Malayalam films which celebrate silver jubilee this year

The year 1991 is considered as the Golden period of Malayalam cinema as some of the best films were released during this year. Some of the movies released during the time have went on to become cult classics and have been part of repeated viewings. Let us take a look at some of the films which celebrate a glorious silver jubilee this year.

Abhimanyu

Priyadarshan’s ‘Abhimanyu’ revolves around Mumbai underworld and the transformation of an innocent guy into a criminal, who later becomes a don in the city. The film is regarded as one of the cult classics in Malayalam cinema in the gangster genre. The movie was noted for its epic screenplay, direction, and background score. This film is said to be based on the life of underworld don Bada Rajan. Most of the scenes in this film were shot in Mumbai.

Inspector Balram

A visual treat from the hit actor-director duo of Mammootty and IV Sasi, the film had the superstar reprising the role of an arrogant cop who takes on the corrupt system. It is a sequel to the hit film 'Aavanazhi' which was a huge hit at the box office. 'Inspector Balram' established Mammootty as the angry young man of Malayalam cinema and his performance was appreciated by both the audience and the critics alike.

Kilukkam

This super hit musical-comedy, written by Venu Nagavalli, released in the year 1991. The film is reportedly inspired by Audrey Hepburn starrer 'Roman Holiday'. It is considered as one of the classics ever made by Priyadarshan. Mohanlal, as Joji, was amazing and was tremendously loved by his fans. Revathy did full justice to the role, with the transformation she went in the film as a mentally ill woman and then a daughter searching for her father. The movie reportedly crossed the collection of Rs 5 crore, making it the first Malayalam film to achieve that feat. Mohanlal won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for the film.

Godfather

Directed by Siddique–Lal, the comedy-drama starred Mukesh, Kanaka, Jagadish, Innocent and NN Pillai in lead roles. The story of two warring families created history at the box-office when it was released. It was one of the highest grossing Malayalam films of 1991. It won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Popular Film. Priyadarshan remade the film in Hindi as ‘Hulchul.’ The songs of the films were an instant hit among the masses.

Bharatham

‘Bharatham’ is a musical drama film written by AK Lohithadas, directed by Sibi Malayil, and produced by Mohanlal under the banner of Pranavam Arts. The film is especially known for its music that is largely Carnatic classical and semi-classical. The film was critical acclaimed and commercial successful too. Mohanlal won the National Award for his impeccable performance. Forbes included Mohanlal's performance in its list of '25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema'.

Sandesham

The film is a satire on contemporary Kerala politics where brothers turn local leaders of rival parties, leaving their aged parents distraught. This 1991 film, directed by Sathyan Anthikad, was released at a time when the youth of Kerela was trying to gain a strong foothold in politics. Sreenivasan wrote the script, which was aided by some brilliant performances of Jayaram and Thilakan. A perfect mix of comedy and drama made this movie one of the cult classics of Malayalam cinema.

Njan Gandharvan

The film is an esoteric fantasy about a girl and her passion for a celestial lover, who keeps appearing from a wooden statue that she found on a beach but is invisible to others. When released, the film got a cold response, which made director Padmarajan very upset. The film was considered a flop at the time of its release. However, over the years, the film went on to gain the 'cult classic' status and is considered among Padmarajan’s best works. The movie had Suparna Anand and Nitish Bharadwaj playing the lead roles.