11 BEST POPULAR MALAYALAM MOVIES YOU CAN WATCH (WITH IMDb RATING)

The Malayalam film industry is full of creative people who just do not build a good story but execute them so flawlessly. Unfortunately, due to the language barrier, they do not receive much attention. Unlike a lot of Telugu movies, Malayalam movies are not usually dubbed in Hindi. If you don't mind watching movies with subtitles, you must try these top Malayalam movies.

Best Malayalam Movies

Bangalore Days

• Romance/ Drama
• IMDb rating: 8.3
• Cast: Nivin Pauly, Dulqeer Salmaan, Nazariya Nazim, Fahadh Fassil, Nitya Menon, Isha Talwar
• Amazon Prime Video/ Disney+Hotstar/ YouTube

Bangalore Days is a roller coaster journey of three cousins who wish to visit Bangalore from their childhood. Life has roses and thrones for each one of them. It is a very fun movie to watch as it has all the emotional elements from love, hatred, ignorance, friendship, and whatnot. It is a must-watch Malayalam film.

C U Soon

• Drama/ Mystery/ Thriller
• IMDb rating: 7.8
• Cast: Fahadh Fassil, Roshan Mathew, Darshana Rajendra
• Amazon Prime Video

The entire movie C U Soon was shot on iPhone and laptop!! It is India's first computer screen film. Shot during the lockdown, in this movie everything you see is through a computer screen. Usually, films with a unique feature focus on that only thing. But the makers of this film have not compromised even a little bit with the content. Both the story and the performance is mind-blowing!!

Moothon

• Action/ Crime/ Drama
• IMBd rating: 7.5
• Cast: Nivin Pauly, Roshan Mathew, Sobhita Dhulipala
• Zee5

Moothon is a Hindi/ Malayalam language movie. The movie shows a journey of a teenager in search of an elder brother followed by the prostitutes' culture in Bombay. Moothon is a dark movie that will give you several shocks through its story. It will take you deep down to show the struggle and helplessness of the characters.

Drishyam

• Crime/ Drama/ Mystery
• IMDb rating: 8.3
• Cast: Mohanlal, Jeethu Joseph, Esther  Anil, Meena
• Amazon Prime Video/ Youtube

The Hindi remake of Drishyam played by Ajay Devgan had become really popular. However, the Mallu version is the original one. Drishyam is a suspenseful movie that will take you through all that a father can do to save his family. You won't be able to stop yourself from appreciating the makers. The turns that the movie takes will just keep you engaged. The second part of the movie was released in 2021.

Virus

• Thriller/ Drama
• IMDb rating: 7.9
• Cast: Parvathy Thiruvothu, Tovino Thomas, Revathi, Sreenath Bhasi, Madonna Sebastian
• Amazon Prime Video   

2 years before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. Kerala was affected by the 'Nipah Virus'. The movie is based on that pandemic. Not only it shows the spread of the virus and the helplessness, but the constant effort of all the medical personnel and ministry to fight back the situation. The movie will just keep you engaged.

Joji

• Crime/ Drama
• IMDb rating: 7.9
• Cast: Fahadh Fassil, Dileesh Pothan, Unnimaya Prasad
• Amazon Prime Video

Joji is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. In the need for wealth and power, Joji, a young and unemployed engineer takes actions that result in the unexpected event of the family eventually ruining himself. Despite the complex story, the movie is based slowly and simplistically.

The great Indian Kitchen

• Drama
• IMDb rating: 8.3
• Cast: Nimisha Sajayan, Suraj Venjaramo, Sidharth Siva, Ajitha VM
• Amazon Prime Videos

An educated progressive woman gets married into the family who believes women are only destined to cook, feed and repeat, all their life. How does she fight the toxic patriarchy alone when nobody around realizes anything is even wrong?

Ustad hotel

• Romance/ Drama
• IMDb rating: 8.2
• Cast: Dulqeer Salman, Nitya Menon
• Disney+Hotstar

Ustad Hotel is a drama film about an aspiring chef who has been under the pressure of his father, who has other business plans for him rather than letting him be in the kitchen. Life unfolds when he leaves his house to join his grandfather who runs a small seaside hotel Ustad. The movie will motivate you and urge you to follow your heart for the good.

Trance

• Drama/Action
• IMDb rating: 7.3
• Cast: Fahadh Fassil, Nazariya Nazim, Gautham Menon, Dileesh Pothan
• Amazon Prime Video

Trance is a psychological drama thriller based on a Christian religious scam. A motivational speaker gets hired as a face of the scam while the real faces are hidden behind the curtain. This life of the speaker draws him into delusion and darkness. The amount of energy Fahadh Fassil has put into this character will show you how great of a performer he is.

Jallikattu

• Crime/ Action/ Thriller
• IMDb rating: 7.5
• Cast: Santhy Balachandran, Anthony Varghese, Sobha Singh, Tinu Pappachan
• Amazon Prime Video

Jallikattu is a crime/action thriller with a lot of symbolic meaning. A buffalo runs away from the invasion of a village butcher. Entire village men gather to stop it from destroying the village property and people. The movie has implicitly described human nature and the diminishing line between humans and animals. It will be really difficult to underhand what was the mind of a director. You can read our simplified article on Jallikattu's explanation after watching it : Jallikattu: Evolution going backward? Jallikattu explained.

Kumbalangi Nights

• Romance/ Drama
• IMDb rating: 8.6
• Cast: Fahadh Fassil, Soubin Sahir, Shane Nigam, Sreenath Bhasi
• Amazon Prime Video

The movie revolves around four brothers who have a very complex relationship with each other. There is both love and hatred among them. The movie is set in Kumbalangi island (a village in Kochi). It has a cultural aspect as well (fishing). Basically, it is a romance and comedy-drama but it has some psychological elements in it as well. It is a great movie to watch.

Complete this list of these best Malayalam movies. 

You may also want to read:

27 BEST HINDI THRILLER/MYSTERY MOVIES TO WATCH

Also Watch: