Kerala turns 70 on Sunday, November 1, 2026. To mark Kerala Piravi, we picked seven Malayalam films across those decades, four for what juries gave them and three for how far they travelled with audiences. Every year, director and honour below is checked against the award and festival records.
Seven films for Kerala at 70
- 1965: Chemmeen, dir. Ramu Kariat
- 1972: Swayamvaram, dir. Adoor Gopalakrishnan
- 1981: Elippathayam, dir. Adoor Gopalakrishnan
- 1989: Piravi, dir. Shaji N. Karun
- 2013: Drishyam, dir. Jeethu Joseph
- 2016: Pulimurugan, dir. Vysakh
- 2024: Manjummel Boys, dir. Chidambaram
Chemmeen (1965): the President's Gold Medal
Ramu Kariat's Chemmeen won the President's Gold Medal for Best Feature Film at the 13th National Film Awards. It is the oldest film on this list and the only one from the 1960s.
Swayamvaram (1972) and Elippathayam (1981): Adoor twice
Adoor Gopalakrishnan is the only director with two films here. Swayamvaram won him the National Awards for Best Feature Film and Best Director.
Elippathayam came nine years later and went abroad. It won the Sutherland Trophy at the BFI London Film Festival in 1982, a year after its release. Between them, the two films cover both the national and the international side of his early career, which is why we kept both rather than picking one.
Piravi (1989): a special mention at Cannes
Shaji N. Karun's Piravi received a special mention for the Caméra d'Or at Cannes in 1989. It is often described as winning the Caméra d'Or itself, but the festival's record lists it as a special mention, and that is the honour we use here.
Drishyam (2013): Jeethu Joseph's thriller
Jeethu Joseph directed Drishyam in 2013, with Mohanlal in the lead. It is the first of the three audience picks on this list and the one that opens the 2010s.
Pulimurugan (2016): an estimated ₹100 crore
Vysakh's Pulimurugan is the second Mohanlal film here. Its gross is estimated at over ₹100 crore. That figure is an estimate, not an official number from the makers.
Manjummel Boys (2024): the newest pick
Chidambaram's Manjummel Boys is the only film on the list from the 2020s. Like Pulimurugan, any box office figure quoted for it is an estimate, so we have not used one.
Watch the official trailer:
How the list was made
- Jury honours: Chemmeen, Swayamvaram, Elippathayam, Piravi
- Audience picks: Drishyam, Pulimurugan, Manjummel Boys
- Directors: Six, with Adoor Gopalakrishnan counted twice
- Decades covered: 1960s to 2020s, with no pick from the 2000s
The gap in the 2000s is a choice, not a claim that the decade had nothing worth listing. Kerala Piravi morning also brings fresh music, with the first single from Mohanlal's Athimanoharam due on November 1 at 10 AM.
