Officer on Duty to Marco: Top 10 must-watch Malayalam movies that have made headlines
A number of recent Malayalam films have sparked conversations about storytelling, content, and creative responsibility. Hits like Officer on Duty, Rekhachithram, and Marco gained attention not just for box office success, but also for tackling sensitive themes, including violence, human rights, and controversial social issues.
Officer on Duty The Malayalam crime-thriller Officer on Duty, which came out in 2025 and was directed by Jithu Ashraf for the first time, was a huge hit at the box office. The narrative is around CI Harishankar, a police officer who won't put up with any nonsense. The movie did well at the box office, even though it had mixed reviews. In 2025, it was one among the biggest hits in Malayalam cinema.
2/9
Rekhachithram Rekhachithram is another Malayalam movie that got a lot of attention. The fact that it succeeded well shows that mid-budget movies are becoming increasingly popular in the Malayalam film industry, especially since people like well-told storylines and focused productions.
3/9
Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal People appreciated the acting in the movie, but it caused a lot of problems because it showed incest, which isn't a regular theme in mainstream movies. This made people speak about how to handle sensitive topics in movies.
4/9
Marco Marco came out in December and got a lot of attention for being dark and violent. A lot of people who liked and hated it thought it was one of the most violent Indian movies in a long time. This made them worry that violence would keep becoming worse in regional movies.
Aadujeevitham Aadujeevitham is based on a true story of migrant workers, although many people in the Gulf who saw the movie said it didn't show the kafala system appropriately. Some people, on the other hand, said that it did a good job of showing problems with human rights and the problems that migrant workers have to cope with.
6/9
Higuita Hemanth G. Nair directed the movie, which caused a stir when well-known novelist N. S. Madhavan said that the filmmakers had used the title of his well-known short story without asking. The argument brought up the rights of movie authors and the necessity for creative freedom.
7/9
Nna Thaan Case Kodu Kunchacko Boban is in the movie, but it had problems because of a poster slogan that talked about Kerala's pothole crisis and was seen as a political critique. People who supported the CPI(M) called for a boycott, but the people who made the movie said it wasn't political; it was meant to be a social satire.
8/9
Kaduva Some people didn't like some of the lines in Kaduva, which starred the famous Prithviraj, because they thought they were harsh to those with disabilities. Activists for the rights of people with disabilities raised concerns, which led the producers to make certain revisions and clarifications.
Churuli The Kerala High Court heard a case about Churuli that was brought because people were worried about how often unpleasant and insulting language was being used. The case sparked a wider conversation about artistic freedom and content control in Malayalam films.
