The Best Multistarrers in Malayalam

This month and the coming months will see the release of a slew of multistarrers in Malayalam - Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Dileep, Sarathkumar, Kavya Madhavan & Kanihaa in Joshiy's Christian Brothers; Prithviraj, Arya, Prabhu Deva, Genelia, Amole Gupte, Vidya Balan & Tabu in Santosh Sivan's Urumi; Mohanlal, Dileep, Jayaram & Kavya Madhavan in Rafi-Mecartin's China Town; Prithviraj, Indrajith, Shwetha Menon, Parvathi & Rima Kallingal in Lijo Jose's City of God and many more in the pipeline. Malayalam Cinema has had much more multistarrers compared to any other industry in the country and most of our actors/stars are also very close friends and generally the industry is quite closely knit, with few exceptions of course. So here's looking at some of the best multistarrers we've had. I'm not touching upon movies before the 90s in the Sathyan-Naseer-Madhu era or the Jayan-Soman-Sukumaran era and not even the IV Sasi multistarrers. This is a list based on multistarrer films I've seen and enjoyed the most from 1990 onwards. :) 


Important - The ranking is not based on the quality of the movies. Its based more or less on how the dynamics between the stars have been utilized in the movie by the writers and directors. 

15. Thommanum Makkalum (2005)

Cast - Mammootty, Lal, Rajan P Dev, Salimkumar, Anand, Laya, Sindhu Menon

Director - Shafi

Writer - Benny P Nayarambalam

A cracker of a comedy from the super-successful Shafi - Benny P Nayarambalam team, this movie had the late Rajan P Dev playing a super-awesome father to the awesome Mammootty & Lal. A family of thiefs and the problems they get into formed the story of the movie. The chemistry between the three lead actors were crackling. Lal showed us a great new comic side of him and 'Smart Boys' became an epic dialogue. Mammootty was growing more and more comfortable in the comedy genre through such movies and he was a treat to watch. But the star of the show was Rajan P Dev who made Thomman immortal with his amazing act. Salimkumar provided comic relief, Anand was a good villain, Laya and Sindhu Menon played the female leads. The movie turned out to be a record breaking hit. 

14. Friends (1999)

Cast - Jayaram, Mukesh, Sreenivasan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Meena. Divya Unni

Writer, Director - Siddique

Siddique's second independent directorial venture had Jayaram & Sreenivasan working with him for the first time and had his favourite Mukesh in a very important role as well. And when another favourite Innocent backed out, one of the best comic characters in Malayalam, Lasar Elayappan came to life through Jagathy Sreekumar. Jayaram played the flirt effortlessly, Mukesh played the sorted, level headed guy who'd die for his friends and Sreenivasan, the funny guy who keeps getting into trouble. Add them to Jagathy's band of painters, and we get some hilarious sequences inside a palace under renovation. Even though Friends is nowhere near Siddique's best works, it was still an enjoyable watch because of the dynamics between the three leads. 

13. Thenkasippattanam (2000)

Cast - Suresh Gopi, Lal, Dileep, Samyuktha Varma, Geethu Mohandas, Kavya Madhavan, Spadikam George, Salimkumar

Writers/Directors - Rafi & Mecartin

A blockbuster, Thenkashippattanam showed us for the first time, the comic side of Suresh Gopi and Lal in a full length film. (Even though Suresh Gopi had done the super-awesome Minnal Prathapan way back in Manu Uncle). But it was Dileep who was the star of the show. Thenkashippattanam made him a darling of the family audiences. His fantastic comic timing and lovable act floored each and every one who saw this movie. Salimkumar joined in and provided much more fun. Lal's friend-turned-villain act was great as well. And Suresh Gopi was rock solid. The ladies Samyuktha, Geethu and Kavya also played their parts very well. This movie sky-rocketed Rafi-Mecartin into the big league of directors. 

12. Harikrishnans (1998)

Cast - Mohanlal, Mammootty, Juhi Chawla, Kunchacko Boban, Innocent, Rajiv Menon, Nedumudi Venu, Cochin Haneefa, Venu Nagavalli

Writers - Fazil, Madhu Muttom

Director - Fazil

Dont go by the photo, Shah Rukh Khan was not in the movie. This was just a photoshoot done before an actual shoot of another climax for the movie where SRK comes for Juhi Chawla, but the shoot for that never happened. Harikrishnans saw Mohanlal and Mammootty, Malayalam Cinema's two pillars reuniting as main leads of a film after 8 long years, under the direction of long time friend Fazil. Mohanlal produced the movie which went on to become a rom-com where the 2 heroes were busy chasing the gorgeous Juhi Chawla instead of solving the case they were appearing for. The movie pitted the two superstars against each other in many comic scenes and the audience had some good laughs over them fighting with each other for the funny girl. A one film old Kunchacko Boban also had an important role to play in the movie. The movie starts with the murder of Guptan, played by ace cinematographer-director Rajiv Menon. The movie went on to become a big hit even though people werent fully satisfied seeing Mammootty and Mohanlal running behind a girl for an entire movie. And the movie ran into a whole lot of controversies for having two different climaxes as well. 

11. Chotta Mumbai (2007)

Cast - Mohanlal, Indrajith, Siddique, Manikkuttan, Bijukkuttan, Kalabhavan Mani, Bhavana, Saikumar, Rajan P Dev, Jagathy Sreekumar, Bheeman Raghu

Writer - Benny P Nayarambalam

Director - Anwar Rasheed

Set in Fort Kochi, this was one helluva roller coaster ride. Probably the most zany comedy to have come out in recent times, this film had superstar Mohanlal having loads of fun by giving space to each other member of the cast as much as himself. He played Thala so adorably. Then there was Bijukkuttan in his only good role as the sidekick Suseelan. Even Manikkuttan was quite okay in this film. Indrajith looked awesome and had a great role too. Saikumar effortlessly transformed into Mohanlal's father Michael Aashaan despite being much younger than him. Benny P Nayarambalam always reserves his best roles to Rajan P Dev and Paambu Chackochan was nothing short of epic. But it was Siddique as Mullan Chandrappan who stole the thunder from everyone else. Playing a comic role after so many years, Siddique just had some great fun playing this hilarious character and its hard not to love him in that role. Bhavana was cast perfectly as Parakkum Latha and Kalabhavan Mani's villain act would send a chill down your spine, one of his best acts ever. And to add to the fun, there was Jagathy Sreekumar playing Padakkam Basheer as well. Anwar Rasheed's kickass directorial skills made this into one of the most watched movies in recent times. 

10. Summer In Betlehem

Cast - Suresh Gopi, Jayaram, Manju Warrier, Kalabhavan Mani, Mayoori, Sangeetha, Janardhanan, Sukumari & Mohanlal

Writer - Ranjith

Director - Sibi Malayil

A beautiful rom-com, this one had Suresh Gopi, Jayaram and Manju Warrier playing lead roles with Mohanlal pitching in probably Malayalam Cinema's greatest guest appearance. A vacation at a farmhouse turns out to be much more than that with lots of comedy, romance and suspense unfolding through the plot. Jayaram and Kalabhavan Mani handled the humour department giving us some unforgettable comic sequences. Suresh Gopi played the silent lover with elan. Manju Warrier as the prankster with a sad secret was mindblowing. And then Mohanlal comes in those last ten minutes and just steals the show. He was just too good, for loss of better words!! Ranjith attempted a different genre and it worked fabulously along with Sibi Malayil's able direction. 

9. In Harihar Nagar (1990)

Cast - Mukesh, Jagadish, Siddique, Ashokan, Riza Bava, Geetha Vijayan, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Philomina, Paravoor Bharathan, Saikumar & Suresh Gopi

Writers/Directors - Siddique & Lal

A gem. A classic. One of those Malayalis would never get tired watching. It has insance humour weaved into a supremely thrilling plot. Siddique and Lal used to be such good writers back then and this was indeed one of their best works. The first half doesnt even give time for the audience to breather making them laugh every single split second with the antics of these 4 idiots - Mahadevan, Govindan Kutty, Thomas Kutty and Appukkuttan, played effortlessly by Mukesh, Siddique, Ashokan and Jagadish respectively. Jagadish's Appukkuttan was the epitome of dumbness and hilarity. The others were no less either. There was another story going parallel with theirs, which introduced a great villain John Honai through Riza Bava. Suresh Gopi had a great extended cameo along with Saikumar. Geetha Vijayan was very impressive in her debut. Philomina & Paravoor Bharathan were hilarious and Kaviyoor Ponnamma was very good too. Lal made two sequels to this movie. While the first one managed to capture some spirit of the original, the second sequel was pure torture, ruining these characters terribly and making Appukkuttan a Tintumon like figure. 

8. Keralavarma Pazhassiraja (2009)

Cast - Mammootty, Sarathkumar, Manoj K Jayan, Suresh Krishna, Suman, Kanihaa, Padmapriya, Jagathy Sreekumar, Thilakan

Writer - MT Vasudevan Nair

Director - Hariharan

An epic in all proportions, Keralavarma Pazhassiraja had a huge cast as well. Mammootty played the rebel king who started a revolt against the British, Sarathkumar played his ferocious lieutenant making his debut in Malayalam, Manoj K Jayan, a fearless tribal warrior, Suresh Krishna, a trusted accomplice to the king and even Padmapriya who played a fiery tribal warrior lady. Kanihaa played the beautiful queen and Suman was the treacherous landlord plotting against Pazhassi and his men along with the British. While Mammootty's character was more subtle and underplayed till the climax, it was Sarathkumar who shined throughout the movie ending in a brilliant fight sequence and a brave death scene. Manoj K Jayan was equally good as well. Padmapriya's act in this movie won her a special mention from the National Award jury. Sarathkumar's role was initially offered to Suresh Gopi, and it was only when Suresh Gopi declined the role, Sarath came into the picture. The rest as they say, is history, quite literally. Its not often that you get to see a movie of such epic proportions in Malayalam, with such a huge cast, MT Vasudevan Nair writing the script and Hariharan directing the film. 

7. Kalapani (1996)

Cast - Mohanlal, Prabhu, Amrish Puri, Tabu, Annu Kapoor, Delhi Ganesh, Sreenivasan, Vineeth, Alex Draper, Cochin Haneefa, Tinnu Anand, Nedumudi Venu, Shankaradi

Writers - Priyadarshan, T Damodaran

Director - Priyadarshan

Perhaps the best period movie to be made in Malayalam, Priyadarshan's Kalapani had a huge cast as well. Mohanlal led the cast with his effortless portrayal of Dr. Govardhan who's falsely accused of terrorist activity and sent to the Kalapani jails. He changed his look drastically and portrayed his part with such passion, making it unforgettable. Prabhu played the fiery rebel Mukund Iyengar spectacularly making it one of his most memorable roles ever. Tabu was lovely as Govardhan's lover waiting endlessly for him back home. She was sublimely beautiful in her first outing in Malayalam. Amrish Puri played the terror Mirza Khan so well that you hate him completely. Alex Draper was also brilliant as the British jailer. Annu Kapoor had a great role as Veer Savarkar. Others in the cast like Sreenivasan, Cochin Haneefa, Delhi Ganesh, Vineeth, Tinnu Anand and Nedumudi Venu were brilliant as well. Mohanlal produced this epic movie in association with Shogun films. 

6. Classmates (2006)

Cast - Prithviraj, Indrajith, Jayasurya, Naren, Vijeesh, Balachandra Menon, Kavya Madhavan, Radhika, Shoba Mohan, Anoop Chandran, Jagathy Sreekumar

Writer - James Albert

Director - Lal Jose

Lal Jose's contemporary classic must be one of the best movies to have used an ensemble cast in the most effective way. Told in flashbacks, this movie took us back to college campuses of the early 90s. Prithviraj, in his career best role, played the youth socialist leader Sukumaran with the exact intensity it required. Indrajith turned over a new leaf playing a wonderfully charming comic character Pious, who was also the hero's best friend. Jayasurya in a comic-turned-scheming villain role was excellent too. Naren as the talented soft-spoken singer who remains as a sorrow in his friends' hearts was adorable. Vijeesh played Jayasurya's sidekick to perfection. Kavya Madhavan in one of her best roles, was remarkable. Radhika rose to fame with her portrayal of Penguin Razia, the mysterious character in the movie. Balachandra Menon's professor was the pillar around which most of the story revolved. Jagathy Sreekumar as the hostel warden was hilarious. Lal Jose turned James Albert's brilliant script into one of the best movies to have come out in Malayalam. 

5. Manichitrathaazhu (1993)

Cast - Shobana, Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Vinaya Prasad, Nedumudi Venu, Innocent, KPAC Lalitha, Sudheesh, Ganesh, Kuthiravattam Pappu & Thilakan

Writer - Madhu Muttom

Director - Fazil, 

with the help of Priyadarshan, Siddique-Lal & Sibi Malayil

The best Malayalam movie ever!! Period. This was a super-effective multistarrer as well. Mohanlal and Shobana were at their prime and Suresh Gopi was already on his way to becoming a superstar. The movie clearly belonged to Shobana, but Mohanlal also managed to make it as much into his movie as it was Shobana's, with his unforgettably portrayal of the slightly eccentric but brilliant psychiatrist Dr.Sunny. Shobana's Ganga/Nagavalli is perhaps the most iconic female character in modern day Malayalam Cinema. Suresh Gopi pitched in one of his career-best performances as Shobana's loving and affectionate husband. The rest of the cast were no less either - be it the patriarch Nedumudi Venu, the hilarious Innocent and KPAC Lalitha, the senior priest Thilakan, 'kindi' Sudheesh and the prime suspect Vinaya Prasad. It was magic unfolding on screen. :) :) 

4. Traffic (2011)

Cast - Sreenivasan, Anoop Menon, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Saikumar, Rahman, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Krishna, Lena, Sandhya, Roma, Remya Nambeeshan, Reena Basheer, Prem Prakash & Jose Prakash

Writers - Bobby & Sanjay

Director - Rajesh R Pillai

The movie Malayalis cant stop raving about this year, also had one of the best ensemble casts ever. With no actual stars in the picture, the movie had a bunch of talented actors transforming completely into characters they were playing. Saikumar emerged as the best playing father to Vineeth Sreenivasan who loses his life in an accident. Kunchacko Boban proved that he has matured into a fantastic actor in his role with shades of grey. Anoop Menon was wonderful as the Commissioner who plans and executes the entire operation. Sreenivasan showed us yet again why we all love him so much. Asif Ali showed us that if used well, he could very well be the future of Malayalam Cinema. Rahman got his career best role as a Superstar who has no time for his family. Among the ladies, Lena surprised everyone with a mindblowing performance as the mother of a dying child. The rest of the ladies did a good job too. Jose Prakash pitched in a cameo and it is his words that inspires the entire plot of the movie. 

3. Dhruvam (1993)

Cast - Mammootty, Jayaram, Suresh Gopi, Vikram, Prabhakar, Gauthami, Janardhanan, Vijayaraghavan, Shammi Thilakan, TG Ravi, Rudra

Writers - SN Swamy, Sajan Babu

Director - Joshiy

A kickass movie in all respects. This was perhaps the biggest multistarrer of it times and if we look at the star value of its actors now, it looks much bigger now. Mammootty played Narasimha Mannadiyaar. He looked so bloody good in this movie and he was awesomeness personified in that role. Jayaram played his brother who gets murdered by Haider Maraykkar, played by Prabhakar. Suresh Gopi played Joseph Nariman, a pasteur turned cop and a young Vikram played Bhadran, Mammootty's trusted left hand. Jayaram was wonderful in his short role. Suresh Gopi was brilliant as the devoted cop. Vikram steps into Jayaram's shoes after his death and gives a brotherly support to Mammootty. Perhaps his best role in his entire Malayalam career during his struggling days. Tamil actor Prabhakar played the menacing Haider Maraykkar brilliantly. The beautiful Gauthami played Mammootty's lovely wife. Only Joshiy could have made this bloody brilliant movie. 

2. Twenty 20 (2008)

Cast - Mohanlal, Mammootty, Suresh Gopi, Dileep, Jayaram, Mukesh, Indrajith, Kalabhavan Mani, Siddique, Manoj K Jayan, Shammi Thilakan, Bhavana, Kavya Madhavan, Gopika, Madhu, Innocent, Jagathy Sreekumar, Lalu Alex, Salimkumar and almost the entire industry. 

Writers - Udayakrishna & Sibi K Thomas

Director - Joshiy

The mother of all multistarrers, this was a joint production by actor Dileep and the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists. The biggest blockbuster in the history of Malayalam Cinema had each and every actor (well, almost) joining hands to create a solid commerical entertainer. The writers managed to pull off the tough task of giving each superstar the right space tapping the best in each one of them. Mohanlal pwned the movie with his super cool role as Deva Raja Prathapa Varma. Mammoottty looked dapper and played the advocate Ramesh Nambiar with elan. Suresh Gopi breathed fire into his supercop Antony Punnekkadan's role making it the most interesting character among the stars. Dileep played Mohanlal's younger brother Karthik in a short role but charmed the audiences with his humour and wit. Jayaram didnt get a very substantial role, but he did his comic scenes with Mohanlal and Dileep really well. The ladies had nothing to do except for Bhavana who got a duet in some foreign country with Dileep. Nayanthara came in an item number along  with the young bunch including Prithviraj, Kunchacko Boban and Jayasurya. Indrajith, Manoj K Jayan, Shammi Thilakan and Siddique perfected their villain acts. The best parts of the movie where the scenes where the superstars were pitted against each other. The court scene where Mohanlal makes a fool out of Mammootty, the fight sequence between Mammootty and Mohanlal, the bitter cold war between Suresh Gopi & Mammootty and the comic scenes involving Dileep, Jayaram & Mohanlal. Again, none other than Joshiy could have directed this mammoth movie. 

1. Number 20 Madras Mail (1990)

Cast - Mohanlal, Mammootty, MG Soman, Jagadish, Manian Pillai Raju, Ashokan, Sumithra, Janardhanan, Sreeraman, Jayabharati, Innocent, Jagathy Sreekumar

Writer - Dennis Joseph

Director - Joshiy

It may not have a number of stars like Dhruvam or Twenty 20 did, but when it comes to sheer awesomeness, that too, using our two superstars, No. 20 Madras Mail ranks first. Again, directed by none other than the master of multistarrers, Joshiy, this movie had Mohanlal playing the legendary Tony Kurishinkal, a demi-God for all the alcoholics in the state and Mammootty playing himself. Now, isnt that awesome or what!! Mohanlal's acting in this movie as a cheap, but lovable drunkard was so extraordinary that even Mammootty sat there admiring his colleague. Mammootty got a rare opportunity to play himself in a full length thriller film. Not many superstars have had such an opportunity. And of course, he made full use of it as well. Manian Pillai Raju, Jagadish and Ashokan had very important roles and they were brilliant as well. Nobody can forget Hitchcock Kanjikkuzhi!! MG Soman was the perfect villain for this perfect thriller which spanned across a speeding express train, film studios in Chennai, the Kottayam town, a church in Kollam and again, back to the same express train. The chemistry between Mammootty and Mohanlal was brilliant and we could actually feel a brotherly bond between the two great actors in this film. A film one never gets tired watching, this is, according to me, the best multistarrer Malayalam Cinema ever produced. 

There might have been many others which I may have missed out on. But these movies came to my mind immediately when I thought of such a post. If you can remember more such movies after 1990, please suggest them so that I can expand the list. And in the meanwhile, lets wish all the best to the new multistarrer Christian Brothers, by the master of multistarrers Joshiy, releasing this weekend all over the country. 

Worst Movies of 2010 - Malayalam

This is an attempt to compile 10 of the worst movies of  2010, from among the ones I had to subject myself to. There have been umpteen number of terrible films which got released this year, but thankfully I managed to stay away from them. So these are the 10 which I felt were the worst among what I've seen. And this is my personal opinion and need not coincide with any one of yours. 

10. In Ghost House Inn

Director - Lal

Producers - Lal, PN Venugopal

Cast - Mukesh, Siddique, Jagadish, Ashokan, Nedumudi Venu, Radhika, Harisree Ashokan

Writer - Lal

Lal made 4 of Malayalam Cinema's favourite characters come back on screen in 2009 with 2 Harihar Nagar and even though it was nowhere close to the original, people enjoyed the antics of the 4 in their middle age. And seeing the success of that one, Lal decided to stretch it into another sequel, which turned out to be In Ghosthouse Inn. Advertised as a horror comedy, this movie killed the spirit of Mahadevan, Govindan Kutty, Appukkuttan and Thomas Kutty. It was full of lewd, lame jokes and absurd sequences and the character of Appukkuttan was made like he was the dumbest person on earth. Harisree Ashokan's toilet scene was a disgrace to anything and everything director Lal had made before this. The twist at the end was the only redeeming factor, but even that was expected considering Lal's fascination for unexpected twists. (Which apparently he continued creating in his next flick Tournament, which I havent seen yet). We hope that the foursome are left alone now in our memories of the 1990 classic - In Harihar Nagar. 

9. Pokkiri Raja

Director - Vysakh

Producer - Tomichan Mulakuppadam

Cast - Mammootty, Prithviraj, Shriya Saran, Siddique, Riaz Khan, Nedumudi Venu, Suraaj Venjarammoodu, Salimkumar

Writers - Udayakrishna & Sibi K Thomas

Pokkiri Raja was a Tamil movie disguised as a Malayalam movie. Following every formula that had been successful in Tamil Cinema in the 80s and early 90s, this film starred the superstar Mammootty with the next generation star Prithviraj for the first time together in a full length feature. The first half of the movie was entirely reserved for Prithviraj to shine and the second half for Mammootty, but Prithviraj played a glorified action hero while Mammootty's character looked like it was created for comic relief with some bad jokes involving bad English and some punch dialogues that even T Rajendar would feel ashamed of delivering. And to top it all, there was a comedy track involving Suraaj Venjarammoodu and Salimkumar which made me cry more than laugh. Except for one scene where Mammootty and Prithviraj tease their real selfs, this movie was a bloody pain to watch. But despite all this, the movie turned out to be Malayalam Cinema's biggest hit in 2010. Such an embarrassment for an industry that was known to produce only quality cinema. Tamilians would be having the last laugh. We used to call them and their cinema 'pandi padams' but now we make more 'pandi padams' than they have ever made. 

8. Alexander The Great

Director - Murali Nagavally

Producer - VBK Menon

Cast - Mohanlal, Bala, Sudha Chandran, Ganesh, Jagadish, Sayikumar

Writer - C Balachandran

A bad copy of the Oscar winning Rain Man, this movie was in the making for a long long time and finally when it got released, even Mohanlal fans had lost interest in it. A film with a caption saying 'He is humorously intelligent' is definitely not attractive. Usually, Mohanlal gives good performances even in bad films. But in this movie, even his performance was pathetic (compared to what he is capable of). And to add more damage, there was Jagadish repeating his Appukkuttan act, and a whole lot of ridiculous scenes and dialogues. And an end which suggests that Mohanlal's character was not autistic at all. Wah Wah!! The audience outrightly rejected this film and it became one of the biggest flops of the year.

The 7th position had a tie, because the two films were equally bad despite having some potential in them to be good movies. 

7. Apoorvaragam

Director - Sibi Malayil

Producer - Siyad Koker

Cast - Nishan, Asif Ali, Nithya Menen, Vinay, Santosh Jogi, Shruti Menon

Writers - GS Anand, Najeem Koya

Apoorvaragam was the classic case of an interesting plot going horribly wrong. Everything from the direction, acting, music and screenplay went haywire, despite having an interesting story to tell. It also tries very hard to be a 'youth' film despite being told from the perspective of a middle-aged filmmaker. Nishan couldnt handle his complex character and made a mess out of the role. Asif Ali and Nithya Menen were mostly in control, but even they went overboard in many scenes. The fourth guy, Vinay was also a major disappointment. And the man who played Nithya's father was the most entertaining thing in the movie with his horrible acting. Vidyasagar's music was also very bad. The only redeeming factor was Ajayan Vincent's great cinematography.  

(Click here for review)

7. The Thriller

Director - B Unnikrishnan

Producer - Sabu Cherian

Cast - Prithviraj, Sampath, Siddique, Lalu Alex, Kathrine, Riaz Khan

Writer - B Unnikrishnan

B Unnikrishnan had already made a bad movie in 2010 called Pramani, which was a rehash of his own Madambi, with Mammootty in it instead of Mohanlal. And 'The Thriller' was again another version of the umpteen number of Suresh Gopi cop flicks, with Prithviraj in it instead of Suresh Gopi. A film which calls itself a thriller should at least be able to cause some sort of thrills in the audience, but this movie was way too bad to do that. A take on the Paul Muthoot murder, this movie had Prithviraj trying very hard to be Suresh Gopi. It had a bad item song, an ugly heroine and a villain whom you can spot during his introduction scene itself (even though its supposed to be a suspense). A terrible experience.

(Click here for review)

6. Karyasthan

Director - Thomson

Producer - Anto Joseph

Cast - Suraaj Venjarammoodu, Dileep, Akhila, Madhu and a host of other actors.

Writers - Udayakrishna & Sibi K Thomas

Karyasthan was again supposed to be a mass masala entertainer written by Udayakrishna & Sibi K Thomas, again a 90s Tamil movie disguised as a Malayalam film. Suraaj Venjarammoodu (with the screen name Vadivelu) had more prominence than the film's hero Dileep, who incidentally completed 100 films with this one. He deserved a much better film for that feat. Crude, unfunny jokes, done to death storyline and some unwanted action and songs. The cast was huge when there was absolutely no necessity, out of which only Madhu left a mark, mostly because the respect he has among the audience. Dileep didnt get to do anything other than beating up goons or dancing uncomfortably in ridiculous songs (with an exception of a great song like Malayalippenne). The success of Karyasthan showed the terrible deterioration of an average Malayali's taste in comedy. 

(Click here for review) 

5. Best of Luck 

Director - MA Nishad

Cast - Kailash, Asif Ali, Rima Kallingal, Archana Kavi, Urvashi, Prabhu, Suraaj, Jagathy, Bheeman Raghu & Mammootty

Writers - MA Nishad, Vinu Kiriyath

Calling this film bad, would be an understatement. The entire cast came up with horrifying performances, except for Asif Ali and Bheeman Raghu who were mildly funny. It was a shame to see such talented artists like Urvashi and Prabhu doing such atrocious stuff on screen. And yea, there was Suraaj Venjarammoodu and his own set of lewd jokes too. A very bad rip off of the Hindi blockbuster All The Best, this film had Mammootty making an extended special appearance and even that didnt help the movie in any way. A big flop from day one. 

(Click here for review)

4. Kandahar

Director - Major Ravi

Producers - Mohanlal, Sunil Nair

Cast - Mohanlal, Amitabh Bachchan, Ganesh Venkatraman, Major Ravi, KPAC Lalitha

Writer - Major Ravi

Kandahar was a massive, massive disappointment. The movie, which was hyped as a take on the Kandahar hijack, and brought together Mohanlal and Amitabh Bachchan in Malayalam Cinema for the first time, was anything but a commando movie. Director Major Ravi lost the plot and told the story of a wayward youth Ganesh Venkatraman and the entire hijack sequence (which was shot in an extremely funny way) lasted only about 15 minutes. Mohanlal didnt even have a substantial role to play and Amitabh Bachchan's role could have been played by any of those stock character actors we have in Malayalam. The only good things about the movie were the performances by KPAC Lalitha and Anil Murali in the little screen time they got. Major Ravi tried to give a patriotic movie which had lame jokes, item dances and silly commando operations. The audiences are not dumb, major!!

(Click here for review)

3. Vande Mataram

Director - T Aravind

Producer - Henry

Cast - Mammootty, Arjun, Sneha, Nasser, Jagadish

Writer - Henry

Another patriotic movie which had more than 2 item numbers, Vande Mataram was a non-starter from the day it released. It had this absurd plot of a criminal being convinced that some 25 years had passed since he was arrested, when actually it had just been a few days. The film's producer Henry, who was also the writer came up in arms against the film's hero Mammootty creating a controversy when he said Mammootty didnt perform the stunts he was supposed to do. But the controversy died down soon. But yea, it was very weird seeing Arjun doing all the stunts in air, and Mammootty beating up the people who fall down from the air. A terrible movie in all respects, this movie also had a simultaneous release in Tamil which nobody saw. 

2. Drona 2010

Director - Shaji Kailas

Producer - M Mani

Cast - Mammootty, Manoj K Jayan, Kaniha, Navya Nair, Thilakan, Dhanya Mary Varghese, Suraaj Venjarammoodu, Bala, Devan, Lakshmi Sharma

Writer - AK Sajan

Drona 2010 was the heights of absurdity. I havent found a single person who understood what happened in this entire movie. Mammootty in a pointless double role, Manoj K Jayan as an effeminate villain (he was the villain right?) and all were totally crazy. AK Sajan made the audience furious with his illogical writing and Shaji Kailas topped it up with his fascination for weird camera angles, shots and edits. Mammootty's introduction is a zoom out from his mouth when he is eating chicken. Eww!! Why do people do this to the great actor that he is!! And they added 2010 to the name of the movie because they heard that all films in all languages named Drona became flops. Ha Ha!! And did that 2010 stop it from being one of the biggest flops of 2010? NO!!

1. Thanthonni

Director - George Varghese

Producer - Shahul Hameed Marikar

Cast - Prithviraj, Sheela Kaul, Suresh Krishna, Saikumar, Aditya, Suraaj Venjarammoodu & many others without even a single dialogue

Writer - TA Shahid

Epic fail of the year 2010, Thanthonni was a bloody pain to sit through. I was pulling my hair out in frustration initially, but as the movie progressed me and my friends had a good time laughing at the movie and the silliness of it all. Prithviraj so desperately trying to be Mohanlal, Mammootty, Vijay and Rajnikanth all at once, was sad as well as funny at the same time. And so much money was wasted for nothing. The climax had so many different luxury cars and they werent even shot well by the cinematographer. The film looked like it was not directed at all and TA Shahid happily continued writing his favourite story of 'avihitha bandham' and 'jaara santhathi'. And if all this was not enough, there was Suraaj Venjarammoodu also. Prithviraj kept repeating throughout the movie that he was a Thanthonni, as if the audience didnt know that already! And then there was this hilarious scene where Sudheesh says that he will go to jail instead of his boss Prithviraj, which got the maximum response from the audience in the form of hysterical laughter and constant boos. This was an experience I would like to forget.

(Click here for review)

There were apparently many more epic bad movies which got released in 2010, like Black Stallion, Theen Char Sau Bees, Oru Small Family, Senior Mandrake, Valiyangadi, Ringtone, Nallavan, Yakshiyum Njaanum, Nirakkazhcha, Four Friends, Holidays, Kanyakumari Express, Again Kasarkod Kadarbhai and Tournament, and I didnt have the bad fortune to see any of these. Movies like Pramani and Anwar missed being on this list by a whisker since there were even more terrible films than them. And let me tell you all again that this list is not for any kind of controversy and strictly my opinion on these films alone, and not the actors or any of the crew members, except for some of the directors who think they can take the audience for granted.

Best Movies of 2010 - Malayalam

And this is my list of the best movies of 2010 in Malayalam. And unfortunately, I havent seen two films which have a chance to feature on this list - Soofi Paranja Katha & Aathmakatha and hence they dont feature in this list. If I see them soon, and feel that they deserve a position in this list, i shall re-edit the list. :) :) And I must say, it was a very bad year for Malayalam Cinema with only a handful of good films. In fact, the year has been so bad that even the best films list features some very average movies. Unlike 2009, which was a great year with a lot of promise for Malayalam Cinema, 2010 was very disappointing. Lets hope 2011 is better with a lot of interesting movies lined up. So here's the list. 

10. Shikkar

Director - M Padmakumar

Producers - KK Rajagopal

Cast - Mohanlal, Samuthirakkani, Ananya, Sneha, Kailash, Lalu Alex, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Kalabhavan Mani

Writer - TS Suresh Babu

Shikkar was a surprise coming from M Padmakumar & TS Suresh Babu who are infamous for their bad works rather than their few good works (if any). They managed to deliver a decent thriller in the form of Shikkar, which told the story of a daughter & her father who had been living with a guilt of a previous incident in his life. For Mohanlal, the performance in Shikkar is not a challenge at all, and his intensity with both fire and fear inside him came out brilliantly on screen. The first half took an eternity to get over with a lewd comic track involving Jagathy Sreekumar & Suraaj Venjarammoodu and it was a pain to watch those scenes. But the second half was very engaging, especially the whole naxalite sequence with a brilliant performance by Tamil actor-director Samuthirakkani. Ananya also gave a good performance and the climax stunt at the Guna caves in Kodai was also appreciated. The movie took a huge initial making it one of the biggest hits of 2010, but couldnt sustain the business for a long time. 

(Click here for review)

9. Kadha Thudarunnu

Director - Sathyan Anthikkad

Producer - Thankachan Emmanuel

Cast - Mamta Mohandas, Jayaram, Asif Ali, Baby Anikha, Innocent, KPAC Lalitha, Mamukkoya

Writer - Sathyan Anthikkad

Sathyan Anthikkad is the biggest brand in Malayalam after Mohanlal & Mammootty and he has been proving that year after year where his Vishu releases automatically turn into big hits crossing 100 days easily. But Kadha Thudarunnu released in May and was Sathyan Anthikkad's least successful movie in a long long time. The movie just remained an average grosser in spite of being a very good film. The story of a young, single mother stranded on the streets with her daughter after her husband's death was handled beautifully by the veteran director with a lot of emotions and his trademark humour. Mamta Mohandas as the protagonist proved that she's not just another pretty face and can act very well if given an opportunity. Jayaram played a supporting role in contrast to the lead roles he keeps playing in most movies and was very endearing. Asif Ali impressed in his short cameo. Baby Anikha was the life of the movie and the small child performed brilliantly. Sathyan Anthikkad regulars Innocent, KPAC Lalitha & Mamukkoya proved that they are the best at what they do. Ilaiyaraaja's music & Venu's camerawork also added gloss to the movie. 

(Click here for review)

8. Marykkundoru Kunjaadu

Director - Shafi

Producer - Vaishakha Films

Cast - Dileep, Biju Menon, Bhavana, Innocent, Vijayaraghavan, Salimkumar, Vinaya Prasad, Anand, Appa Haja

Writer - Benny P Nayarambalam

Very few movies make Malayalees say 'Kodutha kaashu mothalayi'. Marykkundoru Kunjaadu is one of those films which entertains you completely without resorting to toilet humour or buffoonery. It gives us the Dileep whom we all loved during the period of Meeshamadhavan, Kalyanaraman, etc and also has a fantastic performance by Biju Menon. Every member of the cast has performed very well and the makers have done a huge favour to the audience by not casting Suraaj Venjarammoodu in it. The huge success of this film and other films like Bodyguard, Pappy Appacha and Karyasthan got Dileep back to the position of being the most bankable star in Malayalam. Lets hope he continues doing such good comedies which utilize his skills to the maximum and not do stuff like Karyasthan, etc. 

7. Best Actor

Director - Martin Prakkat

Producer - Naushad

Cast - Mammootty, Sreenivasan, Nedumudi Venu, Lal, Salimkumar, Vinayakan & others. 

Writers - Martin Prakkat, Bipin Chandran

A wonderful movie whose basic premise was inspired was inspired from how actor Vivek Oberoi ended up getting a chance to work with director Ram Gopal Varma in his debut film as a gangster, this film had Mammootty playing a school teacher whose greatest ambition was to become a film actor and his persistent efforts to reach his goal. The film had kickass visuals thanks to the visual sensibility of fashion photographer turned director Martin Prakkat and cinematographer Ajayan Vincent. Mammootty played his neatly written with effortless ease making it a very memorable role. With a neat line-up of supporting performances from Lal, Nedumudi Venu, Salimkumar & Sreenivasan and some lovely music by Bijibal, Best Actor was a sincere and genuine effort from a first time director and deserved all the appreciation it got. 

6. Malarvaadi Arts Club

Director - Vineeth Sreenivasan

Producer - Dileep

Cast - Nedumudi Venu, Nivin Pauly, Bhagat Manuel, Shraavan, Aju Varghese, Hari Krishnan, Malavika, Apoorva Bose, Jagathy Sreekumar, Suraaj Venjarammoodu, Salimkumar & Sreenivasan

Writer - Vineeth Sreenivasan

This was a honest and sincere effort by some young minds and it showed in every frame of the movie. Multi talented Vineeth Sreenivasan decided to take his father's path of writing and even though the result was not path-breaking, it did bring a smile on everyone's face. Distinctly different from the so-called 'youth' movies that senior directors make - this movie told the story of the dreams and aspirations of 5 young boys from a village. Inspired by buddy movies like Chennai 28 & Rock On, Vineeth created a feel good movie with friendship as the core theme. The performances by the newcomers were fantastic and the leader of the group Nivin Pauly is bound to go places. Shaan Rahman's pleasant music and P Sukumar's authentic camerawork helped the movie a lot. Dileep also should be appreciated for producing this film, which had rank newcomers both in front of and behind the camera. 

(Click here for review)

5. Cocktail

Director - Arun Kumar

Producer - Milan Jaleel

Cast - Anoop Menon, Samvritha Sunil, Jayasurya, Fahadh Fazil, Innocent, Aparna Nair

Writer - Shyam Menon, Anoop Menon

Cocktail was more or less a direct lift of the Canadian movie - Butterfly on the Wheel. But neither me, nor most of the Kerala audience had seen the original. So they found the tale of infidelity in a rising metro city like Kochi very interesting and engaging. Riveting performances by Jayasurya, Samvritha Sunil, Anoop Menon and Fahadh Fazil enhanced the quality of the movie. The music of the movie by Ratheesh Vega and Alphonse was also a huge success and the camerawork by Pradeep Nair was very effective. Anoop Menon's smart dialogues were also another interesting factor. Priyadarshan's editor Arun Kumar also looked for inspiration from the west like his mentor, but did a great job of adapting an English film for the Malayali audience. Cocktail got a great response from the audience and did reasonable business with some great word of mouth publicity. The good part is that Anoop Menon admitted that it is indeed a remake of 'Buttefly on a Wheel' rather than denying the existence of such a movie anywhere in the world.

(Click here for review)

4. Elsamma Enna Aankutty

Director - Lal Jose

Producer - M Ranjith

Cast - Ann Augustine, Kunchacko Boban, Indrajith, Vijayaraghavan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Nedumudi Venu, KPAC Lalitha, Suraaj Venjarammoodu

Writer - Sindhuraj

Lal Jose's Elsamma Enna Aankutty was an ordinary story told in a simple and beautiful way. It introduced us to a new young talent - Ann Augustine, daughter of the character actor Augustine and the pretty young girl proved that she can perform too. But the revelation of the movie was Kunchacko Boban who delivered his career best performance as the simpleton Paalunni. Indrajith also came up with a bravura performance as the cocky flirt, Ebimon. The rest of the supporting cast were also brilliant. The movie had fresh music by veteran musician Rajamani and was shot in some picturesque locales by Vijay Ulaganath. The movie started slowly, shifted gears and had a smooth 100 day run in the cities becoming one of the major hits of 2010. 

(Click here for review)

3. TD Dasan Std VI B

Director - Mohan Raghavan

Producers - Paul Vadakumchery, Paul Valikodath

Cast - Alexander, Tina Rose, Biju Menon, Shwetha Menon, Shruti Menon, Jagadish & Suresh Krishna

Writer - Mohan Raghavan

This movie came and went without a whimper. Thanks to the indifferent attitude of our theater owners and the zero effort for publicity by its makers. But in reality, it was a poignant movie about a boy who wants to find out about his estranged father. It brought in the age old concept of pen pals and used 2 children as its main leads. There was also a parallel story within a story part where the filmmaker played by Biju Menon discussed possibilites of the story of the boy's father. Debutant Mohan Raghavan handled the subject with finesse and will have a bright future ahead. The performances were all great where Biju Menon, Shwetha Menon and Suresh Krishna were the most impressive. The movie didnt get the success or attention it deserved. Lets hope it is appreciated on DVD and its television telecasts. 

(Click here for review)

2. Kutty Srank

Director - Shaji N Karun

Producers - Reliance Big Pictures

Cast - Mammootty, Suresh Krishna, Padmapriya, Kamalini Mukherjee, Meena Kumari, Siddique, Sayikumar

Writers - Harikrishnan, PF Mathews

The Government of India thought Kutty Srank was the best film of 2009 (it was censored in 2009 but had a theatrical release only in 2010) and the movie sweeped the National Awards by winning awards for Cinematography, Screenplay, Costumes, and special awards for editing and acting. Mammootty was absolutely brilliant and he displayed three different shades of the same character stuck in three different places and situations. His performance involved a lot of underplay and for the first time, his dance looked great on screen, in the chavittunadakam scenes. Suresh Krishna gave the other brilliant performance in the movie as Loni Aashan. He matched up to Mammootty in the very little screen time he had and gave his career best in this film. The ladies were also brilliant and Padmapriya won a special jury award for her performance. Cinematography by Anjali Shukla was magical and so was the charming old world music by Issac Thomas. 

(Click here for review)

1. Pranchiyettan & The Saint

Director - Ranjith

Producer - Ranjith

Cast - Mammootty, Innocent, Priyamani, Khushboo, Siddique, Tiny Tom, Edavela Babu, Jagathy Sreekumar, Ganapathy, TG Ravi, Ramu, Sasi Kalinga, Biju Menon & Sivaji Guruvayoor

Writer - Ranjith

Well, Pranchiyettan is number one in every sense of the word. A brilliantly written satire on Malayali's craving for name, fame and popularity, Pranchiyettan reinstated that Ranjith is perhaps the best writer-director we have in Malayalam now. Narrated in an episodic format, Pranchiyettan was based in Trisshur and also had a cast which contained mostly of actors hailing from Trisshur. Mammootty was at his best as the lovable, illiterate rich businessman Aripranchi. One of the actor's best performances ever, this movie proved that Mammootty need not resort to buffoonery to make people laugh. From an actor who was severely criticized for not being able to do comedy, Mammootty has come a long way and has really worked on his comic side taking it to its heights with this movie. Mammootty's Pranchiyettan is an iconic character that will be remembered for a long long time. The rest of the ensemble cast were also brilliant, the best being Innocent in a very prominent role. Ranjith's writing and the hilarious dialogues of the film raised it to another level. Venu's cinematography gave exactly what the film needed. The movie had a slow and steady theatrical run and completed 100 days at Thiruvananthapuram & Kochi. It will be remembered as one of the finest movies of the decade. 

(Click here for review)

2010, as I said earlier, was not a very good year for Malayalam Cinema except for rare exceptions like Pranchiyettan & Kutty Srank. Lets hope 2011 would bring in a bright new future with lots of interesting projects from both the young and the elder lot.