13 Best Malayalam Movies of All Time, From Classics to 2024 Hits

The best Malayalam movies of all time include Nadodikkattu (1987), Kumbalangi Nights (2019), The Great Indian Kitchen (2021), Ustad Hotel (2012), Sudani from Nigeria (2018) and Mumbai Police (2013). Recent hits like Manjummel Boys, Aavesham and Bramayugam, all from 2024, have already joined that list. Here are 13 picks with years and where to watch.

Malayalam cinema has a reputation for realistic stories, sharp writing and actors who disappear into ordinary people. Over the last decade, those films have found a national audience on OTT, with viewers far beyond Kerala.

This list mixes a few classics with modern films. We have added where each title streams in India only where we could confirm it, as OTT rights change.

Quick list

Best Malayalam movies of all time: the list

1. Nadodikkattu (1987)

Mohanlal plays Dasan (Ramdas) and Sreenivasan plays Vijayan, two unemployed young men who plan to go to Dubai. They get conned, land in Tamil Nadu instead, and end up mistaken for police officers by a smuggling gang. Sathyan Anthikad directed it, and Sreenivasan wrote the screenplay.

It is a satire of 1980s unemployment and middle-class dreams in Kerala, and it was popular enough to spawn two sequels, Pattanapravesham (1988) and Akkare Akkare Akkare (1990).

2. Kumbalangi Nights (2019)

Madhu C. Narayanan’s debut, written by Syam Pushkaran, follows four brothers in Kumbalangi and their messy family life. Shane Nigam, Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi and Mathew Thomas play the brothers. Fahadh Faasil plays Shammi, the antagonist, a performance fans still quote.

The film won four Kerala State Film Awards.

3. The Great Indian Kitchen (2021)

Nimisha Sajayan plays a newly married woman who slowly realises her life will be spent cooking and cleaning for her husband (Suraj Venjaramoodu) and his family. Jeo Baby’s film takes on patriarchy at home with very few words.

It first released on Neestream in January 2021 and was later picked up by Prime Video. It won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film and was remade in Tamil (2023) and in Hindi as Mrs. (2025).

4. Pranchiyettan and the Saint (2010)

Mammootty plays C. E. Francis, a wealthy businessman known as Pranchiyettan. He ends up confiding in a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, who starts talking back. Ranjith wrote, directed and produced the satire, which won Mammootty several Best Actor awards.

5. Ustad Hotel (2012)

Dulquer Salmaan plays Faizi, who wants to be a chef against his father’s wishes. His father takes away his passport, and Faizi ends up working at his grandfather’s small restaurant in Kerala, known for its biryani. Thilakan plays the grandfather, Kareem.

Anwar Rasheed directed it, and Anjali Menon won the National Award for Best Dialogues. The film also won the National Award for Best Popular Film.

6. Sudani from Nigeria (2018)

Soubin Shahir plays Majeed, a young football coach. When his Nigerian player Samuel (Samuel Abiola Robinson) is injured in an accident, he has to recover at Majeed’s home. Zakariya Mohammed’s debut won the National Award for Best Malayalam Feature Film.

7. Mumbai Police (2013)

Prithviraj plays ACP Antony Moses, who loses part of his memory in an accident and has to reopen the murder of his friend and fellow officer Aaryan (Jayasurya). Rosshan Andrrews directed and Bobby and Sanjay wrote it. The final twist is still the film’s big talking point.

8. Munnariyippu (2014)

Venu directed this slow-burn drama. A young journalist, Anjali (Aparna Gopinath), takes on the job of writing the life story of C. K. Raghavan (Mammootty), a prisoner who insists he never committed the murders he was jailed for. Mammootty’s quiet performance is the reason to watch.

9. Big B (2007)

Amal Neerad’s stylish debut stars Mammootty as Bilal John Kurishingal, the eldest of four adopted brothers who return home after their mother is murdered. Their hunt for the killers uncovers a child trafficking racket in Kochi. A sequel, Bilal, was announced in 2017 but has been delayed since 2020.

10. 22 Female Kottayam (2012)

Rima Kallingal plays Tessa, a nurse in Bengaluru who hopes to move to Canada. She falls for Cyril (Fahadh Faasil), who works at a travel agency, and is betrayed in the worst way. Aashiq Abu’s revenge drama won Kerala State Awards for both leads.

Newer Malayalam hits worth adding

11. Bramayugam (2024)

Rahul Sadasivan’s period thriller was shot and released fully in black and white and is set in the 17th century. Mammootty plays Kodumon Potti, a sorcerer, opposite Arjun Ashokan as Thevan, a folk singer. It streams on SonyLIV, where it premiered on 15 March 2024.

12. Manjummel Boys (2024)

Chidambaram’s survival thriller follows a group of friends from Manjummel near Kochi whose holiday in Kodaikanal goes wrong when one of them gets trapped in the Guna Caves. It grossed about Rs 242 crore worldwide on a Rs 20 crore budget and won Best Film at the Kerala State Film Awards. It streams on JioHotstar, where it first arrived as a Disney+ Hotstar release in May 2024.

13. Aavesham (2024)

Fahadh Faasil is loud, funny and scary as Ranga, a Bengaluru gangster befriended by three Kerala students who want revenge on a senior who beat them up. Jithu Madhavan’s film earned about Rs 156 crore worldwide and streams on Prime Video.

For more picks, see our movies and reviews sections, or browse more listicles.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Wikipedia: Manjummel Boys, Wikipedia: Aavesham, Wikipedia: Bramayugam, Wikipedia: The Great Indian Kitchen.