Top 10 Mollywood Movies Of 2025 Ranked: From Ekō To L2: Empuraan

Discover the top 10 Mollywood movies of 2025, from gripping thrillers to powerful dramas. Here’s our ranked list of the best Malayalam films of the year.

As 2025 draws to a close, Mollywood once again proved why Malayalam cinema continues to punch well above its weight. From haunting mystery thrillers and gritty crime dramas to stylish franchise starters and socially charged narratives, this year had something for every kind of movie buff. While some of these films made plenty of noise, others quietly impressed with strong writing and memorable performances. To celebrate a stellar year, we’ve rounded up the top 10 Mollywood movies of 2025 that truly stood out, whether you caught them already or need to add them to your watchlist right now.

1. Ekō

• Director: Dinjith Ayyathan
• IMDb rating: 8.3/10
• Streaming on: not available online yet

Plot: Ekō, a period mystery thriller set in a remote hill station, follows an elderly woman living in near isolation after her husband vanished years ago. With only a caretaker for company, questions begin to pile up. How did a Malaysian woman end up in an obscure corner of Kerala? What happened to her missing husband? And who is still searching for him? Carefully layered and deeply atmospheric, this stands out as one of the finest mystery films Mollywood has delivered in 2025.

2. Rekhachithram

• Director: Jofin T. Chacko
• IMDb rating: 7.8/10
• Streaming on: SonyLIV

Plot: It is a mystery crime investigation drama centered on a decades-old murder that comes to light after a man enters a forest, goes live on social media, and dies by suicide. Before his death, he confessed that he and a few others buried a young woman alive at the same location years ago. He also names his accomplices, one of whom is now a powerful businessman.

The film follows the investigation into the identity of the victim and the motive behind the murder. Siddique leaves an impression despite his brief appearance, and Asif Ali delivers a solid performance as the police officer leading the investigation.

3. Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra

• Director: Dominic Arun
• IMDb rating: 7.7/10
• Streaming on: JioHotstar

Plot: Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra is the first installment in a planned multi-film franchise. The story follows Chandra, who moves to a new city and settles into an apartment opposite Sunny. Sunny becomes infatuated with her, but it soon becomes clear that there is more to Chandra than what initially meets the eye. As his curiosity grows, he and his friends gradually find themselves entangled in her world and the secrets that come with it.

4. Kalamkaval

• Director: Jithin K. Jose
• IMDb rating: 7.6/10
• Streaming on: not available online yet.

Plot: A crime thriller inspired by and heavily fictionalized from the life of serial killer Cyanide Mohan, the film sets itself apart through Mammootty’s chilling performance in a completely villainous role. Stripped of any redeeming traits, his character preys on vulnerable women, seduces them, and murders them using cyanide, disguising the poison as contraceptive tablets.

5. Officer on Duty

• Director: Jithu Ashraf
• IMDb rating: 7.5/10
• Streaming on: Netflix

Plot: In this crime thriller, the protagonist R. Hari Shankar is a DYSP who has been demoted to CI following an incident with a senior officer. He struggles with anger management issues, forcing both his colleagues and family to constantly tread carefully around him. This naturally raises questions about whether someone with such a temperament should continue to serve in the police force at all.

Putting that aside, on his very first day back on duty, he takes up what appears to be a routine fake ornament loan case. As the investigation progresses, it leads to a death that hits uncomfortably close to home and bears unsettling similarities to events from his own past.

6. Thudarum

• Director: Tharun Moorthy
• IMDb rating: 7.5/10
• Available on: Jio Hotstar

Plot: The film is one of the most financially successful films in Mollywood to date. While the plot itself is not particularly new, it is a revenge thriller. The protagonist, Benz, is a taxi driver whose car is impounded by the police. As he focuses on getting the vehicle released from police custody, a far more serious crisis unfolds. When he finally gets the car back, he discovers that his son, who was staying in a college hostel, has gone missing, setting off the subsequent investigation.

7. Ponman

• Director: Jotish Shankar
• IMDb rating: 7.4/10
• Streaming on: Jio Hotstar

A black comedy drama thriller based on the novel Naalanchu Cheruppakar by G. R. Indugopan, the film explores the issue of dowry and how it affects financially weaker families. The protagonist, Basil’s character, is a gold dealer who supplies jewellery to a family for a wedding without taking payment up front. After the ceremony, the family is unable to raise enough money to pay him back, leaving him with no choice but to try to recover the gold. The film showcases the psychological impact this has on the bride and her family, the reaction of her violent husband, and ultimately how dowry is not just a problem for the bride but a wider social issue.

8. Narivetta

• Director: Anuraj Manohar
• IMDb rating: 6.5/10
• Streaming on: SonyLIV

Plot: The film is a fictionalised take on the real-life Muthanga Protest and the subsequent police action to suppress it, including the use of firearms. While the incident forms the backdrop, the narrative places greater emphasis on the personal life of the protagonist rather than focusing entirely on the struggles of the oppressed tribal community. Even so, the political drama thriller remains a compelling watch, particularly for the way it reflects how the state responds to marginalised communities and their concerns.

9. Maranamass

• Director: Sivaprasad
• IMDb rating: 6.2/10
• Streaming on: SonyLIV

Plot: This is a black comedy, and a fair warning is in order. Some of the humor may not work for everyone, and in certain cases, viewers may not even recognize it as comedy because of its dry, context-driven nature. For instance, there is a gag involving the protagonist planning a trip to Czechoslovakia, a country that no longer exists, as it was split into two separate countries. Without that bit of general knowledge, the joke can easily be missed, and the film has several moments like this.

Coming to the story, Kerala is under the threat of a serial killer. One of the police suspects is Luke P P, a social nuisance, prankster, and influencer who is dealing with a breakup. While he is not the actual killer, circumstances eventually bring him, his love interest, the real serial killer, and a few other characters together on a bus, setting the stage for the film’s darkly comic turn.

10. L2: Empuraan

• Director: Prithviraj Sukumaran
• IMDb rating: 6.2/10
• Streaming on: JioHotstar

Plot: This film is a sequel to Lucifer (2019). Visually, it does not feel like a typical Malayalam film and often aims for a more Hollywood styled presentation, which works in its favor. The technical craft and scale are impressive, although the script tries to convey too many ideas at once.

The story follows Stephen Nedumpally after he leaves Kerala, with the state once again in need of a saviour. The film also explores his past and present identity as Khureshi Ab’raam. If you are looking for a well-mounted, visually polished action adventure thriller, this film is worth a watch.

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