Revision as of 19:35, 5 March 2019

Kayamkulam Kochunni (2018)

Odiyan (2018) earned a record ₹18.12 Crore worldwide on Day 1, the highest in Malayalam cinema till Dec 2018

The year, in a nutshell

Abrahaminte Santhathikal

Real Heroes

The members of the Women in Cinema Collective, which was formed last year [2017] in wake of an attack on a popular woman actor, have been striving to protect the interest of women in the Malayalam film industry. The members of the women-only organization announced an open revolt against the all-powerful Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). It even moved the Kerala High Court against the state government and various film bodies in Malayalam cinema for not implementing the regulations under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. As a result, the AMMA finally formed an Internal Complaints Committee (anti-sexual harassment committee) in October. (Manoj Kumar R | Indian Express)

Varathan

The Women in Cinema Collective spoke up for women in cinema although they had to tackle trolls and face a backlash from the film industry itself. However, while most of Bollywood turned their back on the tainted actors, directors et al., mainstream Mollywood seemed to have no qualms in welcoming even those accused of heinous acts against women. (Athira M, Saraswathy Nagarajan| The Hindu)

Aadhi

Women at the helm

BR Vijayalakshmi’s bi-lingual Abhiyum Anuvum was followed by Roshni Dinaker’s My Story and Anjali Menon’s blockbuster Koode. Then came youngster Soumya Sadanandan’s Mangalyam Thanthunanena. (Athira M, Saraswathy Nagarajan| The Hindu)

It has been a year when Malayalam cinema won international and national recognition. Beginning with Jayaraj’s Bhayanakam, which won three national awards and two State film awards, the year saw Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Ea.Ma.Yau. winning a rich haul of awards. D Bijukumar’s Painting Life became a globetrotter by winning a place in several prestigious film festivals. Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s much-lauded S Durga finally was officially released in India after a lot of controversy on account of its title. (Athira M, Saraswathy Nagarajan| The Hindu)

The struggles of top stars

The Malayalam audience largely rejected star vehicles – a trend which was highly unfavorable for films starring Mammootty and Mohanlal. (Manoj Kumar R | Indian Express)

Mammootty steered clear of controversies this year. He did not star in regressive films like Kasaba or did not openly endorse misogyny in any of his films He made decent films like Street Lights, Parole, Uncle, Oru Kuttanadan Blog but these failed to impress the audience and critics. His crime thriller about a psychopath serial killer, Abrahaminte Santhathikal, received mixed reviews but made profits at the box office. The year could have been memorable for the actor if Peranbu had released. Directed by Ram, the film seems to have fully explored the depths of Mammootty’s acting skills. (Manoj Kumar R | Indian Express)

If he had a chance, Mohanlal would hit the reset button on 2018. It was a stressful year for the actor as, in his own words, he was made the face of a serious controversy concerning women’s rights and safety in the Malayalam film industry. He was elected the president of AMMA earlier this year. In the very first general body meeting, in his capacity as the president of the AMMA, he reinstated Dileep’s membership. Mohanlal drew flak from different quarters of the society and was slammed for allegedly siding with the accused without considering the plight of the victim. The incident triggered a few resignations and the WCC’s rebellion against AMMA. He even irked many when he called #MeToo movement as a mere “fad” with a “short life span.” (Manoj Kumar R | Indian Express)

Mohanlal also struggled to make an impact on screen. He began the year with Neerali, which fell flat at the box office. His cameo in Kayamkulam Kochunni was appreciated and his comedy outing Drama was also received well. But, the actor’s most-awaited film Odiyan was a massive let down. Marketed on the distinctions of being the most expensive Malayalam film and Kerala’s first superhero film, it was widely criticized for its lazy writing and poor execution. (Manoj Kumar R | Indian Express)

2018 was the year of the debutant.

More than 100 newcomers made their debut as directors. Four women directors released their dream projects, all mainstream movies, which met with varying responses at the box office. While superstars continue to be in their own orbit, young actors came in droves and became scene-stealers. If indies showed that stars and big budgets were not a necessity to make good cinema, actors like Fahadh Faasil, Tovino Thomas, Shane Nigam, Soubin Shahir and Antony Varghese, Manju Warrier, Parvathy, Nimisha Sajayan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Samyuktha Menon and many more breathed life into a wide range of heroes and heroines. (Athira M, Saraswathy Nagarajan| The Hindu)

2018 saw [three] star kids making their debuts solely based on their strengths. Kalidas Jayaram and Pranav Mohanlal (and Shravan Mukesh) may have landed their first films, thanks to their powerful last names. However, they won over the audience and critics with their talent and earnestness that was untouched by the stardom of their fathers. (Manoj Kumar R | Indian Express)

Pranav debuted with director Jeethu Joseph’s Aadhi, which gave him the platform to showcase his athletic abilities. Kalidas made his screen debut with Poomaram, which was driven more by his performance rather than his ability to jump from one building to another. The film was already a rage, thanks to its viral title track. The campus drama shined the light on an acting talent to look out for in the days to come. (Manoj Kumar R | Indian Express)

Some of the debutants to look out for include Shamdat Sainudeen (Street Lights), Sharrath Sandith (Parole), Mridul Nair (BTech), Jean Markose (Kuttanpillayude Sivarathri), Jubith Namradath (Aabhaasam), Nirmal Sahadev (Ranam), Prasobh Vijayan (Lilli), and Vijesh Vijay (Mandhaaram). (Athira M, Saraswathy Nagarajan| The Hindu)

Nine new directors made their bow at the International Film Festival of Kerala. Vipin Radhakrishnan, Vinu AK, Unnikrishnan Avala, Sumesh Lal, Binu Bhaskar, Goutham Soorya, Sudeep Elamon and PK Biju Kuttan were among the filmmakers who showcased their maiden Malayalam feature films at the IFFK. (Athira M, Saraswathy Nagarajan| The Hindu)

The find of the year was undoubtedly Zakariya Mohammed, the director of Sudani from Nigeria. (Athira M, Saraswathy Nagarajan| The Hindu)

Ee.Ma.Yau

Notable films

Multiple award-winner B Ajith Kumar made a mark with his hard-hitting Eeda, which looked at political violence in Kannur sans any rosy spectacles. Dijo Jose Antony managed a sleeper hit with Queen, albeit it was panned by critics. Prajesh Sen’s kick-off with Captain, a biopic on footballer VP Sathyan, with Jayasurya getting into the shoes of the character, scored at the box office too. Tinu Pappachan and Shaji Padoor made a mark with Swanthanthryam Ardharathriyil and Mammootty-starrer Abrahaminte Santhathikal respectively. Ramesh Pisharody tested new waters with Panchavarnathatha. Gireesh Damodar’s Uncle and Vishnu Narayan’s Maradona did not send fans into a frenzy but scored with them nevertheless. (Athira M, Saraswathy Nagarajan| The Hindu)

Fellini TP chugged into theatres with Theevandi, starring the in-form Tovino Thomas while Rafeek Ibrahim’s Padayottam had its moments. All that bluster and big talk looked like it would sink Odiyan but audiences did not give up on V A Shrikumar Menon’s Mohanlal-starrer. The year ended with Jose Sebastian, a newbie, making a name for himself, with Ente Ummante Peru. (Athira M, Saraswathy Nagarajan| The Hindu)

Seasoned filmmakers proved their expertise in the medium. Veteran cinematographer Venu’s Carbon had an intriguing storyline and Fahadh Faasil. It impressed even when the film did not glitter all that much at the box office. Shyamaprasad showed why he is the best in the genre of relationship dramas with his heart-warming tale of a young man with Asperger Syndrome in Hey Jude. M Mohanan’s Aravindante Adhithikal pulled in family audiences. Amal Neerad’s Varathan, his best till now, was perhaps the first Malayalam film that took a hard look at the many forms of sexual harassment that a woman faces in contemporary Kerala. (Athira M, Saraswathy Nagarajan| The Hindu)

Rosshan Andrrews’ Kayamkulam Kochunni, starring Nivin Pauly, did prove to be a winner in spite of its over-the-top glitzy narrative. Ranjith Sankar is on a roll. He and Jayasurya teamed up and regaled audiences with two very different films — Njaan Marykutty, which spoke for the third gender, and Pretham 2, sequel to a horror flick. Madhupal returned with a bang with Oru Kuprasidha Payyan, so too M Padmakumar with Joseph. 2018 ended on a happy note for Sathyan Anthikad as his Njan Prakashan was lapped up by the audience. (Athira M, Saraswathy Nagarajan| The Hindu)

While Abrid Shine got mixed reviews for his Poomaram, a take on college youth festivals that was released after several delays, Kamal’s Aami, a biopic on Madhavikutty, did not quite turn out to be a bestseller. (Athira M, Saraswathy Nagarajan| The Hindu)

Eeda

Underrated movies

Director B Ajithkumar’s Eeda is one of the films that went underrecognized this year. The reimagined tale of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Eeda reflects on ramifications of political violence in present-day Kannur. (Manoj Kumar R | Indian Express)

Kammara Sambhavam found unexpected support from International Business Times, India, which wrote:

<<'Kammara Sambhavam' was released at the wrong time, and Dileep's alleged involvement in the actress abduction case badly impacted its theatrical run. However, the film is one of the best pictures of recent times, and it showed the audiences, how art forms and literary works could reshape the entire history.

<<It should be also noted that Kammara Sambhavam is one of the most technically brilliant movies ever made in Malayalam. This Ratheesh Ambat directorial is rich in frames, and it is a sheer pleasure to watch the visuals on screen. Murali Gopy's script was also top-rated, but what failed for the movie was the unnecessary pre-release marketing gimmicks adopted by the makers. The makers of the movie marketed this flick as a commercial mass masala entertainer, but 'Kammara Sambhavam' was actually a class film with an uncompromising cinematic language. >>

92 significant Malayalam films: the complete chart

Sudani From Nigeria did extremely well at the box office and also delighted the critics.

There were other films, too, but they neither earned money nor did they please the critics.

Legend/ sources

CH The Cinemaholic

Filmi Beat Filmi Beat

IBT International Business Times, India

IE Manoj Kumar R |The good, bad and ugly of Malayalam cinema in 2018 December 25, 2018 | Indian Express No ranks, only critical favourites

Imdb Imdb

Joseph was another favourite of the critics.
A screenshot from Poomuthole

KB Anjana Nair | Kochi Buzz, till Aug 31, 2018

NIE New Indian Express

TH Reels of change in Malayalam cinema |Athira M, Saraswathy Nagarajan| DECEMBER 27, 2018 | The Hindu

TMR Top Movie Rankings

TNM The News Minute

TOI 1 The Times of India

TOI2 The Times of India

TOI3 The Times of India

TW The Week We assume that the films have been listed in the order of The Week’s preference.

The 66 highest-earning films of 2018

Njan Prakashan
A freeze-frame from the song Omal Thamara

All columns after ‘Earnings’ indicate the (critical) ranks assigned to the films by the authorities mentioned.

13 films that the critics liked but the box office did not

Another 13 also-rans

Bhayanakam: citically acclaimed, award-winning, but still a commercial disaster

See also

Box office records of Malayalam films

Box office records of Malayalam films, 2016

Box office records of Malayalam films, 2017

Box office records of Malayalam films, 2018

Malayalam cinema: 2010 onwards

Dileep (Gopalakrishnan Pillai)

Bhavana (Karthika Menon)

Priya Prakash Varrier

Rehana Fathima

…and several other pages on Malayalam cinema.

Box office records of Hindi-Urdu films

...and also

Countless pages on the communities and places of Kerala, e.g.

Floods in Kerala: a history, from ancient times to the present.

Cochin – The Dutch Portuguese and Jewish Influences

Jew: South India

Mappilla

Nair/ Nayar

Nambūtiri Brāhman

Syrian Christian