#Rewind2021: Best performances from Malayalam cinema

In 2021, as humankind comprehended the knack to control the coronavirus pandemic, rather than staying in its clutches, life started to return back to a new normal. The drift influenced people from all walks of life, including the entertainment industry. Back in Kerala’s Malayalam movie industry, the film personnel, who had earlier expressed their strong disapproval for digital streaming platforms, started to come in terms with the trend, and went for hybrid releases, resulting in more releases than the previous year. The industry delivered some striking movies and a few actors, grabbed the eyeballs of the cinephiles for all the right reasons. As the year is about to wrap, we have made a list of the top 10 actors who excelled in 2021.

Fahadh Faasil is here to stay! And he has proved it time and again, and 2021 was no exception. However, this year around, Fahadh Faasil decided to strike a balance between parallel cinema and mainstream cinema. He kickstarted the year with two OTT releases - ‘Irul’ and ‘Joji’. Fahadh Faasil played the titular in Dileesh Pothen’s directorial. Joji, the oppressed child, and college dropout is frustrated with everything including him. Fahadh Faasil breathed life into the character and excelled in showcasing the complexity. Later the actor appeared in ‘Malik’, helmed by Mahesh Narayanan. Fahadh Faasil appeared as Ahammadali Sulaiman / Alikka, a fierce leader from a Muslim community, living in a coastal town. He had to appear in different avatars as the film discussed the youth, adulthood, and old age of the character and nonetheless to say Fahadh aced it. Fahadh Faasil debuted in Telugu this year with Allu Arjun starrer ‘Pushpa’ and essayed the antagonist Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat IPS. The villain got huge applause, all thanks to Fahadh Faasil.

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It was a year of experimentation for Jayasurya. The star invested more in the kind of films he opted for and delivered exceptional performances through - ‘Vellam’ and ‘Sunny’. For Prajesh Sen’s ‘Vellam’, Jayasurya stepped into the shoes of Murali, a drunkard. Jayasurya succeeded in acing the role of Murali, who cares little about life, family, or his only child. Later this year, he appeared as the musician Sunny in the eponymous film. In the film, like many millions out there, Sunny too is trapped amidst the pandemic, with no direct human contact. From Murali to Sunny, Jayasurya managed to display a gradient of emotions and his performances were top-notch.

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Nimisha Sajayan always amazes the cinephiles with her choice of films and she stuck to the trend in 2021 as well. She kickstarted the year with a bang. Nimisha Sajayan starred in Jeo Baby’s film ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’. She played the role of a newlywed woman, who struggles to keep up with the household chores, as a husband, nor the father-in-law lends a helping hand. The film crossed the language barriers sparking heated conversation on the non-involvement of men in household chores, resulting in women being forced to become ‘superwomen’ for a happily ever after! Nimisha’s second release of the year was ‘Nayattu’, wherein she played a cop. The Martin Prakkat film won praise, so did Nimisha’s performance in the film.

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Biju Menon is an exceptional actor and he has proven it time and again. Be it arthouse or mainstream films, Biju Menon knows what a movie needs and delivers exactly that. Biju Menon essayed Ittyavira, a senior, widowed man in Sanu John Varughese’s ‘Aarkkariyam’. Makeup certainly helped Biju Menon to transform into a 70-year-old man, but it was his acting chops that helped him become the character. From the body movement to mannerisms, Biju Menon metamorphosed into the elderly man, leaving cinephiles and critics equally stunned.

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How can the Malayali movie buff pass a year, without a Lalettan film! Mohanlal had two releases this year - ‘Drishyam 2’ and ‘Marakkar: Arabikkadalinte Simham’. Jeethu Joseph’s ‘Drishyam 2’ was a sequel to the 2013 film. Sequels usually leave the cinephiles disappointed to the verge of thinking that even wishing for one was a mistake. But, not in the case of Jeethu Joseph’s Drishyam. Mohanlal reprised Georgekutty and gave a stunning performance. Mohanlal’s ‘Marakkar: Arabikkadalinte Simham’ saw him in the lead role of Kunjali Marakkar IV. The Complete Actor’s flexibility in mastering the action sequences too deserves a mention.

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Although Mammootty was occupied with shoots throughout the year, he had only two releases in 2021. The actor’s first release of 2021, came in March - Jofin T Chacko’s directorial ‘The Priest’. Although the film didn’t come out as good as many expected, Mammootty delivered a fair performance. He roped in as Father Benedict, a priest, and an exorcist. The most appealing performance that Mammootty delivered in 2021, was in the political thriller ‘One’. He played the role of Kadakkal Chandran, the Chief Minister of Kerala. The Megastar awed the cinephiles and critics alike with his avatar as a politician.

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Parvathy Thiruvothu had a couple of releases in 2021, including ‘Aarkkariyam’ and ‘Aanum Pennum’. In Sanu John Varghese’s ‘Aarkkariyam’, she essayed the role of Shirley, a wife, who lives in Mumbai with her husband, and visits her dad in Kerala, during the onset of the pandemic. Shirley is a regular woman, one might see in their day-to-day lives, and Parvathy Thiruvothu played the character as naturally as possible. From portraying her affection for her daughter, who is in the boarding school to her bond with dad, Parvathy mastered the nuances of the character with sheer perfection. In ‘Aanum Pennum’, Parvathy Thiruvothu played Rachiyamma, which was inspired by the eponymous short story. Unlike Shirley, Rachiyamma is loud, vibrant, and speaks her heart. From the whole avatar of Rachiyamma to the dialect, Parvathy did justice to the role.

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2021 was a year where Tovino Thomas decided to flex to his full potential. He had three released and all three belonging to different genres. He started off with ‘Kala’ an intense thriller, bloody and violent, which was followed by ‘Kaanekkane’, a thriller by Manu Ashokan. And finally the ‘Minnal Murali’. Basil Joseph’s ‘Minnal Murali’ is an achievement on its own, as it marks the first superhero movie in M-Town. Tovino Thomas played the role of Jaison, who gains superpowers after accidentally getting struck by lightning. From the physical transformation to the required acting chops, Tovino Thomas made jaws drop.

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Anna Ben is undoubtedly one of the few women in Malayalam cinema, who can shoulder a movie. In ‘Sara’s’ she plays an aspiring filmmaker, who works as an assistant and strives hard to get her first film made. She meets the love of her life in the midst, but does that mean putting a hold on her life goals? Sara played by Anna Ben raised the existential question women face even in the 21st century. Can’t women have it all? We don’t know about all women, but Sara proved that nothing can come in the way of a determined woman.

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Indrans have been wowing the cinephiles and critics with his exceptional acting chops for quite some time now and 2021 was no different. He played Oliver Twist, a doting father to the Gen-Z kids, struggling to keep up with smartphones in ‘Home’. The movie buffs have been gushing about the heartwarming movie, ever since its release, all thanks to Indrans and the other cast. Indrans also awed the audience as he appeared in a completely different persona in ‘Malik’, wherein he played a corrupted cop.

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