An overview into the best movies from our neighboring states across different genres with particular focus on Kotha Lokah Part 1 and Bad Girl

2025 can easily be termed as a fantastic year for veteran actor Mohanlal. Whether it’s a revenge drama like Thudarum, a political thriller like Empuraan part 2/Lucifer. The actor had a rollicking time in the slice of life Hridayapoorvam too. A big reason for the movie success was Mohanlal’s comic timing. In spite of a very thin plot overstaying its welcome Mohanlal’s antics with numerous moments of self-depreciation made it a breezy watch. Coming to the other legendary actor Mammootty: he had a good outing as well with Kalamkaval. It’s based on a real-life serial killer called ‘Cyanide Mohan’. Cyanide Mohan was notorious for targeting a certain section of women. Kalamkaval is more of a Mammootty show reel than a cohesive film. As expected, the actor was top notch in portraying both the charming man as well as the ruthless criminal.

2025 has also been a solid year for Tovino Thomsas. In Narivetta he played a happy go lucky guy to empathizing and standing for the tribal community. In Kotha Lokha Part 1 Tovino had a fun extended cameo with the whacky characterization. Last but not the least his act in Empuraan 2 was also impressive. He played the grey shades convincingly.

Among the Malayalam movies this year a special mention must be made of the Dulquer Salmaan produced Kotha Lokah Part 1. The movie is a very good mix of western tropes with Indian Folklore. Dulquer deserves a huge appreciation for a backing a female centric project like this. Director Dominic Arun did a very good job in integrating real word issues through a conservative police officer played by a suitably creepy Sandy. Kalyani Priyadarshan made full use of the author backed role coming up with a very good act. Apart from the ones mentioned above there is also the taut investigative drama Officer On Duty directed by Jithu Ashraf.

Coming to Tamil movies films Bad Girl directed by Varsha Bharath needs to be specially mentioned. The movie is a wonderful coming of age through female lens. The plot focuses on a young woman from an orthodox Brahmin family. Her quest for liberation and eventually finding peace was well written and enacted.

Mari Selvaraj’s Bison on the other hand is a rousing tale of breaking social shackles. In spite of the staple sports elements and overdose of blood the movie does succeed in engaging the viewers. The caste of the Dhruv Vikram’s Kittan isn’t explicitly stated but the viewers can understand that the family comes from lower caste due to some of the conversations and obstacles faced.

Bison also featured a strong woman character in the form of Anupama Parameswaran playing the fierce Rani. Her character is seven years older to Dhruv Vikram’s one. This added an interesting dimension to the romantic subplot in spite of Anupama’s brief screen time.

Following is a brief overview into the best movies from our neighbouring states (2025)

Malayalam

Kotha Lokah Part 1 (Chandra): Dominic Arun’s Kotha Lokah Chapter 1 can be easily called India’s Wonder Woman. The movie is an excellent mix of western superhero tropes with a solid Indian folklore. The film bears a slight resemblance to the Tripti Dimri starrer Bulbbul too in terms of the men targeted by the female protagonist.

A strong aspect of Kotha Lokah Part 1 is the world building done by Dominic Arun as well as Santhy Balachandran. The establishment of Kalyani Priyardarshan’s mysterious nature and how it connects with Naslen’s Sunny was very well done. The growing bond between Sunny and Chandra with an undercurrent of romance makes the viewers wish that the two had met in different circumstances.

Mention must also be made of the origin story timing. The haunting visuals of Nimish Ravi coupled with Jakes Bejoy’s music elevate this emotional stretch further. As Chandra Kalyani combined strong physical agility with solid acting chops, Naslen on the other hand was an absolute riot with his one liners. There is an inherent sweetness to the part in spite of a certain lazy nature and Naslen brought that out wonderfully

Thudarum:  Tharun Moorthy’s Thudarum in more ways than one feels like a Drishyam 3 with Mohanlal playing a family man. Nevertheless, the movie is a gripping watch with some impactful social commentary on police atrocities and a false sense of pride.

In simple terms Thudaram focuses on the transformation of a former stuntman/driver Benz (an excellent Mohanlal). However, one-night changes everything connected to a truly despicable CI George (Prakash Varma doing absolute justice to the role).

A strong aspect of Thudaram in spite of the straightforward writing are the moments leading up to Benz transformation. It doesn’t come across as jerky and the reason for that are the adorable family moments of the first half. Viewers feel for Benz during a disturbing revelation. Mohanlal is simply outstanding especially in that sequence. The themes of abusing power as well as a common man’s fight against injustice came out solidly through the transformation of Benz.

Empuraan 2/Lucifer 2: Prithviraj Sukumaran’s sequel to the 2019 Lucifer stirred up a major controversy due to its hard hitting depiction of communal violence with a harrowing scene reminiscent of Godhra riots.  The film went through some reediting because of the political backlash. In spite of the changes there is no denying that Empuraan 2 takes a strong stand against religious extremism and its terrible effect on humanity. Mention must also be made of how Prithviraj explored the concept of “Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely”. This angle came out excellently through Tovino Thomas’s Jathin Ramdas. His character goes through a major switch in comparison to the first part and Tovino did an extremely fine job. The character of Manju Warrier too has a different arc this time. There is a strong inner strength to Priyadarshini. This evolution was a delight to watch. The actress especially shined in the confrontation scenes with Tovino. Mohanlal as Abraham Quereshi/Lucifer once again shined with his trademark effervescence bringing in the right amount of charisma and mystery. The character of Abraham Quereshi often feels a cousin brother to George Kutty from Drishyam movies. Mohanlal especially shined in the sequences involving Indrajit Sukumaran’s Govardhan and also a pastor cum figure.

Narivetta: Narivetta directed by Anurag Manohar with story by Abhin Joseph is based on a real life tribal protest in 2003. The broad storyline encompasses the themes of land rights, state misusing its authority and the determination of marginalized communities. At the centre of this plot is Tovino Thomas’s Varghese Peter: A rookie police constable. The movie starts off in a non linier format with Varghese Peter running away from cops. This immediately grabs the viewers attention. Later we come to know to that Varghese is a police himself. From here the flashback starts establishing the initial happy go lucky nature an and how the gradual transformation happens.

A strong aspect of Narivetta is Tovino Thomas’s layered characterization: from the initial lack of clarity and then the post interval portions of finally understanding the politics of superior officers. How he comes to empathise and stands up for the tribal’s protest gives the movie some of its best moments. Tovino Thomas particularly shined in the face off between the police and Adivasis. These scenes benefit immensely from the fantastic cinematography and background score too.

Mention must also be made of the friendship between Peter Varghese and Suraj Venjuramood as an empathetic police official Basheer. The friendship between the two came out well leading to some poignant moments.

Officer on Duty: This Jitu Ashraf directorial is a taut investigative drama with an excellent Kuchako Boban as Harikrishna. The director along with Shahi Kabir was successful in humanizing the titular protagonist both as a police officer and human being this in spite of an extreme short temperedness. The movie also benefitted from Vishak Nair and co. He perfectly embodied the ruthless and psychotic nature of Christie. The second half has numerous intense sequences with the hero after this villain gang keeping the viewers on the edge. The portions of Harikrishna and Christie taking on each other are more for those who enjoy gruesome action: nevertheless for raw action lovers these sequences are a treat. Mention must also be made of an important flashbacking establishing the motivations of Christie. This involves a dastardly police officer whose atrocious behaviour sets the tone for a heinous set of crimes.

Tamil

Bad Girl: Bad Girl directed by Varsha Bharath is a refreshingly different coming of age through female lens. The tumultuous journey of the female protagonist in finding liberation is relatable for numerous millennial women.

The storyline of Bad Girl primarily focuses on Anjali Sivaraman’s Ramya. It’s about the many turbulent life scenarios she goes through. Ramya does many things defying the general social norms. Often times the movie feels like a character study rather than plot driven. The title here isn’t a judgment it’s more of a reflection on how traditional culture perceives a woman’s attempts to find her autonomy.

This is a major strength of Bad Girl movie. Varsha Bharath did an excellent job in showcasing the journey starting from Ramya’s teenage life. The generational differences between a mother and daughter came out in an excellent manner. As Ramya’s anxious mom Shantipriya was brilliant too in portraying the motherly concern as well as a rebellious woman in her own ways.

Veera Soora Dheeran (Part 2): S U Arun’s Veera Soora Dheeran (Part 2) is a good example of a star vehicle done right. Unlike the director’s last Chittha this one is more generic: nevertheless, the film makes for an engaging mass cinema with good character build up. The title Veera Soora Dheeran (Part 2) functions both as a sequel and prequel simultaneously: Prequel because there is an important flashback establishing the events leading up to the titular protagonist current predicament.

The storyline of this movie happens in one night. It involves the return of a once upon a time trusted henchman Kaali (a robust Vikram). Kaali is a settled man with a dark past. But due to certain circumstances he is left with no option other than to help a former boss Periyar Ravi (Telugu actor Prudhvi Raj in a different role).

A strong aspect of Veera Soora Dheeran (Part 2) is the balance of massy pitch with Kaali’s vulnerability. There is a palpable tension especially in the first half with Kaali going through a lot of internal and external conflicts. The cat and mouse game has some thrilling moments like the portion of a dangerous landmine.

What also works for the movie is the equal importance given to other characters. Prudhvi Raj as already said is seen in a refreshingly different role and he simply aced it. S J Suryah too is wonderful avoiding his usual mannerisms. The character starts off as a sincere police officer but he soon becomes a man consumed with revenge and calculated malice. This sharp writing makes the movie an intelligent masala film. Yes things start to stagnate with the flashback portion nevertheless there is a lot to enjoy

Bison: Mari Selvaraj’s Bison has a template story but what makes it click is the rousing manner in which the protagonist breaks numerous societal shackles. The film is based on the life of a legendary Kabaddi player Manthi P. Ganesan nicknamed as Bison. Upcoming actor Dhruv played the title role.

A strong aspect of Bison is the brilliant performances headed by a fantastic Pashupathy: From being emotionally conflicted to becoming an important pillar of support the character goes through myriad emotions. Pashupathy simply nailed the graph of Veluswamy. Mention must also be made of how Mari Selvaraj uses the characters of Lal and Ameer. Yes the portions could have done with some serious trimming but the humanness with which Mari Selvaraj portrays them is excellent. The subplot of warring factions is never presented in a caricaturist manner. Lal especially stands out in the scenes supporting Dhruv Vikram’s Kittan.

Anupama Parameswaran has a small but significant role: Her character Rani is older to Dhruv Vikram’s Kittan and the romantic subplot particularly Anupama’s fiery performance makes the love story interesting. It’s good to see movies normalizing the heroine being older than the hero and more importantly having a happy ending. As Kittan Dhruv did a fine job in justifying the tough persona. He particularly excelled in the scenes of showcasing vulnerability.

Dragon: Ashwat Marimuthu’s Dragon is a roller coaster ride of emotions. It’s in equal parts emotional and also a laugh riot. Through a terrific Pradeep Ranganathan Ashwat broke the trope of a rowdy boy being cool. A serious issue like the consequences of taking shortcuts was also portrayed well without being overtly melodramatic.

A strong aspect of Dragon is the dynamics between Pradeep Ranganathan’s Raghavan and Mysskin’s Mayilvahan. Mayilvahan knows Ranganathan inside and out: he makes a re entry into the protagonist’s life at a very crucial point. Mayilvahan is a righteous man but at the same time he isn’t a caricature. He believes in giving second chances. Mysskin brought certain warmth to the part in spite of an outwardly stern nature. Mayilvahan pushes Raghavan in making him realize the mistakes. The dynamics between these two characters takes the graph of second half to a whole new level.

The post interval portion has a crucial message about redefining heroism as nobility rather than as just success. A key emotional outburst from Pradeep Ranganathan elevates the film to a higher moral plane: something which we don’t generally see in the mass template. Mention must also be made of Anupama Parameswaran as Raghavan’s ex. She brings in an emotional resonance especially in the second half.

Tourist Family: Tourist Family directed by Abhishan Jeevinth is a highly optimistic yet an important tale of humanity. The movie broadly encompasses the themes of displacement, identity, familial bonds and the need for empathy through an immigrant family seeking refuge in Tamil Naidu. 

This family consists of Dharamdas along with his wife and sons. Sasikumar and Simran played the husband and wife: The two sons are played by Mithun Jai Shankar and Kamlesh Jagan. Yogi Babu is the relative helping out Dharmdas and co.

A strong aspect of Tourist Family is the family friendly tone in the age of macho heroes and expansive set pieces. The plot is very simplistic but what makes the difference here is the narration. The movie has ample moments of fun as well emotionally poignant sequences. The family dynamics have a lived in feel too further enhanced by the cast.

Sasikumar as Dharamdas did a wonderful job in portraying the different facets. Simran as Vasanthi played the role with grace and also a strong inner strength. Among the two sons Kamalesh Jagan brought in some laughs with his comic timing. Yogi Babu as the relative also delivered some chuckles.