When I began putting together the list of the 10 Best Malayalam Films of 2025, I had an epiphany on how far the industry has come in a short period. Once a minuscule industry with limited reach, it is now breaking national box office records. Non-Malayali cinephiles today often take pride in their familiarity with films from Kerala. As a Malayali myself, I sometimes experience a kind of reverse racism, where people say, “Wow, you’re a Malayali? I love your movies.”
Secretly though, I take pride in this shift, one that arguably began with Drishyam in 2013. I still remember my student days in Bengaluru, when my Malayali friends and I would frequent a dingy theatre called Galaxy Paradise, essentially a small room with plastic chairs. We watched films like Om Shanthi Oshaana, Kalimannu, and several others there. About 13 years later, I found myself watching Sarvam Maya at one of the largest PVR screens in Andheri West, Mumbai, amid a packed audience. The contrast says it all.
Living in Mumbai, I have often noticed people categorising me as a “Bollywood” critic. That label has always puzzled me, because my website receives as many visits from Kochi as it does from Mumbai or even Los Angeles. If anything, I’d describe myself as a global critic, with a soft corner for Malayalam cinema.
Malayalam is the language I think in, and its cinema forms the backbone of my pop culture influences. I feel happy that I understand all their tiny nuances and references that subtitles can’t explain.
Yes, the Kerala film industry is on everyone’s radar today. Still, I have witnessed its evolution firsthand, from the regressive phase of the ’90s, through the problematic machismo of the 2000s, to a space that now feels far more progressive.
That said, Malayalam cinema is not without its flaws. The spotlight usually falls on the standout titles, while countless mediocre films remain lost in obscurity. Even so, taken as a whole, it is currently the most creatively driven film industry in India, powered by great talent both on and off the screen.
So here is my list of the 10 best Malayalam films of the year, ranked in reverse order:
10. Rekhachithram
Rekhachithram might be advertised as a how-dun-it or a why-dun-it, but nothing distracts it from being a sublime love letter to Mammootty and, in turn, Malayalam cinema. In a film that maintains an unemotional tone, the climactic moment involving the legendary actor and an act of closure might well up your eye. While doing so, Jofin T. Chacko delivers an unusual experience, setting the tone for another promising year for Malayalam cinema.
9. Ithiri Neram
With love stories becoming rare in Malayalam cinema, Ithiri Neram offers a tender look at modern relationships, driven by well-written lead characters and a talented ensemble. Yes, its bittersweet ending feels inevitable. But the film gently suggests that a little more conversation with partners, friends, or family can make all the difference. After all, what if a brief chat, for just “a little while” (Ithiri Neram in Malayalam), brings an unexpected ray of light into a dull life?
8. Sarvam Maya
Directed by Akhil Sathyan, this supernatural comedy stars Nivin Pauly as a cynical, atheist musician who is forced by circumstance into the role of a village priest. His life is upended when he is haunted by Maya, a witty “Gen Z” ghost who refuses to leave his side until she settles her unfinished business. The film brilliantly balances sharp satire with a “buddy-comedy” dynamic, using its whimsical premise to explore grief, modern faith, and the bridges built between generations.
7. Victoria
Directed by Sivaranjini J, this critically acclaimed drama follows a day in the life of a beautician (Meenakshi Jayan) who is entrusted with a sacrificial rooster while planning to elope. The film uses the claustrophobic setting of an Angamaly beauty parlor to explore themes of faith, ritual, and a woman’s internal struggle for freedom.
6. Thudarum
Thudarum also serves as a smooth meta piece, weaving in several timeless Mohanlal references from “Mone Dinesha” (Narasimham) to “Namukku choych choych pokam” (Ayal Kadhayezhuthukayanu). Moorthy ensures these nods are never overdone, avoiding the trap of turning the film into mere fan service. Mohanlal seems to be having a blast as Benz. This part suits him perfectly because it blends drama, action, and a touch of comedy. The Sabarimala setting lets him keep the beard he loves very much, and his chemistry with his co-stars feels effortless. Shobana is graceful in a role that does not require her National Award-winning skills. It was refreshing to hear her dub her dialogue, though I ironically missed Bhagyalakshmi’s voice. It appears that familiarity does not breed contempt here.
5. Dies Irae
Rahul Sadasivan’s Dies Irae isn’t a body-horror or a creature film built to shock you with grotesque imagery. Here, the real hero isn’t Pranav Mohanlal. It’s the soundscape (Jayadevan Chakkadath, M R Rajakrishnan) and the original score (Christo Xavier). As they balance the film’s quiet, expansive atmosphere, we are steadily drawn into this world. Watch Dies Irae in an ordinary theatre with inferior sound, and you may not feel a thing. Though I’m not a fan of jump scares in general, Dies Irae has a bunch of them. However, they don’t feel forced. But they never let you relax either.
3. Avihitham
Senna Hegde’s film walks a delicate line, portraying the fragile moral tightrope women are forced to tread. One misstep, and she is branded “characterless.” Men, meanwhile, can be anything they please, even bachelors by choice, without consequence. A woman’s agency is limited to what colour saree she may wear or which TV serial she can watch, Parijatham or Jwalayayi.
The brilliance of Avihitham lies in how it quietly exposes this double standard. It does not shout for women’s rights; instead, it subtly frames its men, all standing with their heads lowered in shame. The final reveal lands exactly as intended, with the family matriarch’s reaction alone propelling the film to greatness.
3. Lokah – Chapter 1: Chandra
DOP Nimish Ravi renders Lokah Chapter 1 with a comic-book-like texture that makes it easy to immerse in its universe. CGI, grading, and lighting make it one of the most unusually framed Malayalam films in years. Composer Jakes Bejoy creates a soundscape that fuses myth, mystery, horror, and action. The score and sound design feel hip and modern, which will appeal to the video-game-obsessed generation. Among the leads, Kalyani Priyadarshan owns the screen in the titular role. Chandra is a lioness who speaks less and acts more. With her gothic appearance and deathly stare, the actor shapeshifts so well that her spunky past roles quietly exit our memory.
2. Eko
Eko leans heavily on flashbacks, parallel narratives, and tightly controlled pacing, making the precision of editor Sooraj E. S’s cuts crucial. The film also challenges every cinema hall: upgrade your acoustics. You cannot truly appreciate Mujeeb Majeed’s hypnotic score or Vishnu Govind’s sound design on mediocre speakers. Tune your ears to the foley work by Balasubramaniam and M. Karthikeyan, and you will understand why this soundscape is essential. Bahul Ramesh’s screenplay answers very few questions upfront. You’ll need to do some mental math to figure out several of its twists, while others you’re expected to guess — almost like a murder mystery board game where you jot notes alongside.
1. Ponman
Directed by Jothish Shankar, this sharp satirical thriller stars Basil Joseph as a high-stakes “gold middleman” who supplies wedding jewelry on credit. The tension explodes when a defiant bride and her ruthless husband refuse to return the ornaments, trapping the agent in a lethal game of survival on a remote island. It is a masterful, darkly comic exploration of how far people will go to maintain the facade of status.
Special Mentions: Theatre: The Myth of Reality, Maranamass
Major Disappointments: Kalamkaval, Hridayapoorvam
Moderate Disappointments: Narivetta, Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira
