A diversified selection of Malayalam films is available on OTT, ready to be broadcast in the comfort of your home. Although popular choices often draw more attention, take a look at a few underestimated jewels that require your time.
5 essential Malayalam films to watch on ott
1. City of God (2011)
- Casting: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Indrajith Sukumaran, Rajeev Pillai, Rohini, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Rima Kallingal
- Director: Lijo José Pellissery
- Gender: Police thriller
- Performance duration: 2 hours and 25 minutes
- Where to look: Maneuramamax
If you are a fan of police thrillers and hypertext stories, then City of God should certainly be on your surveillance list. Directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, the film was one of the first companies in the Malayalam New Wave movement.
Taking place in Kochi, the story mixes four different stories involving a couple of Tamil migrants, an actress, a manufacturer, a criminal and the wife of a businessman. While their lives intersect through a road accident, the film highlights multiple perspectives from different social strata.
2. Kammara Sambhavam (2018)
- Casting: Dileep, Siddharth, Murali Gopy, Namitha Pramod, Bobby Simha, Shweta Menon, Manikuttan, Vijayaraghavhavin, Siddique, Nedumudi Venu, Indrans
- Director: Rathish Ambat
- Gender: Epic alternative historical action
- Performance duration: 2 hours and 47 minutes
- Where to look: Amazon Video Prime
Criminally underestimated, although it is an ambitious film that changes gender, Kammara Sambhavam is an impressive company that has impeccable and remarkable roles by Dileep and Siddharth.
Directed by Ratish Ambat and written by Murali Gopy, the content follows Kammaran, a senior leader of a fictitious political party, the Indian Liberation Party (ILP), and the so-called last veteran of the Indian independence movement in their village.
While the party faces the decline, the barons of the alcohols and the members of the party decide to make a biopic on him to restore his image.
However, while Kammaran tells a filmmaker his life, it becomes obvious that he is far from being a heroic personality, but rather a selfish anti-hoping. The following is a brilliant comment on how the story is distorted to create false stories and propaganda.
The narrative in layers and the strong performance of the film make it a unique cinematographic experience, being an experimental adventure with impressive performances by Dileep and Siddharth.
3. Attam (2023)
- Casting: Zarin Shihab, Vinay Forrt, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Aji Thiruvamkulam, Jolly Antony, Madan Babu K, Nandhan Unni, Prasanth Madhavan
- Director: Anand Ekarshi
- Gender: Thriller Drama
- Performance duration: 2 hours and 19 minutes
- Where to look: Amazon Video Prime
Despite projections and recognition in prestigious film festivals such as IFFLA, IFFI and IFFK, Aattam remains under-retarded.
The story is centered on a theater troupe with a single female performer, Anjali, and all the other members being men. After a show, the group attended a sumptuous party, organized by a wealthy actor among them. Things take a dark turn when Anjali is harassed by one of his colleagues.
Unable to identify the attacker, she begins to see all men, including her boyfriend, through the same goal. The film explores its trauma and its emotional isolation, focusing on the dynamics of power and its career to recover its voice. Psychological complexity and slow narration make Aattam a unique watch that arouses reflection.
4. Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi (2013)
- Casting: Dulquer Salmaan, Sunny Wayne, Surja Bala Hijam, Shaun Romy, Ena Saha, Abhija Sivakala, Shane Nigam, Joy Mathew, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Vanitha Krishnachandran
- Director: Sameer Thahir
- Gender: Adventure on the road
- Performance duration: 2 hours and 17 minutes
- Where to look: Jiohotstar/ManoramaMax
Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi (NPCB) is still another film of the new wave of Malayalam cinema featuring Dulquer Salmaan in mind. Directed by Sameer Thahir, the adventure film on the road combines romance, travel and self -discovery.
NPCB revolves around Kasi and Suni, two best friends who embark on a Kerala bicycle trip to Nagaland.
Kasi, the protagonist, is looking for Bassi, his love lost for a long time. As you travel, the film becomes a meditation on memory, loss and connection. He also explores personal transformation through human travel and interactions, stressing why he cannot let this girl go.
Although the theme of NPCB finds an echo with several viewers and has reached a cult status in the Malayalam cinematographic circles, it remains underestimated outside the Kerala and deserves greater recognition of the general public.
5. Season (1989)
Casting: Mohanlal, Gavin Packard, Maniyanpilla Raju, Ashokan, Shari, Leena Nair, Jagathy Sreekumar, Thodupuzha Vasanthi, Thilakan, Azeez, Prem Prakash
- Director: Padmarajan
- Gender: Jailbreaké action thriller
- Performance duration: 1 hour and 50 minutes
- Where to look: Eros now/Sunnxt
While most of the films by director Padmarajan are considered classics, Season often goes unnoticed. Featuring an exceptional performance by Mohanlal, this Jailbreaké action thriller takes place in 1982 and follows Jeevan, owner of a restaurant by the sea in Kovalam.
Despite his richness and mysterious aura, Jeevan seems to live a clean and vice life until he is involved in drug trafficking to help two young people, Porinju and Kanthi. When his plan to save them becomes uncontrollable, he finds himself imprisoned, opening the way to a captivating thriller.
Season is a well -designed classic film, a high stake thriller that looks like The Shawshank Redemption for its intense narration and atmospheric tension.
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(tagstranslate) Mohanlal
