‘Bramayugam’, ‘Manjummel Boys’, ‘Aattam’, ‘Aavesham’, and ‘Premalu’ feature in Letterboxd’s Top 25 films of 2024

In the ranking, Kiran Rao’s directorial Laapataa Ladies secured 5th place, while Manjummel Boys and Aattam held the 7th and 10th positions respectively.

Set in rural India in 2001, Laapataa Ladies follows the chaotic events that unfold when two young brides become separated from a train. It stars Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Chhaya Kadam, and Ravi Kishan in pivotal roles.

Presented by Jio Studios and co-produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Laapataa Ladies is adapted from an award-winning story by Biplab Goswami.

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Malayalam films that made it to Top 25

Written and directed by Chidambaram, Manjummel Boys is a survival thriller inspired by true events. It revolves around a group of youngsters from Manjummel, a suburb in Ernakulam, who visit Kodaikanal for a leisure trip.

During their excursion, one of the gang members becomes trapped in a dangerous cave, leading to a gripping survival mission involving police, fire officials, and locals.

The Malayalam movie features Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, Deepak Parambol, Jean Paul Lal, Chandu Salim Kumar, Ganapathi, Khalid Rahman, Vishnu Reghu, Arun Kurian, Balu Varghese, and Abhiram Radhakrishnan in major roles.

Shyju Khalid serves as the cinematographer, Sushin Shyam as the music director, Ajayan Chalissery as the production designer, and Vivek Harshan as the editor.

Overall, the film surpassed ₹200 crore in worldwide collections. It is produced by Soubin Shahir, Shawn Antony, and Babu Shahir.

Other Indian films included in the list are Mammootty’s Bramayugam, Fahadh Faasil’s blockbuster Aavesham, Imtiaz Ali’s biopic on Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila titled Chamkila, and the Malayalam romantic-comedy Premalu.

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Mammootty’s recent Malayalam film, Bramayugam has garnered acclaim from both critics and audiences since its release. The screenplay is by its director Rahul Sadasivan. Award-winning novelist TD Ramakrishnan penned the dialogues.

The film is shot entirely in Black and White, with Shehnad Jalal as the cinematographer and Shafique Mohamed Ali handling editing duties. Christo Xavier composed the music.

Bramayugam marks the debut production of Night Shift Studios, a new banner launched by Y Not Studios specialising in horror thrillers.

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Aavesham received a positive response from fans and critics alike upon its release on 11 April, coinciding with Eid along with Vineeth Sreenivasan’s Varshangalkku Shesham.

Written and directed by Jithu Madhavan, Aavesham stars Sajin Gopu, Mansoor Ali Khan, Ashish Vidyarthi, Hipzster, Mithun Jai Sankar, Roshan Shanavas, and Midhutty, in key roles.

Nazriya Nazim and director Anwar Rasheed jointly backed it. The film’s technical crew includes music director Sushin Shyam, cinematographer Sameer Thahir, and editor Vivek Harshan.

Aattam, available on Amazon Prime Video, is written and directed by Anand Ekarshi. It presents a chamber drama reminiscent of “12 Angry Men” that delves into gender politics and human hypocrisies.

Starring Zarin Shihab, Vinay Fort, and Kalabhavan Shajon, Aattam hit the screens in January to enthusiastic acclaim from both critics and audiences. It was noted that actor Mammootty appreciated the film, inviting the director and the entire cast to his home.

Girish AD’s romantic comedy Premalu, which hit the screens on 9 February, enjoyed immense success, following glowing reviews from both critics and audiences.

Starring Naslen and Mamitha Baiju, the film’s dubbed versions also found success in Telugu states and Tamil Nadu.

Claimed to be the biggest blockbuster in the Malayalam romantic comedy genre by its makers, Premalu has set a high benchmark.

Girish AD is set to helm Premalu 2, with co-writer Kiran Josey returning to script the sequel.

Produced by Dileesh Pothan, Fahadh Faasil, and Syam Pushkaran under Bhavana Studios, in collaboration with Fahadh Faasil and Friends, the sequel will reunite the original cast and crew.

(Edited by Y Krishna Jyothi)

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