2021 has been a bad year for Malayalam theatrical releases, almost as bad as 2020. However, thanks to the popularity of ‘C U Soon’ and ‘Drishyam 2’, OTT platforms have started to notice Malayalam content and have begun either ordering original OTT films or buying up the streaming rights of Malayalam features. And it has worked. While the films aren’t making as much money as the film producers could hope for (since OTT platforms don’t earn as much money per views as a theatre would earn), the South Indian film Industry has slowly started garnering national attention. While theatres have opened at 50% percent capacity, a couple of weeks ago, Malayalam films are still making their way to OTT – many among them expected to release in 2021 itself. So without wasting any more time, here are the top 5 direct-to-OTT released Malayalam films of 2021:
Joji
Any direct-to-OTT list about Malayalam movies will feature a Fahadh Faasil starring film; this list has two of them. Joji is a film inspired by Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. We follow the titular character, Joji, a college dropout, who hopes to be a millionaire one day without taking much effort in life. He gets his chance after some unexpected events take place in his joint family. This movie can be watched on Amazon Prime Video.
Malik
The second movie on this list is also a Fahadh Faasil leading feature film. Malik follows Suleiman as he rises in his village to a position of power through some illegal means. He goes on to battle politicians and corrupt officials who are trying to take away the livelihoods of the people from his village. This movie is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
#Home
An unexpected film joins this list. This Indrans starring feature film shows us a very rare film where the comedy actor (the aforementioned Indrans) plays the film lead. And he is brilliant at it. The film follows Oliver Twist, the patriarch of a family who is struggling to connect with his sons. Both of his sons have become adults and spend most of their time on social media; and for a man who is technologically-challenged like Oliver, it is quite hard to relate to them. Stream this movie on Amazon Prime Video.
Drishyam 2
This film was always going to make it on this list. It is the only Indian film to enter IMDb’s most popular film’s list of 2021 and has wowed critics worldwide. We follow Georgekutty and his family as the missing case file for Varun reopens after a new police officer takes charge. What will happen now? Learn all about it on Amazon Prime Video.
The Great Indian Kitchen
Another movie that had to be put on this list. While Drishyam 2 is a brilliant film, few Indian films can top Mollywood’s The Great Indian Kitchen. In this movie, we follow a woman who is trying to become a conventional wife as expected by her community. However, along the way, she finds out that she is suffocating in this environment while her dreams are dying. This movie is currently streaming on Neestream and Amazon Prime Video.
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