10 Films Which Made 2015 A Good Year

Premam was arguably the most discussed film in 2015. The film not only went on to become the second highest grosser in Malayalam ever, but also created a rage amongst the youth. The result ranged from fashion inspired from the film’s protagonist to the (misperceived) attitude/arrogance and narrative. A huge debate rose regarding the idea of a student romancing his college professor leading to a debate on morality and resulting breaking down of the wall of hypocrisy. ‘Premam’ was genuine. It was a heartfelt expression of a typical middle-class Malayali youth who was desperate for love, loves his friends and finds happiness in the minute blessings which makes up life.

Adapting a real life story into film, when the characters of the film are still alive is a big task. RS Vimal, making his directorial debut through the movie, did just that. He made a tragic (most of them are) real-life love story of BP Moideen and Kanchanamala into the blockbuster starring Prithviraj and Parvathy. The film clicked instantly with gradually becoming a big contender to ‘Premam’ in being the darling of the year. If ‘Malar’ (played by Sai Pallavi in Premam) was trending till then, ‘Ennu Ninte Moideen’ made Parvathy’s ‘Kanchana’ the heartthrob. The film drastically repositioned Prithviraj’s star-status. The man who was once one of the promising stars of Malayalam came back to his glory and is now an unstoppable force.

If Prithviraj chose to do out-and-out commercial flicks like ‘Ennu Ninte Moideen’ and ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’, he also very bravely chose to produce and act in the maverick film called ‘Double Barrel’, a film which could only come from a mind like Lijo Jose Pellissery’s. Made with a huge budget, the movie bombed at the box-office. The flop was more or less expected considering its unorthodox treatment. The film more or less, advanced the growth of movie making in the industry by years. Just because this film has been made, there will be (hopefully) brave directors who shed away the norms given by traditional movie making and experiment.

Dulquer Salmaan rocked as the vagabond ‘Charlie’ – that’s the highlight. Plus, when you get to see an already maverick director like Martin Prakkatt (‘Best Actor’, ‘ABCD’) climbing new heights, highly talented Dulquer and Parvathy in their full form, incredible cinematography by Jomon T John, you realise you are living in good times. The film came as a breath of fresh air in December. Telling the story of a man who is like wind, someone who lives life according to his impulses, ‘Charlie’ is symbol of Malayalam cinema coming of age. Plus, it made a lot of money.

Mammootty, the ‘actor’ was back through ‘Pathemari’. With stellar performances and a heart wrenching screenplay, ‘Pathemari’ was more or less an achievement for Malayalam film. The film was indeed a tribute to the much overlooked sacrifice and contribution by Malayalis toiling in foreign lands. Directed by National Award winning director Salim Ahmed, the film made significant money at the B-O too.

G Prajith, who has been assistant director for long time made his feature film debut with ‘Oru Vadakkan Selfie’. Like Alphonse Puthren’s ‘Premam’, ‘OVS’ too sticked to the ‘safe’ genre. The victimised girl and the ever big-bad-world of internet and the protagonist who reincarnates as the saviour. Basically, everything that the mass wants. The songs were a rage, with exceptionally wacky lyrics and visualisations which reflected the current crop of youngsters beaten by the hill of professional courses. The movie was a huge success. With the hit pair of Nivin Pauly, Vineeth Sreenivasan and Aju Varghese, the film was, in all senses a big impact on audience.

Midhun Manuel Thomas’ debut directorial was one of the most innovative films of 2015. Though the film wasn't a success commercially, it was one of the most downloaded films on torrents. Starring the versatile Jayasurya and a string of stars including Sunny Wayn, Vinayakan, Ranji Panikkar and Saiju Kurup, ‘Aadu’ had the same adulation among youngsters like ‘Premam’ had. The red ‘mundu’ and black kurta worn by Jayasurya was a rage in colleges. Hilarious characters, intro themes for every character and unorthodox treatment makes this movie a brilliant first attempt for the director. ‘Aadu’ is slowly becoming through the torrent circuit.

‘Lukka Chuppi’ was the most poetic film released in 2015. The inherent nature of the film is reminiscent of the mood of a Padmarajan novel. Directed by Bash Mohammed, this small film too didn’t get a pass mark at the box office. Similar to ‘Aadu’ and ‘Double Barrel’, this film too is one of the most important films of 2015 as far as Malayalam film industry is considered. Absolutely brilliant performances by Jayasurya (as the drunkard Raghuram) and Muraly Gopi (as Sidharth), a screenplay which was evidently simplistic and well sculpted characters makes this movie deserve a place in this list. Plus, it was selected to the Indian Panorama of International Film Festival of India.

Lal Jose, who was one of the most loved directors of Malayalam was going through tough times for the past five years. ‘Spanish Masala’, ‘Ezhu Sundara Rathrikal’ etc fared not-so-great at the b-o. His last film before ‘Nee-Na’,’Vikramadhithyan’ had made money but fared not so well in the critical aspect. What Lal Jose came up next was a beautiful piece of work called ‘Nee Na’. The degradation of relationships, helpless human lives and the momentary intoxication from liquor are all poignant in the film. The film is an achievement of sort for its technical brilliant and style of treatment. Again, it also made substantial box office revenue.

Mammootty made a narrow comeback through this film. So did director Siddique whose last film in Malayalam was two years before. The film was a trendsetter in Malayalam due to its completely family-oriented subject. The typical ‘arrogant-but-full-of-love-at-heart’ family man role was essayed by Mammootty perfectly. Nayanthara’s presence was a big boost for the film and subsequently ‘Bhaskar The Rascal’ ended up as a clean box office hit.