Recently I’ve watched some Malayalam films of such excellent quality that I had to make a post about it. You have probably read my reviews of Kumbalangi Nights and Bangalore Days. Here are 5 more gorgeous films on Netflix and Prime:
– Eeda (Netflix)
A modern-day Romeo and Juliet tale, Eeda has Aishwarya (Nimisha Sajayan) and Anand (Shane Nigam) who fall in love after a chance meeting in Mysore. The problem is that they belong to families on the opposite sides of the political spectrum. They both hail from the Kannur district, where their families live, practice their often violent ideologies and bay for each other’s blood.
I liked Eeda quite a bit because of its lead characters. Shane Nigam we saw in Kumbalangi Nights, and while I haven’t seen any of Nimisha’s movies, her performance in The Great Indian Kitchen has been getting rave reviews. They both are excellent in their likable characters – also great chemistry. The film went from a love-story to a high-strung drama very quickly. Well-paced and artfully told.
Sachi (Shane Nigam) and Vasudha (Ann Sheetal), young and very-much-in-love are looking forward to spending time with each other. When Sachi parks in a quiet parking lot hoping to sneak a kiss with a yet hesitant Vasu, they are both in for a surprise.
I won’t give too much away but this film took a sharp turn from a love story to an edge-of-your-seat suspense thriller – very unpredictable! Fantastic performances by the entire cast, but Shine Chacko outshone everyone! An absolute must-see!
Helen (Anna Ben) is studying to be a nurse and hopes to go to Canada to work so she can help out her father with his debts. She’s also in love with a Muslim man, a match her religious father will definitely not be happy with. One normal, ordinary day, Helen goes to work, but doesn’t come back home. Her distraught father files a report at the police station, but Helen is not found.
This movie was a lovely mix of emotions. The father-daughter relationship is portrayed beautifully and the talented Anna Ben is a pleasure to watch as the dutiful daughter and determined young woman that she is.
– Kappella (Netflix)
Jessy (Anna Ben) gets talking to Vishnu (Roshan Mathew) on the phone quite by accident, but their accidental conversation spawns a friendship. Convinced that he is the one, very-much-in-love Jessy decides to go to the big city to actually meet him face-to-face. But their simple meeting runs into trouble, when Jessy sees a man following them.
This film started off as a simple, sweet love story, but turned rather unpredictably into an intense thriller. This was a fabulous film – really tight and well-paced, and had great acting to boot. We have seen Anna Ben before in Kumbalangi Nights and Roshan Mathew has made forays into Hindi movies like Anurag Kashyap’s Choked.
Mahesh runs a photo studio and lives a placid, pleasant life in his small town. One day, his life is thrown into a tumult when he is publicly humiliated by a goon. Mahesh, ashamed and embarrassed in front of his community swears that he will not rest until he has gotten his revenge.
This was such an interesting, beautifully done film. Wonderfully crafted and paced, with great attention to detail, this film has depth, humor and poignancy. Also a fantastic performance by Fahadh Faasil.
