The best Malayalam films of 2025: ‘Lokah’, ‘Eko’, ‘Ronth’, ‘Ponman’ and more - The Hindu

After the highs that Malayalam cinema hit in 2024, the year that followed might appear to be a relatively quieter one. But the industry continued with its habit of releasing at least one exciting movie, which raised the bar in some way, every month. Even considering the glut of some below-par work, this handful of films kept the industry in good standing, both commercially and artistically.

In 2025, the industry breached the ₹300-crore mark for the first time, not with a loud, run-of-the-mill film, but with Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, a modernised version of a familiar folktale. A host of new filmmakers made their mark in the industry, while superstars Mohanlal and Mammootty delivered performances that brought back memories of their glory days.

This was also a year in which Malayalam mainstream cinema received increased scrutiny from the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The censorship spree began with what were termed “voluntary cuts” by the makers of the Mohanlal-starrer L2: Empuraan, following a sustained right-wing backlash. The film underwent 24 “voluntary cuts”, totalling 2.08 minutes. Though the film eventually became one of the highest-grossing films of the industry, collecting over ₹260 crores, the controversy seemed to have led to closer scrutiny for more films.

Following the Empuraan row, the CBFC demanded that the makers of the film JSK - Janaki Vs State of Kerala, starring Union Minister Suresh Gopi, change the title and the name of the protagonist. The film was released only after changing the character’s name to ‘Janaki V.’

The next one in censors’ crosshairs was the Shane Nigam-starrer Haal. The CBFC demanded that its makers remove several scenes from the film, including one in which characters are seen consuming beef biryani.

Here are the ten best films of 2025, along with a few special mentions: Acclaimed art director Jyothish Shankar’s debut directorial Ponman could have easily turned into just another film with a progressive message against dowry and the unhealthy obsession with gold. But what we get instead is an engrossing, non-judgemental study of characters, most of whom are victims of social malaise.

Basil Joseph dug deep into his reserves of emotions to come up with a sparkling performance, especially in a role which is nowhere near his comfort zone. His outburst inside a dingy lodge room takes the cake for one of the best moments of the year in Malayalam cinema this year. Lijomol Jose also puts up a solid performance.

Screenwriter Bahul Ramesh’s ‘Animal Trilogy’ was not pre-planned for the markets. It evolved organically from the mystery-thriller, Kishkindha Kaandam, to the web-series Kerala Crime Files 2,and then to Eko, with each having its own unique touch. In the company of filmmaker Dinjith Ayyathan, Bahul has now scored absolute winners in successive years. Eko’s beating heart is its shapeshifting screenplay, in which the cards are revealed one by one at seemingly clever intervals.

The film spans multiple time periods and geographies, from the World War II era to the period of migration of Malayalis to countries like Malaysia and Singapore, to a more recent past. Its world is one of dog breeders who would go to any lengths to develop exotic breeds, and of old and resilient humans like Mlaathi (Biana Momin), as well as trusted helpers such as Peyoos (Sandeep Pradeep) and enigmatic figures like Kuriachan. Eko turned out to be a solid mystery thriller, in which the animals have almost as much role to play as the humans. After his breakout role in Padakkalam, Sandeep Pradeep used Eko to signal that he is set for bigger things.

For long, Malayalam cinema has drawn its material from its rich folklore. But director Dominic Arun, in the company of co-writer Santhy Balachandran, uses a familiar folk tale to turn its core ideas on its head and rewrite many stereotypes in Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra. In one of the best uses of intercuts in a Malayalam film in recent years, we get a peek into Chandra’s past around the mid-way point, which explains all the world-weariness on her face.

It becomes a moment of exhilaration for Malayalis, who have grown up with that particular folktale character, and to map it all to Chandra in neon-lit Bengaluru. Lokah also became one of the most technically accomplished films to come out of the industry. The fact that its scale was achieved on a relatively small budget makes it even more special. It remains to be seen what the makers will do with the franchise, which gave Indian cinema its first female superhero.

Khalid Rahman, one of the most standout filmmakers of his generation, dodges the genre compulsions of making a sports movie, especially one that revolves around boxing, in Alappuzha Gymkhana. Sprinkled with oodles of humour, he paints a relatable tale that spares a thought for those not cut out to win. The gang of Naslen, Anagha Ravi, rapper Baby Jean, Ganapathi, Sandeep Pradeep, Franco Francis and Shiva Hariharan runs riot with it. Vishnu Vijay, who lent part of the magic to Thallumaala, has created songs that gel well with the mood of the boxing training and matches. Editor Nishadh Yusuf, who passed away in his prime, turns one last memorable work.

In Fasil Muhammed’s directorial debut that pulsates with the quiet, dignified anger of a long-suffering woman, a mere mattress becomes a symbol of her revolt. Just like how the film’s title,Feminichi Fathima, effectively subverts a slur used against feminists, the film turns the protagonist’s demand for a new mattress into a chapter of feminism in everyday life. Fasil uses sharp wit to poke fun at conservative clerics, who impose their will on women. The film captures rural life in Ponnani with a flair that only someone who truly understands the spirit of the place could achieve. Shamla Hamza’s heartfelt performance makes this one a truly memorable film.

Set almost entirely inside a beauty parlour in a small town, Sivaranjini J.’s debut film Victoria captures the inner turmoil of a beautician, caught between the mental and physical trauma inflicted by her conservative parents over her interfaith love affair and the non-committal nature of her boyfriend.

The film constantly shifts its focus from her inner turmoil to an ethnographic portrayal of this modest beauty parlour, and further to the personal stories of the women who visit it. But even without having a conventional narrative arc, it manages to remain tight and engaging throughout, partly due to the heartfelt performances, especially from the lead actor Meenakshi Jayan.

A small village and a rumour about an unidentified woman kick off the story in Senna Hegde’s Avihitham, as he crafts a sharply observed piece of cinema that indicts the prying and judgmental eyes and ears present in every community. After a misfire with Padmini, Hegde returns to his ‘Made in Kanhangad’ brand of cinema — a label he created for his films set in Kanhangad — to craft a film as organic as it gets. With a set of lesser-known actors and using a story which at first glance appears just about enough for a short film, he weaves a humourous and engaging narrative.

In Ronth, which revolves around the night patrol duty of two policemen, Shahi Kabir avoids the conventional police procedural path and chooses a narrative with an episodic structure. Over the course of a night, we see the duo criss-crossing a small town, intervening in a series of relatively trivial issues.

These short episodes give us fascinating insights into the nature of their duty, while at the same time providing us a peek into the inner lives of these two men, played so fascinatingly by Dileesh Pothan and Roshan Mathew. The one misstep, perhaps, is in the climactic sequence, where the writer seemed to have faced with a tricky situation and chose the easy way out.

Geetha, the protagonist of Fazil Razak’s Thadavu, does not seem to have a breaking point. In the short period of the 51-year-old’s life that we see in the film, she lands in one crisis after another, each more grave than the last, making it seem almost impossible that she could overcome them. But, for the woman scarred by two unsuccessful marriages and a series of unfortunate events, including being blamed for a child’s death for no fault of her own, the question of giving in does not arise. Yet, Fazil does not paint Geetha in a completely positive light, but provides us with a more honest, well-rounded portrayal of the protagonist. Thadavu is not an easy watch, but a rewarding one nevertheless.

Unlike Bhoothakalam, which operated more in the zone of unseen horrors and even left open the possibility of a rational explanation, Rahul Sadasivan’s Dies Irae is more in-your-face in its portrayal of supernatural. The horror elements here are tangible and even visible. Yet, that does not in any way detract from the film’s intended effect. Rather, through intelligent staging and the seamless blend of the sound, visual, editing, and music departments, it delivers some highly satisfying theatrical moments.

Special mentions - Rekhachithram(for its use of alternate history to pen a love letter to yesteryear Malayalam cinema), Kalamkaval(for Mammootty’s performance), Thudarum(for Mohanlal’s performance), Ithiri Neram (for its mood-setting and conversations), Moonwalk(for the heartfelt tribute to the breakdancing subculture and Michael Jackson)