Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela to Home: 14 'feel good' Malayalam films to watch online

From horror to action comedies, a number of Malayalam films released over the years have left their mark on critics and audiences from around the world. For the festival of Onam, we bring you a list of 'feel good' and funny Malayalam movies, from the classics that were released decades ago to movies that opted for direct Over-the-Top(OTT) release in the midst of the pandemic. These are Malayalam movies that you can watch with your family, from the comfort of your home.  In addition to the long list of beloved movies such as Bangalore Days, Premam, Sudani from Nigeria and Ustad Hotel that are already widely known, here are 14 Malayalam films available on OTT: 

Home (Amazon Prime Video): Directed by Rojin Thomas, the family drama Home, featuring actors Indrans, Sreenath Bhasi and Vijay Babu, premiered on OTT on August 19, ahead of Onam. The film is about the relationship between an ordinary man who doesn't know how to use technology and his filmmaker son who isn't interested in striking a rapport with him. 

READ: Home review: A fantastic Indrans anchors a sentimental family drama 

June (Disney+Hotstar): Starring Rajisha Vijayan in the titular role as June Sara Joy, the 2019 Malayalam movie June is a coming-of-age film that focuses on a teen girl and her journey through adolescence and into the 20s. Helmed by Ahammed Khabeer, the romantic drama also features actors Sarjano Khalid, Arjun Ashokan, Joju George, Aswathi Menon, Sunny Wayne, Vaishnavi Venugopal, and Aju Varghese in significant roles. 

READ: 'June' review: A delightful coming-of-age film from a teen girl's point of view  

Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela (Disney+Hotstar): The 2017 Malayalam film Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela revolves around the life of Sheela (Shanti Krishna), who is diagnosed with cancer and her dysfunctional family which includes her husband Chacko (Lal), daughters Sarah and Mary (Ahana and Srinda), Kurien, her son from London (Nivin Pauly), and an aged grandfather.  Filled with light-hearted moments and introspective insights in equal parts, director Althaf Salim’s ‘feel good’ film strikes the right chords.  

READ: 'Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela' Review: A true delight packed with humour and insight 

Varane Avashyamund (Netflix): The 2020 multi-starrer film Varane Avashyamund is a comedy drama that tracks the lives of a handful of people who are bound together by an apartment in Chennai. Anoop Sathyan (in his directorial debut) invokes a deep sense of nostalgia by bringing together the three stars of Malayalam cinema in the '90s, Shobana, Suresh Gopi and Urvashi. The movie marks Suresh Gopi’s acting comeback after a gap of five years and also Shobana and Suresh Gopi’s collaboration after a period of 15 years since Manichitrathazhu. The star cast also includes actors Dulquer Salmaan, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Lalu Alex, KPAC Lalitha, Johny Antony, Major Ravi, Meera Krishnan and Sreeja Ravi, among others. 

READ: ‘Varane Avashyamund’ review: This multistarrer is pleasant but shallow 

Thanneer Mathan Dinangal (Jio Cinemas): Set in the world of teenagers, the 2019 film Thanneer Mathan Dinangal is a coming-of-age film. The Girish AD directorial stars actors Mathew Thomas, Anaswara Rajan and Vineeth Sreenivasan in pivotal roles. Thanneer Mathan Dinangal, which opened to critical acclaim, had a whopping run at the box office,  and was one of the highest grossing Malayalam films that year.  

READ:‘Thanneer Mathan Dinangal’ review: Engaging coming-of-age story by newcomers 

Android Kunjappan Version 5.25 (Amazon Prime Video): The plot of critically acclaimed 2019 movie Android Kunjappan Version 5.25 is based on Subramanian (Soubin Shahir) and his elderly father Bhaskaran Poduval (Suraj Venjaramoodu). Directed by Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval, the film is recognised as a unique attempt in Malayalam cinema. The story of Android Kunjappan takes off with Subramanian flying to Russia for work, leaving his father Bhaskaran with an android robot called Kunjappan to take care of him.  

READ: 'Android Kunjappan Ver 5.25' review: Suraj-Soubin's film is funny and endearing 

Vikruthi (Netflix): Based on true events that took place on a Kochi Metro train, the 2019 film directed by Emcy Joseph follows a series of events that take place after the photograph of a hearing and speech impaired person, Eldho (played by Suraj Venjaramoodu), is clicked and posted online by one of his co passengers, Sameer (Soubin Shahir) who assumes that Eldho was drunk. Hell breaks loose after the image goes viral on social media. The film tracks the subsequent series of events as they unfold. 

Aadu (Disney+Hotstar): Helmed by Midhun Manuel Thomas, Aadu, which released in 2015, is a slapstick comedy film. Aadu features an ensemble cast including actors  Jayasurya, Vijay Babu, Vinayakan, Saiju Kurup, Vineeth Mohan, Srinda Arhaan, Sunny Wayne, Renji Panicker, Sandra Thomas, Bhagath Manuel, Chemban Vinod Jose, Indrans, Dharmajan Bolgatty, Bijukuttan and Harikrishnan in pivotal roles. “Shaji Pappan's tug-of-war team gets a nanny goat as reward for winning a match. However, it brings them bad luck. What will the misogynistic Pappan do?” the description of the movie reads. The sequel of Aadu, Aadu 2, released in 2017, while a third installment was announced last year.   

Janamaithiri (Amazon Prime Video): Starring actors Indrans, Saiju Kurup, Vijay Babu and Sabumon Abdusamad in pivotal roles, Janamaithiri released in 2019. The comedy flick was helmed by John Manthrickal. The plot is based on the cops of Paramedu Police Station who meet with obstacles while they are on a mission to improve the image of the Kerala Police. The film tracks whether they succeed in their mission.  

READ: Now on Amazon Prime, Malayalam comedy ‘Janamaithri’ shouldn't be missed 

Hey Jude (Amazon Prime Video): Director Shyamaprasad’s 2018 film revolves around the sweet romance that blossoms between its lead characters Jude, a young man with Asperger's syndrome, and Crystal, who is under treatment for bipolar disorder. Starring Nivin Pauly and Trisha as Jude and Crystal respectively, the film takes the audiences on a fun, romantic ride.   

READ: 'Hey Jude' review: This Nivin Pauly-Trisha starrer is a heartwarming romance 

Adi Kapyare Kootamani (Disney+Hotstar): The 2015 film comedy film Adi Kapyare Kootamani is set in a hostel. Adishtalakshmi bribes her college mate Bhanuprasad to get into the boys’ hostel one night to partake in all the fun that happens behind the closed gates of hostel. The film then follows the series of events that unfurl. Spearheaded by John Varghese, the film stars actors Dhyan Sreenivasan, Namitha Pramod, Vineeth Mohan, Aju Varghese, Neeraj Madhav, Mukesh and Bijukuttan.   

Godfather (Disney+Hotstar): The 1991 film Godfather, one of the most popular Malayalam movies of all time, stars an ensemble cast consisting of actors Mukesh, N. N. Pillai, Thilakan, Bheeman Raghu, Kanaka, Innocent, Siddique, K. P. A. C. Lalitha, Philomina and Jagadish. Helmed by filmmaker duo Siddique-Lal, the action-comedy flick is also the recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Popular film. The film has also been remade in multiple languages. It is about the clash between two prominent families that results in hilarious situations.

In Harihar Nagar (Amazon Prime Video): Known to be a comedy classic in Malayalam cinema, In Harihar Nagar, as the title suggests, is based on the lives of four friends — Mahadevan (Mukesh), Govindan Kutty (Siddique), Appukuttan (Jagadish) and Thomas Kutty (Ashokan) —  who reside in a colony named Harihar Nagar in Kerala. In Hariharan Nagar, that was released in 1990, is also spearheaded by filmmaker duo Siddique-Lal. 

Ramji Rao Speaking (Disney+Hotstar): The popular 1989 comedy-drama Ramji Rao Speaking – also considered to be a comedy classic —  is written and directed by filmmaker duo Siddique-Lal. Ramji Rao Speaking stars actors  Sai Kumar, Mukesh, Innocent, Rekha, Sankaradi, Vijayaraghavan and Devan in the lead. The film is about two tenants and their landlord, a theatre company owner, who become embroiled in a kidnapping attempt.