Best Malayalam Movies [best] Jun 2026

A cop-gangster drama inspired by the folktale Vikram-Betaal . R. Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi deliver career-best performances.

The new wave’s pinnacle of ambition is Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Ee.Ma.Yau (2018), a breathtakingly original film about death, faith, and poverty in a coastal fishing village. The entire narrative unfolds over two days as the protagonist attempts to give his father a grand Christian funeral despite having no money. With its surreal imagery, ecstatic music, and a final act that feels like a fever dream, Ee.Ma.Yau defies categorization. It is a tragicomedy, a spiritual epic, and a searing critique of religious hypocrisy—all at once. Similarly, Jeethu Joseph’s Drishyam (2013) became a pan-Indian phenomenon, not because of star power, but because of its airtight, ingenious screenplay. The story of a common cable TV operator who uses his encyclopedic knowledge of cinema to construct an unbreakable alibi for his family is a masterwork of narrative architecture, proving that a great thriller needs no car chases, only logic and emotional weight. best malayalam movies