The 100 Best Commercial Malayalam Movies (Post-1980)
The 80s and the 90s witnessed the emergence of some of Malayalam cinema's best commercial filmakers - I.V.Sashi, Priyadarshan, Sathyan Anthikaad, Joshi, Sibi Malayayil, Kamal, Padmarajan, Bharathan, K.G.George etc. Mammootty and Mohanlal dominated Malayalam cinema from the early 80s until the early 2000s. So this list is heavy with their films. I am not too fond of post-2000s Malayalam cinema. Most of the films in this list are from the 80s and the 90s. And a lot of the films are slapstick comedies.
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- DirectorPriyadarshanStarsMohanlalNedumudi VenuRenjiniA woman hires a stranger to pose as her husband because she doesn't want her ailing father to know that her fiance broke their engagement.
- DirectorK.G. GeorgeStarsBharat GopyNedumudi VenuMammoottyAn infamous tabla player of a touring drama group goes missing. Later on, Sub-inspector Jacob Eeraly investigates the case.
- DirectorSreenivasanStarsSreenivasanParvathiInnocent Vareed ThekkethalaA man with a serious case of inferiority complex is married to a beautiful girl. Soon, his love and care turns into suspicion.
- DirectorT.K. Rajeev KumarStarsKamal HaasanUrmila MatondkarJayaramA man seeks the help of a mimicry artist to take revenge on a politician who has wronged him.
- DirectorP. PadmarajanStarsMohanlalSumalathaParvathiJayakrishnan falls in love with two girls, Radha and Clara, and fights his confusion about whom he should marry and spend his life with.
- DirectorP. PadmarajanStarsMammoottyAshokanNedumudi VenuThe movie narrates the story of three friends' visit to a brothel to celebrate Vishu.
- DirectorShaji KailasStarsSuresh GopiSiddiqueNarendra PrasadSwami Amoorthananda is involved in narcotics and is responsible for the death of few innocent people. The CBI hires police officer Madhavan to investigate the cases against Amoorthananda.
- DirectorP. PadmarajanStarsJayaramShobanaMadhuViswanathan, new in town, soon learns that he is being chased by enemies of his look-alike, who is a con man. Vishwanathan tries to find out Uthaman before its too late, but things don't go as planned.
- DirectorT. HariharanStarsMohiniVineethManoj K. JayanA 17-year-old widow, Unnimaya, who was married to an old man, is ostracized by the community. She falls in love with Madhavan, a Kathakali artist, but problems arise when she becomes pregnant.
- DirectorKamalStarsSreenivasanRekhaSiddiqueAn innocent and awkward guy is tricked by his roommates and is made to believe that a girl named Radhika is in love with him.
- DirectorPriyadarshanStarsMohanlalMukeshLizyA man dates three air hostesses simultaneously with the help of his friend. Works like a charm in the start but things start to crumble which leads to a series of funny events.
- DirectorPriyadarshanStarsShankarMohanlalPooja SaxenaNarayanankutty is a mechanic that specializes more in women than auto parts.
- DirectorP. PadmarajanStarsJagathi N.K. AchariAjayan AdoorAjayanAn old man spends his life in solitude awaiting his grandson to come for vacation after 6 years. He thought he was the most happiest man in the world until he found out that fate has something unpredictable for him.
- DirectorPriyadarshanStarsMohanlalJagathy SreekumarRevathiA tourist guide in Ooty shelters a mentally unstable woman in return for the reward offered by her relatives. Later, he comes to know that she is in danger from her relatives.
- DirectorSathyan AnthikadStarsMammoottyNeena KurupSuresh GopiSreedharan, a simpleton tries to impress his cousin Ashwathi and decides to marry her, but under several circumstances he comes to know her tragic past and helps her.
- DirectorSibi MalayilStarsMohanlalNedumudi VenuGautamiA qawwali singer passes as a Brahmin in order to infiltrate a palace and kill the king.
- DirectorPriyadarshanStarsMohanlalSreenivasanMukeshShambu and Shivan fall in love with girls of rich families who are at war with each other. Hilarious sequences pass by as they utilize the rivalry between the two families to achieve their goals.
- DirectorP. PadmarajanStarsSuhasiniMammoottyRahmanAlice, who lives with her brother, is a teacher at a convent school in Ooty. A neglected and unruly son of a MP, Xavier Puthooran joins the school in Alice's class. Alice manages to turn him into a prize student. Her boy friend Capt. Thomas feels intensely jealous of the attention Alice bestows upon Ravi.
- DirectorP. PadmarajanStarsMohanlalGavin PackardManiyanpilla RajuMohanlal helps a white man (Fabien) escape from Kerala Jail for money, but turns out for ulterior motives.
- DirectorBalachandra MenonStarsAmbikaAdoor BhawaniNandita BoseAn innocent, illiterate man from a poor family gets a job in an urban bungalow where he finds the people vile. He has to face a lot of obstacles in the wicked world.
- DirectorSathyan AnthikadStarsMohanlalSreenivasanShobanaAfter losing their jobs in Kerala, Dasan and Vijayan decide to migrate to the Middle East. But they end up in Tamil Nadu where they are mistaken as two CID officers by a group of smugglers.
- DirectorLalSiddiqueStarsSaikumarMukeshInnocent Vareed ThekkethalaThree unemployed men struggle to earn a living and decide to get involved in a kidnapping scheme to make quick money.