the National Film Awards, four at the Filmfare Awards South, three at the South Indian International Movie Awards, two at the Kerala State Film Awards and many more. The film was praised for having exceptional 'Execution and Intelligence in the Flow.' The movie was regarded as almost perfect and something is never seen before.

12. Nayattu (2021)

This is a political and thriller movie for those who are interested in the genre. Martin Prakkat has directed the film, while Shahi Kabir has written the film. It is produced by Ranjith, P. M. Sasidharan and the director Martin Prakkat collectively. The main cast in the movie is Kunchako Boban playing Praveen Michael (CPO), Joju George playing ASI Maniyan and Nimisha Sajayan as Sunitha (CPO). The movie brings out the helplessness of three police officers, CPO Maniyan, ASI Sunitha and CPO Praveen, who are on the run for their life after the death of a Dalit youth.

This movie even made it to be on the shortlist as India's selection for the title of Best International Film at the 94^th Academy Awards. The film received critical praise for the quality of work put in by its director and actors, as well as how it was very influential. Almost everyone who watched the film, whether they were a part of the general audience or a renowned critic, has recommended the movie as something one should definitely watch.

13. Take Off (2017)

Take Off is a Malayalam thriller and survival movie based on an incident in Iraq involving the capture of some Indian nurses. The film marked the debut of Mahesh Narayanan as a director. The film was produced by Anto Joseph, Shebin Backer, and Megha Rajesh. Mahesh Narayanan and P. V. Shajikumar jointly wrote the film. The main cast of the film consists of Parvathy Thiruvothu playing Sameera, Kuchchako Boban playing shaheed and Fahadh Faasil as Manoj Abraham IFS.

The story follows a nurse Sameera, who decided to move to Iraq in order to get a better salary. Along with her, there were 19 other nurses from the same hospital who moved to Iraq, and all of them joined an Iraqi Government Hospital in Tikrit city called Tikrit Teaching College. Iraq had conflicts rising on a daily basis and one day turned into a riot zone. The city of Tikrit eventually falls into the hands of the ISIS terrorists. The movie then continues to display the struggles faced by the captured nurses and represents the whole situation through the perspective focus of Sameera.

Upon Take Off's release, it became a blockbuster at the box office. The lead actress Parthavy Thiruvothu became the first-ever Indian actor to win the award of Best Female Actor at the 48th International Film Festival of India. At the same award ceremony, the movie received the Special Jury. The movie became a part of THE HINDU's top 25 Malayalam films of the decade as well. Parthavy's performance as Sameera was greatly appreciated and, as such, brought a Kerela State Film Award for Best Actress and Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Malayalam. The accolades don't stop here; the film continued to receive several nominations at multiple award ceremonies and proceeded to win most of them.

The film was highly rated by major critics and said to be even competing with some of Bollywood's high-budget films of the genre. The real-life story was conveyed almost perfectly and kept everyone on their toes throughout the movie. It was super engaging and was praised for actor performances as well as the direction in the film and was considered a must-watch.

14. Operation Java (2021)

Operation Java is a film made of thriller and crime elements. The film was both directed and written by Tharun Moorthy, while the producer of the film was V Cinemas International. The cast is made up of multiple lead or prominent roles. It comprises Mamitha Baiju as Alphonsa, Balu Varghese as Antony George, Irshad as SI Prathapan, Lukman Avaran as Vinaya Dasan, Binu Pappu as ASI joy, Vinakayan as Ramanathan, and Shine Tom Chacko as CI Jacob Mani.

The story revolves around a cyber cell police station at Kochi (or Cochin). The film shows some real-life cases that were undertaken by the cyber cell and follows to show the investigation performed over 1 and a half years. Several cases, such as piracy, murder, fraud, etc., are portrayed in the movie. The story also conveys the lack of recognition of younger talents that could have been put to good use. In the movie, two engineering graduates are hired and promised full jobs upon completion of their temporary job program. They work very hard and possess great skills, which they use to help the cyber cell in solving many cases, but in the end, they do not get appointed.

Everyone highly rated the film. It was stated to have representation of life-like elements and unveil dark sides of the technology in use. The execution in portraying the investigations and the operations performed throughout the movie were spot-on. The movie was well written and well-directed, which allowed it to establish perfectly what it tried to achieve.

15. Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2020)

If you are on the lookout for action films, you should definitely watch this movie. This Malayalam film was directed and written by Sachy, otherwise known as K. R. Sachidanandan. Ranjith and P. M. Sasidharan produced the film. The main cast of the film consists of Prithviraj Sukumaran, playing Retired Havaldar named Koshy Kurien, and Biju Menon playing SI Ayyappan Nair.

The story of the film revolves around the two main characters having a conflict. The conflict arises when Koshy Kurien, unaware of the rules, carries alcohol in his car, where Ayyappan Nair arrests him, but he records a video framing Ayyappan and gets him arrested.

The film was a great success and later got a Telugu remake with the title Bheemla Nayak (2022). There is currently a Hindi remake of the film currently being worked on with John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan as the lead roles. The film received great positive reviews and was said to have such powerful scripting that nothing else was ever needed to excite the audience, and it was one hell of an experience. The movie won several awards and received multiple other nominations as well. The critics very much appreciated Sachy's work.