Best romantic comedies in Malayalam

Romance and comedy have always been a successful combo in cinemas from time immemorial. Malayalam cinema too has produced some memorable rom-coms over the years that have evoked humour and romance equally. Be it the evergreen classics like ‘Thenmavin Kombath’, ‘Kilukkam’, ‘Meesa Madhavan’ or the recent hits like ‘Premam’. Here we look at five of the most popular rom-coms released in Malayalam cinema in last ten years.

Directed by Alphonse Puthren, ‘Premam’ was a runaway hit in the genre of romantic comedy released in the year 2015. Alphonse Puthren who was an acclaimed editor till then, introduced to Malayalam cinema, a new, candid way of filmmaking through his debut movie 'Premam'. With Nivin Pauly in the lead, the movie featured 17 newcomers including the sensational Sai Pallavi. The movie's fresh narrative style with natural, situational comedies and very touching romantic plot made ‘Premam’ a mega-hit among youngsters. The song 'Malare' from the movie was also very popular among the audience during that time. The movie followed three different love stories in three different stages from the life of the hero, Goerge, played by Nivin Pauly. The sequences of George and his friends in the movie are really engaging.

‘Ohm Shanthi Oshaana’, directed by Jude Anthany Joseph tells the love story from the perspective of Pooja, a tomboy, played by Nazriya, who is in a relentless pursuit to get the attention of her desired man, Giri, played by Nivin Pauly. It might be the first time in Mollywood, a girl's pursuit for love is focused as the central theme. Nazriya's narration and the character of Aju Vargheese as Pooja's cousin David Kanjani give the movie many humorous moments to remember. Pooja's never-say-die attitude to marry a reluctant Giri forms the crux of the movie which also has many light-hearted comedies that are bound to make the viewers laugh.

A marvellous love story told in the background of beautiful Kuttanad landscapes, ‘Amen’, directed by out-of-the-box filmmaker Lijo Jose Pallisseery was released in 2013. The movie revolves around the story of a clarinet musician Solomon (Fahadh Faasil) who isn't confident neither about his talent nor about his life. His lover Soshanna (Swaathi Reddy), however, is a daring young woman who fights for her love and encourages Solomon to be confident. The movie is musically enchanting and is capsuled in humour. The movie gains pace once Father Vincent Vattoli, played by Indrajith, arrives into the lives of Solomon and Soshama. From there on, the movie is an out and out entertainer with many comical sequences.

A trendsetter in Mollywood, ‘Salt n Pepper’, directed by Ashiq Abu in 2011 tells the love story of two ageing unmarried people, who are accidentally connected through a phone call. The movie had Lal, Shwetha Menon, Asif Ali and Mythili in the lead roles. Appreciated for its refreshing making style, and projecting of food, as an important character in the movie, ‘Salt N Pepper’ remains as one of the most loved romantic comedies ever made in Malayalam. The movie also saw actor Baburaj, who usually dons villain characters transformed into a comedian, which became a breakthrough in his career.

This 2015 released Dulquer Salmaan starrer, though didn't create ripples at the box-office, was but warmly received by the audience, once the movie left the theatres. Directed by Jenuse Mohamed, '100 Days of Love' had the gorgeous Nithya Menon paired along with Dulquer. The movie tells the story about Balan K Nair's love story with Sheela, ironically names of villain and heroine of old Malayalam film industry. However, familiarising each other well, their love story develops through some funny and challenging sequences, accompanied by Balan's fun-loving foodie friend Ummar. The movie has a very fluid narrative and doesn't give the viewers a second of a dull moment.