2024 was quite an eventful year for Malayalam cinema. Like a good thriller, Malayalam cinema has faced ups and downs and still managed to stay in the news for its rooted and realistic stories. From big hits to big failures to the Hema Committee report, Mollywood experienced it all. And, as an audience, people got a taste of everything.

As the year comes to a close, in this week’s Cinematic Saturday, let’s take a look at how Malayalam cinema fared and managed to deliver more hits in Indian cinema than any other film industry.

Small budget films prove to be big hits

2024 started with director Anand Ekarshi’s film. Initially released in December 2023, it was re-released January It received critical acclaim after its screening at the 2024 International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). The film won the National Award For Best Feature Film.

Malayalam cinema and crime thrillers are a match made in heaven. Jayaram and Anaswara Rajan’s Abraham Ozler was one such film. Although the film received mixed reviews, it was praised for its technical excellence. Tovino Thomas and Siddiqui’s police drama Anweshipin Kandethum, streaming on Netflix, was loved by the audience for its entertaining story.

Naslane and Mameetha Baiju’s Premalu, directed by Girish AD, was one of the phenomenal hits of 2024 that took Malayalam cinema to the top. The light-hearted rom-com not only impressed the Malayali audience but also attracted fans from different industries. Premlu followed Ambitious BrahmayugamStarring Mammootty and Arjun Ashokan. Directed by Rahul Sadasivan, this eerie thriller, shot in black and white, was a path-breaking effort in the horror genre.

Watch the trailer of Premlu here:

february It also saw the release of the iconic Manjummel Boys directed by Chidambaram. Starring Soubin Shahir, Srinath Bhasi and others, it is the story of a group of friends who visit the Guna Caves of Kodaikanal. The survival thriller is about a group of friends who try to save their partner who accidentally falls into the Guna Caves. Any annual list is incomplete without mentioning the use of Evergreen Tamil Hit Song, Kanmani AnboduUsed in Manjummel Boys. While the producers faced copyright infringement cases from Ilaiyaraaja, the film became the highest-grossing film of 2024.

In marchDirector Blessy and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Aadujeevitham aka The Goat Life hit the theaters and received rave reviews. The music of the film has been composed by AR Rahman. Hollywood Music Wins Media Awards For Best Background Score (Foreign Language).

april Saw the release of director Jeethu Madhavan’s action comedy, Aavesham, starring Fahadh Faasil, Sajin Gopu and many others. Aveasham proved to be one of the blockbuster films of Mollywood and still is. achieved a cult statusIt also featured Pranab Mohanlal and Shayan Srinivasan’s Varshanalakku Shesham. Directed by Vineet Srinivasan, this film received a lot of love.

Prithviraj Sukumaran and Basil Joseph Guruvayur Ambalanadayil was a perfect summer dishAudiences flocked to theaters to enjoy his comedy dramas with a family audience. Asif Ali, Biju Menon and Mia George’s Thalavan was another carefully crafted crime drama that took everyone by surprise.

Directed by Samjad PS, Golam starring Ranjit Sajeev, Sunny Wayne, Siddique and Dileesh Pothan got its due after an OTT release on Prime Video.

Watch the trailer of Golam here:

june Watched the brilliant Ulozukku directed by Christo Tomi. Starring Parvathy Thiruvothu and Urvashi, the film deals with the death of a loved one and the secrets it uncovers. The film received commercial success as well as critical acclaim. Many prestigious awards at international film festivalsDirector Arun Chandu’s Gaganachari is a sci-fi mockumentary which had a limited release. But, the film proved to be influential.

Asif Ali and Amala Paul’s Level Cross directed by Arfaz Ayub is a drama which was loved by the audience. Director Jeethu Joseph’s Nunakuzhi, starring Basil Joseph, Grace Antony and Nikhila Vimal, is a crime comedy that has achieved commercial success. Director Anand Menon’s Vaazha was another coming-of-age comedy drama that received positive reviews.

September Watched the interesting Kishkindha Kaandam starring Asif Ali and Aparna Balamurali, which emerged as everyone’s favourite. Additionally, Malayalam actors Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Hridayu Haroon and Chhaya Kadam made India proud in Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light. Winning the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival,

Here is the trailer:

november Basil Jospeh and Nazriya Nazim, which tasted success at the box office and received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Urvashi, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Aishwarya Rajesh, Remya Nambisan and Lijomol Jose each have an anthology film that was released directly on OTT. This collection consisting of stories of five women reflects the problems of the society.

December Director Aashiq Abu ended on a high note with Rifle Club, an explosive action thriller starring VijayRaghavan, Dileesh Pothan, Anurag Kashyap, Vaani Vishwanath and Hanumankind. Unni Mukundan’s Marco is a violent film which caught everyone’s attention.

Here is the trailer for Rifle Club:

Big films but big mistakes

Released on 25 January Mohanlal’s Malaikottai Valibanwhich marked his first collaboration with revered director Lijo Jose Pellissery. However, the film received negative reviews from critics and audiences alike. Nivin Pauly and Dhyan Sreenivasan’s Malayali From India was another big disappointment of this year.

Tovino Thomas’s Nadikar was one of the most anticipated films of 2024. However, it proved to be a disappointment at the box office. Mammootty and Kannada actor Raj B Shetty’s TurboDirected by Vaisakh, it received a lackluster response despite earning Rs 70 crore globally.

Tovino Thomas and Kriti Shetty’s ARM, which was marketed as a pan-India film, received mixed reviews. Although the film had some good elements that should be celebrated, it did not perform quite as well as expected.

Here is the trailer for ARM:

Barrows 3D: Guardian of Treasures marked the directorial debut of Mohanlal. While the film was praised for its technical excellence The story failed to impress Spectator.

Explosives Hema Committee Report

On August 19, the Kerala government made 296 page report of Hema Committee Report public. The report exposes the darkest truth of Malayalam cinema without naming the culprits. The report exposed cases of sexual harassment, pay inequality, casting couch experiences, lobbying and other systemic issues. While several pages were removed from the final report, it raised questions about the Malayalam industry, which enjoys an iconic status.

Days after the report became public, rekindling Malayalam cinema’s #MeToo scandal, several actors came forward with their shocking stories. Top actors including Nivin Pauly, Siddique and Jayasurya were named for sexual misconduct. While legal cases are ongoing against them, the report emboldened women in the industry to come forward with their stories.

Malayalam cinema has been in the news this year for good and bad reasons. Will it rule in 2025 like it did in 2024? only time will tell.