A sneak peek at ten of the films that hold promise for fans of Malayalam cinema this year

2019 promises to be an interesting year for Malayalam cinema with a mix of big banners and indie films in the offing. Waiting in the wings are veterans and débutantes with movies that range from period action films to sci-fi, romance, drama and thrillers. Big-budget productions will compete with small-budget projects for a share of the viewers’ attention. 2018 proved that budgets, cast and exotic locales do not define or circumscribe a film. What matters is the story and the making of the film. So here is our pick of the movies to look forward to in 2019, not in any order of preference.

Here are 10 films to watch out for this year:

Lucifer

Prithviraj marks his début as director with this movie with Mohanlal in the lead. Murali Gopy is the scenarist of the film that is being filmed by Sujith Vaasudev. With a huge star cast featuring Manju Warrier, Indrajith, Vivek Oberoi, Tovino Thomas and Joy Mathew among others, the film, produced by Antony Perumbavur, has been extensively shot in many places in Kerala.

Although Prithviraj has been trying to downplay the hype around the flick, initial reports from cast and crew of the film suggest that the director has done his homework for the film. It is likely to be released in March.

Trance

The combo of Anwar Rashid-Amal Neerad-Fahadh Faasil holds promise and excitement for film buffs. One of the most awaited movies of the year, it reportedly has Fahadh in five different roles. Directors Gautham Menon, Alphonse Puthren, Aashiq Abu, Dileesh Pothan and Soubin Shahir are in the cast along with Baiju, Nazriya, Vedika, Vinayakan and more. To top it all, Resul Pookutty is the sound designer.

9

A poster of ‘9’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

9 (Nine), touted as a sci-fi horror film, written and directed by Jenuse Mohamed, is being produced by Prithviraj Productions and SPE Films India. Scheduled to be released in February, the actor himself has been promoting it on his social media with pictures of his character, Albert.

Virus

A poster of ‘Virus’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Directed by Aashiq Abu, the film is said to be based on the true incident of the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala and how the medical fraternity and the government sought to contain the deadly virus. The ensemble cast has some of the best actors in Malayalam cinema with Rajeev Ravi behind the camera. Aashiq’s previous film Mayaanadhi continues be a cult favourite among viewers.

Moothon

A poster of ‘Moothon’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Geethu Mohandas has written and helmed the bilingual film in Malayalam and Hindi. It marks her first feature film in Malayalam after the huge success of her first feature, Liar’s Dice. Moothon, starring Nivin Pauly in the lead, narrates the story of a man from the Lakshadweep islands, who travels to Mumbai in search of his elder brother.

Uyare

Parvathy, Asif Ali and Tovino Thomas play the lead in this film scripted by Bobby-Sanjay, who had written Take Off, featuring Parvathy in the lead. Directed by debutant Manu Ashokan, Uyare is about an acid attack survivor. A special make-up team take care of Parvathy’s makeover for the film.

Jallikattu

A poster of ‘Jallikettu’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

After the stupendous success of Angamaly Diaries and Ee. Ma. Yau, movie-goers have great expectations about Lijo Jose Pellissery’s new film, which is based on a short story ‘Maoist’ by S Hareesh, author of Meesha. Vinayakan, Chemban Vinod and Antony Varghese play key roles in the film that is reportedly about the close links between man and animal.

Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham

A poster of ‘Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Mohanlal plays the lead in this biopic based on the life of Kunjali Marakkar, naval chief of the Zamorins. Touted as Priyadarshan’s biggest and grandest project, the film started rolling in December and has a huge star cast comprising big names in Indian cinema.

Maamaankam

A period film directed by debutant director Sajeev Pillai, Maamaankam narrates the story of the valorous warriors of Malabar. Made on a huge budget and a cast drawn from different film industries, the film’s CG will be handled by Kamal Kannan, who had worked in Baahubali. Mamankam was a medieval festival held on the banks of the Bharathapuzha in Tirunavaya, which attracted warriors from all across Malabar to showcase their skill and valour in combat.

Chola

A poster of ‘Chola’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Following the success of the critically-acclaimed S Durga, Sanal Kumar Sasidharan returns to the scene with Chola, with Joju George and Nimisha Sajayan in the lead. The flick revolves around an incident that involves three individuals and has been scripted by KV Manikandan and the director himself.

Santosh Sivan returns to Malayalam cinema as director after 2011 with a Manju Warrier-starrer, Jack and Jill. Pranav Mohanlal’s Irupathiyonnaam Noottaandu, Amal Neerad’s sequel to Big B, Bilal, with Mammootty in the titular role, documentary filmmaker Leela’s debut feature, Karinthandan, Neelakanta’s Zam Zam, Malayalam remake of Queen, starring Manjima Mohan, Priya Prakash Varrier’s Oru Adaar Love, Dulquer Salmaan’s Oru Yamandan Premakadha and Nitya Menen’s Praana are some of the other movies that are keenly awaited.