20. Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life (dir. Blessy)
February and March were interesting months in Malayalam cinema, seeing two releases in the survival thriller genre. The latter of the two releases was “Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life”, which was an interesting addition to Indian cinema’s fascination with real-life stories last year, in that it was based on a book that was based off a real-life story. Blessy wrote, directed and co-produced this adaptation of Benyamin’s “The Goat Life”, which focuses on the incredible life of Najeeb, an immigrant in the Arabian Gulf states who moves for a better life but ends up living in a slavelike existence herding goats in the Saudi desert. His plans to escape his sandy prison form the crux of the story, and the crux of the feature remains the superb turn by Prithviraj Sukumaran as Najeeb (Rhythm Zaveri)
19. Kill (dir. Nikhil Nagesh Bhat)
The fact that “Kill” fosters such brutal and impressive action, even more so since it happens in the cramped setting of the wagons, makes it difficult for fans of the particular type of action, to think of anything else, or even to turn their eyes from the screen. That every time the protagonist is ‘resurrected’ the quality and intricacy of the action increases, and the same applies to the amount of violence and brutality, is a true treat to watch. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
18. Sookshmadarshini (dir. MC Jithin)
Malayalam cinema closed out the year as strongly as it began it, with MC Jithin’s “Sookshmadarshini” coming in the tail end of the year to almost underline the strong year that the cinema of the region had. Revolving around a group of ladies trying to figure out mysterious backdrop surrounding Manuel, a young man who returns to the neighbourhood with his mother. A detective story, a thriller and a black comedy all rolled into one, the tense “Sookshmadarshini” is also noteworthy for being the return of Nazriya Nazim in a Malayalam film after four years. (Rhythm Zaveri)
17. Laapataa Ladies (dir. Kiran Rao)
Putting the controversy about whether “Laapataa Ladies” was the better choice as the official submission to the Academy and the selection committee’s laughable reasons behind their choice, there is no doubt that Kiran Rao’s sophomore directorial, coming thirteen years after her debut “Dhobi Ghat”, is a very charming, endearing little film. Focusing on a lot of the issues faced by rural women in the country, while also guilty of ignoring others, the narrative is populated with very sweet moments between its equally sweet moments that almost manage to let the feature feel not as preachy as it sometimes does get. Nitanshi Goel and Pratibha Ranta both give captivating performances, and Ravi Kishan is a hoot, but it is Sparsh Shrivastav as Phool’s husband threatens to steal the production from everyone involved. (Rhythm Zaveri)
16. Cry Me a River (dir. Suman Sen)
Suman Sen has come up with a 16-minute short that unfolds in two intermingling axes. The first one, is an approach that could be described as metaphoric, deals with the concept of progress and how professions that used to be prevalent in the past gradually disappear. Xixi’s ‘acting’ during the funeral reminds of the Japanese benshi, the narrators of the silent movies, in another profession that has essentially disappeared. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
15. Ullozhukku (dir. Christo Tomy)
Secrets start to surface and human emotions are laid bare in debutant director Christo Tomy’s “Ullozhukku” (literally, “Undercurrent”), the story of a woman and her mother-in-law trying to bury a loved one amidst heavy flooding in the region. While the writing by Tomy himself is precise, raw and heartfelt, it is the double act by actresses Parvathi and Urvashi, who portray the vulnerability of their characters with such delicacy. (Rhythm Zaveri)
14. Village Rockstars 2 (dir. Rima Das)
Rima Das creates a film that tries to balance Dhunu’s hopefulness through her music aspirations and her interactions with her girlfriends, with the misery and filled-with-issues life of a poor family in Assam. The music scenes, the ones where Dhunu is acting like a kid, climbing trees, playing music, reminiscing of the events of the first movie or swimming, and the aforementioned interactions are the main sources of the first element. Her mother’s situation, her brother’s erratic behavior, the issues Assamese face due to climate change, the land swindlers and their despicable tactics, the intense patriarchy, and the poorness represent the latter. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
13. Premalu (dir. Girish A. D.)
Smile and laugh as young love blossoms in Girish A. D.’s latest work “Premalu”, a film with a big heart which ended up being the feel-good romance of the year! A Malayalam-language feature set in Hyderabad, its endearing characters, played to perfection by a young cast, manage to bring and leave a smile to the viewer’s face, thanks to the honest and realistic approach to the writing and the performances. Vishnu Vijay’s music, including its soulful songs, also works to enhance the mood of the central storyline, (Rhythm Zaveri)
12. Amar Singh Chamkila (dir. Imtiaz Ali)
After a couple works that did not live up to his own standards and the high expectations of his fans, Imtaiz Ali proved there is life in the old dog after all with an excellent return to form in “Amar Singh Chamkila”, the story of the life and untimely death of the titular Punjabi singer. Uniquely mixing live-action with animated sequences, the feature starred Punjabi singer Diljith Dosanjh in the lead role, a role that received applause from both audiences and critics alike. Imtiaz joins hands once again A. R. Rahman, whose soundtrack does justice to the sound and music of the real-life singer. (Rhythm Zaveri)
11. Manjummel Boys (dir. Chidambaram)
One of the early hits from Malayalam cinema in 2024, “Manjummel Boys” was one of the early releases to tell a real-life story last year. This time, the focus is on a group of boys who give it their all to save their friend that is trapped in the infamous Guna caves. Chidambaram directrs form his own script, which manages to keep the viewers fully invested in the boys and the story of this thrilling survival drama, while also being a tale of friendship and the indomitable human spirit. (Rhythm Zaveri)
