A few posters of the best Malayalam movies (2024)
Adujeevitham movie banner
Manjummel Boys image
Ullozhukku movie image
Just like the previous years 2024 has also seen a huge range of stories from Malayalam and Tamil across different genres. For example both Adujeevitham : Goat Life and Manjummel boys were excellently made survival dramas/thrillers keeping the viewers on the edge. In case of Adujeevitham the movie also made a strong statement on the plight of not so educated men going to the gulf and becoming slaves. Adujeevitham was based on the very successful novel Goat Days and director Blessy did a wonderful job in capturing the soul of the novel while giving it his own touches. Prithviraj Sukumaran in the title role of Najeeb delivered a life changing performance perfectly capturing the emotional trauma of the protagonist. Manjummel Boys was also based on a real life story a group of friends going on a vacation in Kodaikanal, there one of them gets trapped in the Guna Caves leading to numerous tension filled moments. Manjummel Boys was made on a mere budget of 20 crores with not so known faces but the film turned out to be major blockbuster. The movie was vastly appreciated for its technical aspects in particular. Apart from Adujeevitham Prithviraj was also seen in the comedy Gurvayoor Amabalanadayil. The movie was a breezy watch majorly bolstered by Prithiviraj’s act of a comic villain.
On the other hand there was the romantic comedy Premalu again starring not so known faces. It was a breezy rom- com focusing on the lives of young adults getting into their first jobs and enjoying a newly found freedom away from their homes. On the surface the storyline is simple but director Girish AD did a fine job in engaging the audiences. The performances of the lead cast also made the movie enjoyable. One of Malayalam’s major actors Fahadh Faasil was one of its producers. As an actor too Fahadh had a very good year with the action comedy Aavesham. Aavesham focused on a bunch of engineering students taking the help of a gangster for taking revenge on seniors leading to a drastic change in their lives. Aavesham was a major success on the account of its whacky characters and a wonderfully eccentric Fahadh Faasil. The crackling dialogues were another huge asset particularly the interactions between Fahadh’s Ranga and Sajjin Gopu in the role of Ranga’s go to man.
Premalu and Aavesham
Noted Hindi director Abhishek Chaubey joined hands with Ronnie Screwvala with the hugely poignant Ullozhukku. This Christo Tomy directorial was a gripping emotional drama on human frailties. Urvasi and Parvathy Thiruvothu were simply fantastic in their respective parts perfectly embodying the story’s complex dynamics.
legendary actor Mammootty had a pretty good year this time too though not on par with 2023. Among the three releases Rahul Sadhasivan’s Bramayugam turned out to be the best one. In this movie Mammootty played the enigmatic Kodumon Poti. Mammooty simply chewed the scenery coming up with a terrific act. He terrified the viewers with just his body language. In spite of the flaws Bramayugam was an engrossing watch particularly the dialogues related to oppression of lower caste and the desire for power corrupting everyone irrespective of whether you are rich or poor. Midhun Manuel Thomas’s Abraham Ozler saw Mammooty in an extended special appearance, in spite of the less screen time the legendary actor made his presence amply felt. Turbo directed by Vysakh was a typical commercial entertainer with Mammooty having a blast. Mention must also be made of Jayaram who scored a commercial hit with the medical thriller/drama Abraham Ozler. Jayaram was mighty effective as the cop who is in a relentless pursuit of a serial killer while battling his own personal tragedies.
As far as Tamil movies go Vijay Sethupati had a very good year with Maharaja and the second part of Viduthalai. Maharaja saw Vijay Sethupati as a desperate father, Viduthalai 2 on the other hand showcased him as a social crusader. Vijay Sethupati nailed both the roles with charismatic ease. Sivakarthikeyan also hit the big league with the war drama Amaran. Based on the life of major Mukund Sivakarthikeyan seamlessly transformed from a boy next door to a brave army man.
96 Director C Prem Kumar once again explored the theme of nostalgia in a different setting. The movie Meiyazhagan with wonderful performances by Karthi and Aarvind Swamy was a big breadth of fresh air amidst larger than life heroes. The movie was a heartwarming emotional drama on self discovery and the importance of moving on. Lastly PS Vinothraj’s Kottukaali (The Adamant Girl) was a powerful take on silent rebellion. A strong aspect of Kottukaali was the fantastic use of visual metaphors. Through the visual metaphors PS Vinothraj did a wonderful job in showcasing the defiance of Anna Ben’s Meena
Some of the best Tamil movies
Maharaja and Viduthalai Part 2
Amaran
Meiyazhagan
Kottukaali
Now let’s take a dive into the best of Malayalam and Tamil movies in 2024
Malayalam
1 Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life)
Blessey’s Aadujeevitham centered on the life of Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Najeeb. The movie focused on how Najeeb’s life takes a very dark turn upon taking the decision of going to the gulf in order to give a better life to his family by earning more money. However a series of events leads to Najeeb becoming a goat herder in a hot desert with no hopes of coming back. The movie showcased the emotional and physical hardships and how he eventually returns back to his native place after a long ordeal. The best part of Aadujeevitham was how Blessy juxtaposed the flashback portions of Najeeb’s happy life in Kerala and his present wretchedness. The movie takes its own sweet time in showing the transformation of Najeeb but this gradual process helped the movie making the viewers strongly root for the protagonist. The film also benefited from the top notch technical team with particular mention to Sunil K’s cinematography. He did a splendid job in capturing both the beautiful Kerala back waters along with portions showcasing the numerous hardships that Najeeb and co face in the hot desert. In spite of an overindulgent second half Aadujeevitham was an heart wrenching survival drama. In the title role Prithviraj came up with a superlative performance. His physical transformation into a thin and unkempt man is on par with the best of international actors. Mention must also be made of KR Gokul who also stood out with his heart touching portrayal of Hakim. Amala Paul as Najeeb’s wife also shined in her brief role.
2 Manjummel Boys
Manjummel Boys directed by Chidambaram was a chilling survival drama. The story was set in the year 2006 focusing on a group of friends heading to Kodaikanal. Upon going to Kodaikanal they visit Guna Cave. Guna Cave comes with a certain history, one of the friends fall into a pit famously known as Devil’s kitchen. The rest of the story looked at how the group of friends known as Manjummel boys saved their friend.
A strong aspect of Manjummel Boys was how Chidambaram depicted the theme of friendship. The movie has a slow start but majorly picks up pace when the group of friends reach Kodaikanal. Chidambaram’s juxtaposition of an important childhood portion with the main incident was also superbly done. The production design also enhanced the drama with its realisticness. Particular mention must be made of the pit where the friend falls. Apart from the stellar production design Shusin Shyam’s background score also deserves a major appreciation for a job very well done. Among the actors Soubin Shahir and Sreenath Bhasi stood out with impactful performances.
3 Ullozhukku
Ullozhukku directed by Christo Tomy is a heartfelt emotional drama set amidst the backdrop of a funeral. The movie focused on the complex dynamics between Urvashi’s leelamma and Parvathy Thirovutu’s Anju. Anju is married to Leelamma’s son Thomaskutty but is still in touch with her lover Rajeev (Arjun Radhakrishnan). They are having an affair behind Leelamma’s back. Things take a drastic turn with the death of Thomaskutty. Upon the death of Thomaskutty Anju finds out that she is pregnant with Rajeev’s child leading to a complex chain of events.
The best part of Ullozhukku were the flawed human characters. Through these flawed characters Christo Tomy touched upon the themes of grief, desire, honor, and freedom among others. The layered characterizations of both Urvasi and Parvathy also enhanced the drama. Traditionalists would have a tough time in digesting Anju’s serious relationship with her boyfriend while being a married woman however Christo Tomy did a wonderful job in etching out Anju’s love. At one point she even tries to elope with her boyfriend while Leelamma’s family is still grieving. On the surface her actions will come across as selfish but at the same time viewers also understand her desperation. Even Urvasi’s Leelamma comes with her own weaknesses. She has abundant love towards Anju at the same time she is unable to see the struggles of her daughter in law. The movie also subtly touched upon the theme of class divide in the scenes where Leelamma vents out her anger.
4 Bramayugam
Rahul Sadhasivan’s Bramayugam was an engaging period horror movie with elements of fantasy, folklore and religion. The movie’s timeline is 17th century Kerala. A Dalit singer Thevan (Arjun Ashokan) loses his way in the forest and comes across a dilapidated mansion, in this dilapidated mansion only two people stay. One is Kodumon Poti (Mammootty) and the cook played by Siddarth Bharatan.
Bramayugam lacks the overall compactness of Rahul Sadhasivan’s earlier movie Bhoothakaalam, however Bramayugam is still very much worth a watch particularly the portions where the movie gets into a political zone. How the desire for power is extremely dangerous came out brilliantly in the form of some impactful dialogues. The black and white cinematography of Shehnad Jalal perfectly enhanced the horror elements. As the enigmatic Kodumon Poti Mammootty once again showcased a different facet of him with his impactful act.
5 Aavesham
Aavesham directed by Jithu Madhavan was an thoroughly entertaining ride with its goof ball characters and a fabulous Fahadh Faasil. The movie focused on a group of freshers wanting to take revenge on seniors. A chance meeting with Fahadh Faasil’s Ranga leads to a dramatic change in their lives.
A strong aspect of Aavesham were the interactions of Ranga with the three college students. How Ranga delivers a bond with the three showcasing a different side was both well written and enacted. The movie also benefitted immensely from the quirky characterization of Fahadh coupled with his delicious performance.
Now to the best of Tamil movies in 2024
1 and 2 Maharaja and Viduthalai 2
Maharaja directed and written by Nithilan Swaminathan on surface is a standard revenge story elevated by the non- linear storytelling and the intricate world building. In the beginning portions Vijay Sethupati’s character is seen filling a case about a missing dustbin. The cops headed by Natajaran take him for a crazy guy throwing him out of the police station but Vijay Sethupati’s character doesn’t budge eventually forcing the police to take up the case. This is the story in brief. A strong aspect of Maharaja are its police station scenes bordering on ridiculousness. The earnestness with which Vijay Sethupati repeats the story about the missing dustbin is both amusing and moving at the same time. While the investigation is going on a new character is introduced parallelly. Anurag Kashyap played the role of Selvam a loving father to his daughter Ammu with an unknown dark side to the wife. Nithilan Swaminathan did a wonderful job in connecting the dots and how Selvam is connected to the protagonist’s life. The police characters were also written well, they start off as a bunch of opportunistic cops but end up developing a conscience. The movie also deserves appreciation for how it portrayed a rape survivor. There is a very significant portion in the pre- climax where the rape survivor confronts her attacker telling in very clear terms on how she isn’t going to live with shame. Apart from Vijay Sethupati’s powerful act Anurag Kashyap also shined with an impactful performance. A particular mention must be made of his act in a crucial break down scene.
Viduthalai 2 directed by Vetrimaaran was a powerful conclusion with themes of oppression, the division of human beings on the basis of caste and the need to question the flaws in the system. The movie takes the viewers back to the times of monstrous zamindars and the struggles of peasants. The movie also touched upon the origin of communism. On more than one occasion the movie feels like a lecture with an overload of dialogues, still it is a must watch for those like Vetrimaaran’s storytelling. A major highlight of Viduthalai 2 was the origin story, a normal school teacher Perumal aka Vaathiyar transforming into a school crusader brilliantly portrayed by Vijay Sethupati. Soori this time around was mostly relegated to the sidelines, nevertheless he did make his presence amply felt.
3 Amaran
Rajkumar Periyaswamy’s Amaran ticks all the boxes of a traditional war drama. As viewers you know where the proceedings are headed, still the tight writing coupled with the performances made it an engaging watch. At its core Amaran is a love story. The life of Major Mukund is told from the perspective of his wife Indu Rebecca Varghese (an excellent Sai Pallavi). Rajkumar Periyaswamy did a very fine job in showcasing the various stages of their relationship making the viewers wish that the real life story panned out differently.
The director’s portrayal of Kashmir’s political insurgency had its share of problems still the numerous battles of CRPF were well documented. Sivakarthikeyan sprung a very pleasant surprise with his outstanding portrayal perfectly capturing the various shades of Mukund. Sai Pallavi’s character is mostly one note still she brought in a lot of emotional depth.
4 Meiyazhagan
C Prem Kumar’s Meiyazhagan was a heartwarming movie about self discovery and the importance of moving on. The core plot of Meiyazhagan was about the main character’s inability in remembering the name of other person. Arvind Swamy was seen as Satyam. Satyam was forced to leave both his house and hometown due to a family dispute. After many years he comes back to his native village for an important family wedding. Satyam bumps into Karthi’s Sundaram. Sundaram treats Satyam with lot of affection but the latter has no memory of how Sundaram is related to him. This is the story in brief.
Meiyazhagan had a slow beginning but picked up huge momentum with the entry of Karthi. Karthi raised many chuckles with his witty dialogues proving to be a perfect catalyst. He did a very fine job in embodying the idealistic and selfless nature of Sundaram. A particular mention must be made of the scenes where Satyam tries hard to recollect the name and puts up act of remembering him. A lot of situational humor is generated through this. Aravind Swamy as the brooding Satyam proved to be the perfect antithesis. He did a very fine job in portraying Satyam’s trauma making the viewers feel his pain. The characters of the greedy relatives is strictly one note still through this subplot C Prem Kumar gave an important message about forgiving people and in the process overcoming bitterness
5 Kottukaali
PS Vinothraj’s Kottukaali was a powerful movie on rebellion through silences. Backed by Sivakarthikeyan the film focused on the themes of caste, patriarchy and tradition. The story primarily focused on Anna Ben’s Meena and Soori’s Pandi. Meena is apparently possessed by a dangerous spirit. So the families of Meena and Pandi take her first to a local goddess and then a local seer.
The best part of Kottukkaali was the use of visual metaphors. For example there is a scene where the men have to carry an auto rickshaw on their shoulders with Meena still inside. The act of Meena refusing to come out can be interpretated as her way of rebellion.
Similarly the latter portion also features a hugely volatile scene when Meena quietly hums the song ‘Othyadi Padhaiyila’, playing in the background of a puberty ceremony. Pandi gets into a huge frenzy as the tune reminds him of her lover. He starts thrashing everyone around but Meena doesn’t say a single word.
The cinematography of B Shaktivel was also top notch. He perfectly captured the rustic surroundings. Both Anna Ben and Soori did a fantastic job in their respective characters. Anna Ben mostly conveyed the myriad emotions through her body language. Soori on the other hand invoked terror whenever he appears on screen this in spite of the hoarse voice. The one slight flaw of Kottukkaali was the ending which needed more cohesiveness.
