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Top 15 Malayalam romantic movies: Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Ennu Ninte Moideen, Nivin Pauly’s Premam to Mohanlal’s Chithram
Along with various experimental concepts, Malayalam cinema has always had a special place for romantic movies that soothe your soul. Here are some of the top Malayalam romantic movies to watch!
Romantic films from all over the world have always managed to become a fulfilling and soul-enriching journey for the audience. Be it an amazing love story with grandeur from Bollywood or Hollywood cinema or a simple and touching journey of relationships from regional Indian cinema, romance has made it big.
Even though there are some who claim romance movies are not made for them, at one point or another they will try and watch a good and enriching romantic flick which will surely be a comfort film for them.
Like every other film industry in India, Malayalam cinema too has delivered quite a selection of romance movies that are a must-watch, at least once in their lifetime. So here’s presenting you some of the top best Malayalam romance movies which are best to be watched along with your loved ones or alone if you have no other choice.
Top 15 Best Malayalam Romantic Movies:
1. Namukku Parkkan Munthirithoppukal (1986)
IMDb rating: 8.5/10
Timeline: 2 hours and 12 minutes
Where to watch: YouTube
Starting off strong, we have Namukku Parkkan Munthirithoppukal which is a 1986 Malayalam film starring Mohanlal and Shari in the lead role alongside a cast of actors like Thilakan, Vineeth, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, and many more.
The film written and directed by the late Padmarajan features the story of a man who falls in love with his neighbor only to later know that her family life is as difficult as it comes. Interestingly, throughout the story, there are references to the Biblical book Song of Songs which depicts the romantic dialogue between a young woman and her lover.
2. Mayaanadhi (2017)
IMDb rating: 7.6/10
Timeline: 2 hours 16 minutes
Where to watch: Sun NXT
Back in 2017, Tovino Thomas and Aishwarya Lakshmi joined hands with the director Aashiq Abu to create an engaging romantic thriller film called Mayaanadhi, written by Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair.
Inspired by the 1960 French film Breathless, Mayaanadhi featured the story of Maathan, a criminal running from the police who goes back to Kochi and tries to rekindle his relationship with his ex, Aparna who is a struggling actress, trying to make her run away with him.
3. Ennu Ninte Moideen (2015)
IMDb rating: 8/10
Timeline: 2 hours and 40 minutes
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
Ennu Ninte Moideen is a 2015 biographical romance drama movie starring Prithviraj Sukumaran and Parvathy Thiruvoth in the lead roles alongside an array of actors like Bala, Tovino Thomas, Sai Kumar, Sashi Kumar, and Lena appearing in supporting roles.
The film is set in the 60s and 70s in Kozhikode, and tells the love story of Moideen a young man who belongs to a renowned Muslim family, and Kanchanamala his lover who belongs to an aristocratic Hindu family. The film showcases the real-life story of these characters and their journey in fulfilling their love for one another.
4. Njan Gandharvan (1991)
IMDb rating: 7.6/10
Timeline: 2 hours and 26 minutes
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
Njan Gandharvan is a Malayalam language fantasy romance film starring Nitish Bharadwaj and Suparna Anand in lead roles featuring the story of an esoteric fantasy about a girl and her passion for a Gandharva, who keeps appearing from a wooden statue that she found on a beach but is invisible to others.
The passionate love that they have for each other along with the limitations of the Gandharva to have a relationship with a mortal human being sets up the story of the film. Even though the film was a box-office failure back in 1991, it later on became a cult classic film and is revered from the film’s aesthetic to filmmaking.
5. Annayum Rasoolum (2013)
IMDb rating: 7.4/10
Timeline: 2 hours and 47 minutes
Where to watch: Manorama MAX, Disney+ Hotstar
Annayum Rasoolum is a 2013 Malayalam flick starring Fahadh Faasil and Andrea Jeremiah in the lead role directed by Rajeev Ravi. The film features the story of Rasool, a Muslim taxi driver, and Anna, a Latin Christian salesgirl who are both from conservative working-class families, and their star-crossed love story in being united.
6. Premam (2015)
IMDb rating: 8.3/10
Timeline: 2 hours and 36 minutes
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
Premam starring Nivin Pauly in the lead role features the story of George and his romantic journey to find love from his teenage phase to his adulthood. The film features three phases of George’s life along with his close friends and the three women he fell in love with throughout the years.
The film features Anupama Parameswaran, Sai Pallavi, and Madonna Sebastian in the leading lady roles with actors Shabareesh Varma, Krishna Sankar, and Siju Wilson playing his friends. The film directed by Alphonse Puthren was a massive success and made Nivin Pauly a trendsetting face in Malayalam cinema.
7. Nandanam (2002)
IMDb rating: 7.4/10
Timeline: 2 hours and 25 minutes
Where to watch: Manorama MAX
Nandanam is a 2002 film starring Prithviraj Sukumaran and Navya Nair in the lead roles alongside an array of actors like Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Revathi, Aravind Akash, Siddique, Innocent, and Jagathy Sreekumar playing essential roles in the film.
The film features the story of Balamani, an orphan girl who works as a maid to Unniamma, an aging matriarch. She is often seen talking with a photo of Lord Krishna in her room and converses as friends. Things take an interesting turn when the matriarch’s grandson, Manu comes from the USA to live with her and develops a romantic relationship with Balamani.
8. Ohm Shanthi Oshaana (2014)
IMDb rating: 7.7/10
Timeline: 2 hours and 16 minutes
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar, Manorama MAX
Ohm Shanthi Oshaana is a 2014 Malayalam film starring Nazriya Nazim in the lead role along with Nivin Pauly as her love interest. The film features the comedic love story of Pooja, a brash teenage girl who falls in love with a local farmer and martial arts teacher Giri. As she is a teenager, Giri rejects her advances in courting him for a relationship which only seems to grow as she gets older and trying woo him again.
The film was the debut directorial venture of 2018 director Jude Anthany Joseph and was co-written by Midhun Manuel Thomas. The film also featured actors Vineeth Sreenivasan, Renji Panicker, and Aju Varghese in key roles.
9. Salt N’ Pepper (2011)
IMDb rating: 7.4/10
Timeline: 2 hours and 12 minutes
Where to watch: Sun NXT, Manorama MAX
Salt N’ Pepper is a 2011 romantic comedy film starring Lal, Shwetha Menon, Asif Ali, and Mythili in the lead roles which is directed by Aashiq Abu. The film features the story of two foodies who inadvertently fall in love with each other after a wrong call is made. Their love for food and similarities in interests sets up a mature love story with one another, making it a wholesome watch.
10. Thanneer Mathan Dinangal (2019)
IMDb rating: 7.8/10
Timeline: 2 hours and 16 minutes
Where to watch: Eros Now, Jio Cinema
If you loved watching the recent Malayalam movie Premalu, then it surely would be fun to watch Thanneer Mathan Dinangal directed by Girish AD in his debut directorial venture.
The film featuring Mathew Thomas and Anaswara Rajan in the lead roles focuses on the story of Jaison, a teenager studying in 11th class who has nothing going the way for him and also develops a crush on a girl called Keerthy in his class who does not feel the same for him. Along with this, he also shares a rivalry with his teacher, Ravi Padmanabhan played by Vineeth Sreenivasan.
11. Thattathin Marayathu (2011)
IMDb rating: 7.5/10
Timeline: 2 hours and 7 minutes
Where to watch: Sun NXT
Thattathin Marayathu features the story of Vinod, a Hindu communist guy hailing from Kannur who falls in love with a Muslim girl named Aisha, who hails from a well-off family. The film directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan follows the story of how Vinod tries to woo Aisha along with how he handles the problems that arise due to their inter-faith relationship. The film is considered one of the defining movies of the Malayalam New Wave.
12. 100 Days of Love (2015)
IMDb rating: 6.6/10
Timeline: 2 hours 33 minutes
Where to watch: Sun NXT
100 Days of Love starring Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen in the lead roles features the story of Balan K Nair aka BKN who in a drunken state insults his ex-girlfriend on Facebook which turns his world upside down, making him question his life.
On a random day, he accidentally meets a girl called Sheela whom he used to bully in school. Now, even though Sheela does not care much about love and relationships, Balan falls for her all the while she is engaged to be wed soon.
13. Chithram (1988)
IMDb rating: 8.7/10
Timeline: 2 hours and 40 minutes
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
Chithram is a 1988 Malayalam comedy romance film starring Mohanlal in the lead role with actors Ranjini, Nedumudi Venu, Lizy, Poornam Viswanathan, Sreenivasan, MG Soman, and many more playing key roles in the film.
The film features the story of Kalyani who is the daughter of a wealthy NRI living in the USA. She is brought up in Chennai by her father’s friend and during her time here, she falls in love with another man, against her father’s wish. Knowing she is disinherited by her father, the boyfriend ditches her but now her father approves of her choice without knowing her lover has left.
Not wanting to hurt her father who is already ill, Kalyani and her uncle try to find somebody to act as her husband in front of her father where they meet Vishnu, played by Mohanlal.
14. Chocolate (2007)
IMDb rating: 6.2/10
Timeline: 2 hours and 19 minutes
Where to watch: Sun NXT, Eros Now
Chocolate starring Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead role alongside Jayasurya, Roma Asrani, Samvrutha Sunil, and Remya Nabeeshan features a comedic love story directed by Shafi.
The film features the story of Shyam, who is often dismissed from colleges due to his attacking nature which leads his mother, a college professor to get him a seat at a Women’s College where he locks horns with Ann and eventually falls in love with her despite her aggressive nature towards each other.
15. Summer in Bethlehem (1998)
IMDb rating: 7.8/10
Timeline: 2 hours and 23 minutes
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
Summer in Bethlehem featuring Suresh Gopi, Jayaram, and Manju Warrier in the lead roles showcases the story of two friends, one who is an unsuccessful investor while the other has a very thriving cattle farm. While the former’s grandparents and cousins are coming to visit him, both of them fabricate a plan to showcase the cattle farm as his so that he can marry one of the cousins.
A budding romance starts to brew between two of the leads only to find out she already has a dark past with someone who she deeply loves. The film also features Mohanlal in a cameo role as well.
Romantic films like these are always a calm and soothing hug for many and the aforementioned list of films featuring the top romantic Malayalam movies of all time only scraps the tip of the iceberg with many more films still left to be explored.
ALSO READ: 10 best Malayalam web series: From Roshan-Nimisha starrer Poacher to Kerala Crime Files
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