After the success of the Dileesh Pothan – Fahadh Faasil collaboration, ‘Joji’, (which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video) many have wondered about the different Malayalam movies which have been inspired by Shakespearean stories. On further research, it turns out that Shakespeare has inspired quite a few Malayali filmmakers, but the movies have either flopped badly or done really well. So here are the 4 must watch Malayalam movies inspired by Shakespeare currently available for streaming.in India:
The story of Prince Hamlet and his revenge on his uncle Claudius is among one of the best works of William Shakespeare. Malayalam filmmaker V K Prakash took inspiration from the world famous play and created his cinematic version set in a pre-colonial Kerala. This movie is currently streaming on MX Player and Sun NXT.
Synopsis: Rudran is not happy when his widowed mother marries his uncle. But when he finds out that his uncle murdered his father, he sets out to take revenge.
Loosely based on Cleopatra and Antony, one of the most complex and intense plays by Shakespeare, Kannaki has a strong cast of Lal and Nandita Das in the lead roles. Although the film didn’t do as well as it could have in the box office, the movie received wide acclaim from critics for its style and performances. Check this movie out on Airtel Xstream.
Synopsis: Manikam and Choman are best friends who are part of the cockfighting ring in their village. Manikam falls for Kannaki and wants to marry her, but Choman wants him to marry his sister.
Inspired by one of the most well known love stories in the world – Romeo and Juliet, Rajeev Ravi decided to make a film of similar qualities with different circumstances. The movie was a sleeper hit and went on to get many accolades. Check out this movie on Disney+ Hotstar.
Synopsis: A taxi driver, Rasool and a salesgirl, Anna fall in love with each other. But when they want to marry each other, their union is opposed by Anna’s sister, who wants Rasool to convert to Christianity.
Kaliyattam – Othello
This one is the best among the lot (well, now it’s behind Joji). Inspired by Othello, the film is set around the life of a Theyyam artist. Suresh Gopi and Manju Warrier play the lead roles, inspired by Othello and Desdemona’s characters. Stream this movie on Airtel Xstream.
Synopsis: Kannan, a Theyyan artist, has fallen in love with Thamara. However, Paniyan manipulates Kannan into believing that Thamara loves Kaanthan, his assistant. This sends him down a path of despair and destruction.
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