Must Watch Malayalam Movies – Asiana Times

1. Sundani From Nigeria

Another directorial debut, this National Award winner for Best Feature Film in Malayalam is one of the best feel-good movies of our time. It has a big heart and is bound to well up the eyes of even the most stoic personalities. The title refers to a star foreign player Samuel “Sudu” of Majeed’s (Soubin Shahir) football club, who meets with an accident and is made to rest at Majeed’s house while he recovers. Over time, Majeed and his mother develop a strong bond with Samuel as they share their personal life stories. Even the neighbors and townsfolk become very fond of the good-natured foreigner who doesn’t speak their language.

‘Sudani from Nigeria’ reminds us that love and humanity can transcend barriers of language and nationality. It also successfully shatters the myth that foreigners who play for football clubs in India come from sound economic backgrounds. The reality in the case of many African footballers is in stark contrast to what most people assume. Many of them play in India with the hope of escaping their impoverished lives in their home countries.

2. The Great INDIAN Kitchen

Arguably, one of the best Malayalam movies to come out in recent times, the sarcastically titled film serves a disgusting assortment of patriarchy, male chauvinism, and hypocrisy, and makes the viewer slowly chew it by repeating the chores and ordeal of its female protagonist.

A must-watch for all moral custodians of society who have fixed notions about gender roles in a household. The film tells the story of a newlywed woman (Nimisha Sajayan) who struggles to be the submissive wife that her husband (Suraj Venjaramood) and his family expect her to be. Millions of housewives who drudge through household chores daily that have been normalized by society will realize the injustice women have been enduring for centuries while fulfilling their expected role of duty-bound housewives. If ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’ can bring about a positive change in even one married family, the film would have done its job. That would be the greatest reward for the film.

3. Jallikattu

India’s official submission to the Oscars, ‘Jallikattu’ stamps the authority of Lijo Jose Pellissery as one of the finest auteurs of our generation. The raw, pulsating energy of the film makes it a wild ride that draws out the inherent beastly nature coated underneath the mask of civilization.

An ingenious plot, a myriad of characters, and an eerie background score make ‘Jallikattu’ a modern-day classic. Lijo’s obsession with close-up shots of meat butchering and food preparation syncs with the barbaric theme of the film.

Lijo is one of the most exciting directors of our time who can be trusted to experiment with form, treatment, and themes in every new venture. Except for ‘Double Barrel’, every film of Lijo ranges between good and very good. ‘Ee.Ma.Yau‘ and ‘Angamaly Diaries‘ are considered cult films in Kerala and with the phenomenal success of ‘Jallikattu’, there is a lot of expectation from Lijo’s next film ‘Churuli‘.

4. Maheshinte Prathikaaram

This directorial debut of Dileesh Pothan is a “serious comedy” in Fahadh Fassil‘s own words who plays Mahesh in the film. While attempting to defuse a conflict between his friend and a group of youngsters, he is knocked down. Unable to fight back, an embarrassed Mahesh publicly vows that he will not wear his slippers again until he has avenged his humiliation.

Instead of relying on the usual mix of hate and anger for revenge, the writer Syam Pushkaran intelligently uses comedy to draw reactions from the characters and develop a gripping, funny screenplay (which won the National Award).