20 Best Malayalam Movies For Your Next Movie Marathon!

Still obsessing over one of the tracks from the film—Onakka Munthiri—Hridyam is a fun coming-of-age movie. Tackling career challenges, falling in love, heartbreak, finding a new path, friendships, and moving on, this three-hour piece will quickly become your comfort movie, with some great tracks and stellar cinematography. If you are an engineer, you will reminisce about your college days more than ever. 

IMDB Rating: 8.1/10

Genre: Romance, Coming of Age

Cast: Pranav Mohanlal, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Darshana Rajendran

Release Year: 2022

Duration: 2 hours, 52 minutes

Kumbalangi Nights came out in 2019 and is another comforting watch. It captures the story of four brothers from a dysfunctional family who are trying to forge connections among themselves and eventually stand up for each other. The simple, rustic aesthetic of the movie is what sticks with you. The film is based in a village on the outskirts of Kochi, so you know the visuals will be out of this world. The more times you watch it, the more you fall in love with it.

IMDB Rating: 8.5/10

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Cast: Shane Nigam, Soubin Shahir, Fahadh Faasil

Release Year: 2019

Duration: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Inspired by Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' and starring my favourite Fahadh Faasil, Joji is a thrilling crime drama that hooks you all the way till the end. Blinded by his greed and ambition, Joji dreams of getting filthy rich. Things start getting interesting when an unexpected event occurs in the family, and Joji, along with Bincy, leaves no stone unturned to overthrow the head of the family to gain power. It's dark, heavy, captivating, and it's shot beautifully. 

IMDB Rating: 7.8/10

Genre: Crime, Thriller

Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Basil Joseph, Dileesh Pothan

Release Year: 2021

Duration: 1 hour, 53 minutes

Annayum Rasoolum will give you all the butterflies if you love romantic movies. It is a soulful and profound movie about the love of a Muslim boy and a Christian girl, with all its repercussions. It goes beyond the crises and trials of love and unfolds as an ode to the city, its people, and its institutions. You will feel your heart and soul ripped into a few pieces, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it is a must-watch Faahadh Faasil movie!

IMDB Rating: 7.5/10

Genre: Romance

Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Andrea Jeremiah, Sunny Wayne

Release Year: 2013

Duration: 2 hours, 48 minutes

Directed by Abhinav Sunder Nayak, Mukundan Unni Associates is a crime drama with some hilarious quips. It stellarly entertains its audience and follows the character of Advocate Mukundan Unni, who resorts to unlawful ways to procure money. Soon, greed takes over, and he finds himself getting involved in a messier situation than he anticipated. It's a fun watch for days when you cannot decide on anything.

IMDB Rating: 7.9/10

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Cast: Vineeth Sreenivasan, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Aarsha Chandini Baiju

Release Year: 2022

Duration: 2 hours, 8 minutes

If you like reaching for unconventional works of art that dismantle mainstream tropes and attempt to carve a new niche, then Kooman is a hidden gem. Breaking away from all archetypes of thrillers, the story revolves around a police officer who takes on an immersive journey to find the identity of a psychotic serial killer. The twists, turns, and crises in the movie are breathtakingly refreshing, and it is one of the more elusive movies I have watched.

IMDB Rating: 7.3/10

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Cast: Asif Ali, Prasant Murali, Jaffer Idukki

Release Year: 2022

Duration: 2 hours, 33 minutes

Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum is on my top five Fahadh Faasil movie list. Perfectly balanced between comedy and drama, this movie takes you on a journey of self-discovery with some of the most wholesome quips and great adventures. It is lighthearted and fun and leaves you with the most hopeful feeling, which I always appreciate about movies.

IMDB Rating: 7.3/10

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Viji Venkatesh, Anjana Jayaprakash

Release Year: 2023

Duration: 2 hours, 51 minutes

Perumani is a dramedy that does not take itself too seriously right from the start. With a village of characters, Perumani has a folk tale at its centre, with speculation on a village's notice board regarding the wedding of central characters —Nazr and Fathima. The movie is fun and wacky, with some cool characters that shift from the conventional perspective in the most hilarious way. I recommend watching this one with your family. 

IMDB Rating: 5.8/10

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Cast: Sunny Wayne, Vinay Forrt, Lukman Avaran

Release Year: 2024

Duration: 2 hours, 17 minutes

Directed by Anjali Menon, Bangalore Days is the ultimate comfort movie. It has the most iconic actor line-up and beautifully explores themes of love, friendship, relationship, grief, dreams, career, disability, and a zillion other things. It is an ode to hope and dreams and an easy pick if you're confused about what to watch next. 

IMDB Rating: 8.3/10

Genre: Romance, Drama

Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Nivin Pauly, Nazriya Nazim

Release Year: 2014

Duration: 2 hours, 51 minutes

The one that nudged me toward this beautiful experience, my absolute favourite, Manjummel Boys, had to be a part of this list. Unfolding an adventure of a group of friends to Guna Caves, Manjummel Boys is a survival thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat during the whole watch party. What makes this an even more chilling watch is that a true incident inspires the narrative.

IMDB Rating: 8.2/10

Genre: Thriller, Drama, Survival

Cast: Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, Balu Varghese

Release Year: 2024

Duration: 2 hours, 15 minutes

A film that will literally have you feeling good about yourself that 'you' decided to watch it. Aattam is a poignant critique of male allyship, victim blaming, and the frail moralities of humans. Based on a fantabulous play, this movie unfolds like a slow burn, with the last twenty minutes packed with high-intensity emotions, revelation, and heartbreaks. Most of the movie is based on one location, plus they also bagged a National Award last year!

IMDB Rating: 8.2/10

Genre: Drama

Cast: Vinay Forrt, Zarin Shihab, Kalabhavan Shajohn

Release Year: 2023

Duration: 2 hours, 19 minutes

We still can't move on from the film's song 'Malare' by Vijay Yesudas and this is that movie that will make you feel, "aha, that's exactly how love works IRL!" It follows the protagonist's journey of falling in love three times: with his classmate, his professor and then, an once-upon friend. The story is neatly wrapped in romance, grief and wholesomeness and touches the chords of what it means to fall in love and keep finding love beyond time. The Premam Effect is real and many Malayalis even chronologically describe their life as pre-premam and post-premam, so you get why this is one of the best Malayalam movies!

IMDB Rating: 8.3/10

Genre: Romance

Cast: Nivin Pauly, Sai Pallavi, Madonna Sebastian

Release Year: 2015

Duration: 2 hours, 36 minutes

This movie is a feast for the sense, quite literally, with food playing a major part in it. It follows Faizi, a chef, who returns to his hometown to seek his father's help in running his business but is turned away. So his dreams now, translate onto his grandfather Karim, who also runs a hotel. The movie tugs at the virtues of three generations coming together and the conflict and clash of opinions that arise. 

IMDB Rating: 8.2/10

Genre: Drama

Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Thilakan, Siddique

Release Year: 2012

Duration: 2 hours, 31 minutes

LBB Tip: Did you know that the character Narayanan Krishnan is based on a real-life chef turned social worker?

Manichithrathazhu is the original inspiration for Chandramukhi and Bhool Bhulaiya and if you have not watched this OG one, you should! 31 years have passed by and this movie still remains timeless for its casting, plot and music score. This iconic psychological thriller follows Ganga who suffers from an identity disorder. Her husband Nakulan and psychologist friend, Dr. Sunny, try to address her issue in the background of psychotic events plaguing their bungalow, all orchestrated by Ganga's other personality: a Bharatanatyam dancer from yesteryears, seeking revenge for the murder of her lover. 

IMDB Rating: 8.7/10

Genre: Thriller

Cast: Mohanlal, Shobana, Suresh Gopi

Release Year: 1993

Duration: 2 hours, 49 minutes

This is that movie that calls out to the chained nooks of your soul: the part that wants to live wild and free and not be shackled by duties and lack of time. Tessa runs away from home and settles for a room in Kochi. She discovers art pieces by the room's previous owner, Charlie, and decides to find him. Throughout the movie, there are several sub plots that lead up to the suspenseful but fateful meeting of Tessa and Charlie, that addresses terms of love, endearment, independence and living life to your own whims. 

IMDB Rating: 8.1/10

Genre: Suspense, Romance

Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Aparna Gopinath

Release Year: 2015

Duration: 2 hours, 10 minutes

This is from the same mastermind behind Ustad Hotel, Anwar Rasheed, who returned to directing after eight years with this film. Another Fahadh Faasil masterpiece, Viju Prasad (played by Faasil) is a motivational speaker in Kanyakumari. Post his brother's untimely death, Prasad moves to Mumbai where he converts to Christianity and becomes pastor Joshua Carlton. The movie is a bid to show how businesses fertilise religion as an opportunity to forward their profits and is a beautifully made cinematic spectacle that is easily one of the best Malayalam movies to watch.  

IMDB Rating: 7.3/10

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Nazriya Nazim, Joju George

Release Year: 2020

Duration: 2 hours, 50 minutes

All the spidermans and batmans of the world aside, what you really need to watch is a simple tailor being struck by lightning to become Minnal man (lightning man). The story follows the hero, Minnal Murali, who saves the city and faces off with the villain (who obviously also has superpowers) called "Vellidi Venkiti."

IMDB Rating: 7.8/10

Genre: Action, Fantasy

Cast: Tovino Thomas, Guru Somasundaram, Aju Varghese

Release Year: 2021

Duration: 2 hours, 38 minutes

This is a biopic based on the life of a criminal, Sukumara Kurup– who faked his death by killing a lookalike, for life insurance claims. His life of crime gains centre stage quite late in the film. Kurup, played by Dulquer Salman, is fleshed out with all his flaws and is portrayed as a man with no ethics and does a brilliant job of making us hate him. The movie is set in 2005 and opens with the retirement of a police superintendent who chances upon a diary, initialled "Kurup." Through this diary, we learn about the criminal's childhood, hopes, dreams and the journey that hardened him into a criminal who hasn't been caught till date.  

IMDB Rating: 7.0/10

Genre: Action, Crime, Biopic

Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Indrajith Sukumaran, Sobhita Dhulipala

Release Year: 2021

Duration: 2 hours, 20 minutes

LBB Tip: Kurup is the first Malayalam film whose trailer played on the Burj Khalifa!

This adorable and colourful fish variant is almost the star of this wholesome Malayalam movie. 12-year-old Guppy is the star though, and he sells Guppy fish to make a living, fulfill his dreams and crosses paths with a vengeful engineer who constructs a bridge, which is one of the village's most awaited projects. This is one of the best Malayalam movies to watch, solely for its hopeful and wholesome story. 

IMDB Rating: 8.1/10

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Cast: Chethan Jayalal, Tovino Thomas, Sreenivasan

Release Year: 2016

Duration: 2 hours, 38 minutes

This romantic movie is set in 1960s Mukkam, Kerala where Moideen, a Muslim guy and Kanchan Mala, a Hindu girl, fall in love. The story follows their inter-religious struggles as both of them separate and communicate in secrecy, to escape their family's disapproval. The story is a biopic based on the heartbreaking life of Moideen and Kanchanmala as they try to escape to America but one of them collapses, leaving the other untethered. 

IMDB Rating: 8.0/10

Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance

Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Saikumar

Release Year: 2015

Duration: 2 hours, 46 minutes

Looking for some amazing Tamil movies to get into a Kollywood marathon? This guide will help you!