Over the past few years, Malayalam Cinema has earned a reputation for itself in telling stories that are genuine, refreshing, and out of the box. The industry is scaling global heights and is being appreciated for the amazing set of movies that are produced here. But as the journey continues, here is a set of Malayalam movies that deserves a little more attention.

1.Akam (2011)

Akam is inspired by the 1967 novel by Malayattoor Ramakrishnan, Yakshi. The movie adapts the novel by giving it a contemporary remake. Starring Anumol and Fahad Fasil Akam is a psychological thriller that challenges our intuitions.

Read: Malayalam movies inspired by novels

2. Shutter (2012)

Malayalam movie Shutter happens to be the second most remade film in Indian cinema. It has been remade into six languages so far. Shutter has been directed by Joy Mathew who considers the film is a “poetic violence on celluloid”. The story revolves around two days in Kozhikode that is centered around an unexpected incident that involves three people. With its intriguing thriller narrative, Shutter is able to keep us hooked till the end.

3. Ee Adutha Kalathu (2012)

Modeled like a Rubik’s Cube, Ee Adutha Kaalathu tells the story of six different people from different social backgrounds who are linked with each other because of an incident that went out of control. The film strikes a balance between humor, satire, and thriller. Ee Adutha Kaalathu also has actors who offer some dynamic performances that are worth remembering.

4. English (2013)

Directed by Shyamaprasad, English tells the story of a bunch of Indians (Malayalees primarily) living in the UK. Each of them is in this continent far away from their home for a reason. The movie tells the stories of all these individuals, who are apparently cross each other’s path in some way. English is rich with complex emotion and presents us, humans, in their rawest selves. The performance by Jayasurya is one of the best in the movie.

5.Padam Onnu: oru Vilapam (2003)

Padam Onnu: Oru Vilapam fetched the leading lady, Meera Jasmine the coveted National Award for Best Actress and also the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress. The movie tells the plight of a young 15-year-old girl Shahina who is forced to marry a stranger as it was considered customary by the adults of that place. Her life changes in the most horrific way as she struggles to escape the evil clutches of societal norms. Meera Jasmine’s mind-blowing performance is one of the reasons why you can’t miss this gem of a movie.

6. Bhoothakaalam (2022)

Malayalam cinema has a lot of scope for improvement when it comes to the horror genre. We have had a couple of Malayalam movies that sent a chill to our spine but the cliches were piling up leaving huge room for reinventing the genre. Bhoothakaalam which was released recently on SonyLIV has taken up the task and reinvented the genre in a way that we are left numb and cold from all the horror scare! The movie revolves around a rented home where a mother and son live all by themselves. It is one of the best horror movies I have seen in recent times.

7. Arike (2012)

“A foolish love story”, the caption of Arike reads, pretty much summing up what the film is all about. The film revolves around three individuals Kalpana (Samvrutha Sunil), Anuradha (Mamta Mohandas), and Shanthanu (Dileep). Anuradha plays the cupid and brings Kalpana and Shantanu closer. The brilliance of Shyamaprasad’s narrative lies in how doesn’t directly give away too much and leaves it up to us to understand what has happened. This doesn’t imply that the film is an intellectual one, it is simple and sweet that everyone will relish.

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