2019 has been a good year for Malayalam movies both in terms of quality and quantity. Compared to previous year, the year witnessed an array of films with the industry expanding its reach and visibility further. While some went ahead to be multilingual, some even went on to get a huge acceptance across the world. And Mollywood has once again proved that ‘word of mouth’ is the best review and content matters for movie buffs.
Onmanorama had earlier reported that though 192 movies had hit the screens, only 23 films were able to earn back its cost.
This list of ours does not confine to the box office numbers, rather the list is about the 10 movies that were talked about and discussed widely and has the possibility to take Mollywood to a higher level in the coming decade.
Theme: The film revolves around four half-brothers Saji (Soubin Shahir), Bobby (Shane Nigam), Bony (Sreenath Bhasi) and Franky (Matthew Thomas), who live at an island called Kumbalangi and the love-hate relationship that evolves amongst them with the arrival of a few people in their lives.
What works: Be it the characters, the story, the dialogues, the frames, the music, every frame lingers on long even after the film is over.
Theme: Sreenivasan sir (Vinay Forrt) is a bald, desperate 31-year-old, looking for a bride. In the course of time, Sreeni meets Chinnu (Chinnu Chandni Nair) who gives him much-needed direction in life.
What works: Director Ashraf Hamza's writing is impeccable and the actors live the characters. Thamaasha works so well because there’s no preaching rather the message is couched in a humorous and relatable realism.
Theme: Sub-Inspector Manikandan CP (Mammootty) heads a team of eight Kerala Police officers on election duty at a remote village in Maoist-prone Bastar, Chhattisgarh.
What works: With Mammootty’s realistic performance, writer-director Khalid Rahman offers an honest perspective about human condition. Though the setting is grave, the film is funny enough to keep one engaged.
Theme: Uyare revolves around the life of Pallavi Raveendran (Parvathy Thiruvoth), an aspiring pilot passionate about flying. She is also hopelessly in love with her former schoolmate Govind (Asif Ali). But, things take a nasty turn when she is attacked with acid.
What works: Stellar performance by Parvathy, who manages to slip in to the character of an acid attack survivor and Sanjay and Bobby have weaved in their magic with a straightforward script.
Theme: A 14 year old sets out from Lakshadweep in search of an elder brother and ends up in the underbelly of Mumbai, meeting Akbar.
What works: Moothon has a powerful story that is a meditation on gender identity and love. It gives out a bold statement and is definitely a welcome change for Malayalam movies.
Theme: Helen (Anna Ben) is a happy go lucky yet responsible girl. But unfortunately after a day’s work, she gets trapped inside a cold storage unit.
What works: The well written characters, nail biting moments and the performances. The survival strategies work out well with some clever editing and close up shots and colourful visuals. Aju Varghese’ casting deserves a special mention.
Theme: A slaughter buffalo runs amok into the midst of a village and create ruckus among the people.
What works: There is a rhythm in the narrative and director Lijo Jose Pellissery leaves viewers with unanswered questions through his cinema. It is more of a visual experience appalling and thrilling moments.
Theme: Engineer Subhramanian (Soubin Shahir) employs a robot to take care of his ailing father Bhaskara Poduval (Suraj Venjaramoodu) while he is away working in Russia.
What works: The story line is probably the first-of-its-kind in Malayalam and the film manages to shed light on a serious topic without being overly verbal about them. Moreover, it is engaging and humane as well.
Theme: A series of deaths in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts threw the doctors and state administration into a tizzy as they struggle to identify the disease and the source.
What works: To script a movie with so many lead players in the industry is no cakewalk, and all credits goes to writers and director. Moreover, it’s no easy job to adept an incident with a track record of etching realistic stories for the silver screen.
Theme: The film revolves around a higher secondary school student Jaison (Mathew), his friendships and adventures and romance with Keerthy (Anaswara Rajan)
What works: There is a fluency in the performances of all the cast and offers many cute and funny moments. Thanneermathan Dinangal is a lesson that there is no need for sexist jokes of glorification needed to portray simple nuances of life.
Special mentions: For the films needed to be applauded for its relatable approach and offering endearing moments.