25 MALAYALAM MOVIES FROM THE 1980s you don’t want to miss

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One of the most sought after decades by filmmakers and film enthusiasts alike, the coveted 1980s were an absolute treat in the Malayalam Cinema. There was no dearth to quality subject matter or their brilliant executions, which is why a major part of the so-called golden era of Malayalam films is proudly placed in here. Following is a list of some of the best films from the 1980s you absolutely don’t want to miss.

25. My Dear Kuttichathan 1984

Navodaya’s My Dear Kuttichathan is not just a breakthrough film in the Malayalam language, but also a major landmark in the history of Indian cinema. This 3D revolution was conceived as a children’s film based on the indigenous folk figure of the mischievous imp called Kuttichathan and the three kids that it befriends to escape from the spells of a merciless sorcerer.

24. Varavelpu 1989

The ordeals of a gulf-returned Malayali amidst a bloodsucking family and an unsympathetic society form the crux of this Sathyan Anthikkad-Sreenivasan undertaking featuring Mohanlal, Revathy and Murali in the lead. Apart from the myths surrounding the ‘plush’ life in the Persian Gulf the film also brings to the limelight the villainy of the Trade Unionism on small time employers. 

23. New Delhi 1987

The only crime action thriller on the list, and a refined expression of the eighties’ obsession with the crime genre, Joshiy’s New Delhi is one of the best in the area. Essentially a revenge drama exacted through the powers of media, the film narrates the exploits of a frenzied media baron played by Mammootty who resorts to creating news by terminating his enemies one after the other.

22. Mazhavilkavadi 1989

The beauty of this heartfelt romantic comedy directed by Sathyan Anthikkad, featuring Jayaram, Urvashi, Innocent, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Sithara and Mamukkoya is not just the simplicity of its plot elements, but also the brilliant transition between the two locales, its culture and people that claps together the evidently disjoint setting of the two halves of the film with great skill.

21. Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam 1987

Bharathan’s elegy to melancholy is a delicately crafted tale about solitude, longing and bereavement centered on an ageing childless couple. Apart from the touching narrative, the film is especially noted for a genuine and memorable performance by Nedumudi Venu that fetched him a Kerala State Film Award for best actor of the year, greatly supported by Sharada and Parvathy.

20. Ramji Rao Speaking 1989  

The debut feature of the director duo Siddique and Lal is a laugh riot featuring Innocent, Mukesh and Saikumar in the lead that had a big hand in shaping the present-day taste of Malayali humor elevating it from the excesses of the screwball. The film is especially noted for its fresh and distinctive take on comedy and for introducing to us the whacky at the same time adorable Mannar Mathai.

19. Vaishali 1988

In an industry that was familiar with several mythological ventures in its formative years, Bharathan’s Vaishali came as a strict departure especially for its realistic treatment and faultless eye for detail. The subject matter was quite a dare at a time when movies in all genres dealt with contemporary themes with evident socio-political relevance, although the story of the courtesan who seduced the hermit ended up winning hearts of critics and masses alike.

18. Innale 1989

Padmarajan’s Innale featuring Shobana and Jayaram in the lead accumulates the uncertainty surrounding the perils of amnesia, and jolts you with its disturbing eventuality in a dicey climax. Its script has been widely appreciated for the simplistic exploration of the psychologically uncertain issue as well as for dispensing clichés of the formulaic thread related to amnesia in Indian masala genre.

17. Oru CBI Diary Kuruppu 1988

This one is perhaps the most successful murder mystery on the Malayalam silver screen that kick-started a movie franchise itself, a practice not so popular in the state up until then, featuring the iconic sleuth Sethurama Iyer played with shrewd subtlety by Mammootty. This investigative crime film is a traditional whodunit that pursues a murder inspired by the true story of the Polakkulam Case.

16. Panchavadi Palam 1984

A political satire of the highest order, Panchavadi Palam was also the costliest K.G.George movie ever with an ensemble cast including Bharath Gopi, Srividya, Nedumudi Venu, Jagathy Sreekumar, Sukumari and Thilakan. The film is bundled in the form of farce accompanied by exaggerated character sketches that successfully drive home the message in all its oddball glory.

15. Nadodikattu 1987

Many regard this pop culture phenomenon as one of the best comedies in the Malayalam language. As the source of the now iconic puns like “Paavanai shavamai” and “Gafoor ka dosth” this one is equally revered by Mohanlal fans, Sathyan Antikkad fans and Sreenivasan fans. It also covers various social issues prevalent at the time including poverty, rampant unemployment and visa frauds.

14. Nakhakshathangal 1986

A love story set among the innocence of growing up years that drifts from one simple-minded urge to another, initially uncorrupted by the grownup world, which when they later do also kicks up a dust storm of emotional meltdowns. Written by M.T. Vasudevan Nair and directed by his constant collaborator Hariharan, Naghakshathangal is a triumph that also won Mohisha a National Award for Best Actress.

13. Thaniyavarthanam 1987

It wouldn’t be too much to say, this tragic drama directed by Sibi Malayil and written by Lohithadas, featuring Mammootty, Mukesh and Thilakan in the lead is outright sadistic. It maintains undisputed quality in the powerful psychological exploration of the dark subject matter, but the darkness of it alone digs a knife deep into your soul and twists it over and over till you gasp for air.

12. Sanmanasullavarku Samadhanam 1986

In this Sathyan Anthikkad comedy written by Sreenivasan, and featuring Mohanlal and Karthika in the lead, it’s difficult to take sides, as our sympathies are split between the two parties- the desperate landlord who wants to sell his house and acquit his debts on one side, and the poor tenant family whose emotional tie with the building goes way beyond their financial crunch on the other.

11. Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal 1986

A movie that dispels clichés in the setting, the making and the subject matter, Padmarajan’s timeless love story featuring Mohanlal and Shari in the lead, is a great viewing experience that outshines every other romantic drama in Malayalam with its tranquil simplicity. It also features one of the most dangerous villains in the form of the lecherous Paul Pailokaran played by Thilakan.

10. Aranyakam 1988

Hariharan’s Aranyakam, written by M.T. Vasudevan Nair and featuring Saleema, Devan and Vineeth in the lead, tells the grim story of feudal exploitation of tribal workers and the rebellious Naxal movement that sprang to resist it, through the eyes of an awkward and pensive teenager with penchants for solitary wandering, bird watching and generously conversing with herself.

9. Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu 1988

Written by Reghunath Paleri and directed by Sathyan Anthikkad, Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu with an ensemble cast is about a bunch of inhabitants in a village in Kerala, which like any other has a goldsmith, a temple oracle, a Gulf-returned chap, a dance teacher, a toddy-tapper, a moneylender, a few cutthroats, cheats and a whole lot of gossip-mongers.

8. Anantaram 1988

Adoor’s experimental film featuring Ashokan, Mammootty and Shobana in the lead is a landmark in narrative technique with two conspicuous halves with the latter part altogether changing the perspective of what the first half built for you by filling in with more details and making it more like a revelation at the same time teasing you for that quick initial judgment.

7. Moonnam-pakkam 1988

Moonnam-pakkam will leave an open gash in your inside with its heartbreaking premise and the obvious shock value of bad news at the end of anticipation. The film treats death as an inescapable animal of prey through the melancholic run of most part of it. This grim film directed by Padmarajan and featuring Thilakan in one of his best performances, should not be missed.

6. Yavanika 1982

One of the best whodunits in the Malayalam language. K.G. George’s Yavanika is a masterpiece. This one is a must-watch for all those die-hard fans of the detective genre, and is a murder mystery that interestingly unfolds through various testimonies during the investigation, and only unhurriedly pieces together the jumble in the presumed murder of a missing person.

5. Vadakkunokkiyanthram 1989

A social satire typical in style of other great Sreenivasan scripts, Vadakkunokkiyanthram that is also his directorial debut, is one of the best there is in the simplistic treatment of a psychologically complex subject dealing with the Othello Syndrome. How an insanely suspicious man messes up his marriage with his beautiful wife is shown here with hilarious quirks.

4. Mathilukal 1989

Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Mathilukal, based on Vaikom Muhammad Basheer’s autobiographical novella of the same name and featuring Mammootty in the lead, in his National Award winning role, is a rare love story set in a prison with the eponymous wall dividing the male and the female prison cells that separates the two lovers assuming the form of the chief villain.

3. Kireedam 1989

Sibi Malayil’s Kireedam written by Lohithadas is one of those movies that make you feel extremely helpless and angry by the end of it. An innocent young man’s slow and inadvertent descent to delinquency is the gist of the plot, and the film has some of the most touching moments in the history of Malayalam cinema with Mohanlal and Thilakan playing a distressed father-son duo.

2. Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha 1989

Hariharan’s Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha written by M.T. Vasudevan Nair and featuring Mammootty and Madhavi in the lead rewrote history in the actual sense of the word, not just with its staggering commercial success, but also with the innovative story line that was a reimagining of a part from the celebrated Northern Ballads eulogizing the notorious backstabber Chandu in an alternative reality.

1. Thoovanathumbikal 1987

Padmarajan’s Thoovanathumbikal featuring Mohanlal, Sumalatha and Parvathy in the lead is arguably one of the best Malayalam films ever made, and even those ones who disagree will never debate over its characteristic experimental brilliance, the straightforward storyline, incredible direction, stellar performances, haunting music and an intense narrative of a young man’s atypical romance disputing love and lust.

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