Best mind-bending Malayalam movies in India
By the KyaDekhu team · Updated · Availability for India from JustWatch, ratings from IMDb
224 movies in India match this list, with an average IMDb rating of 6.4. Newest addition: Khalifa: The Ruler, added to Apple TV on 9 Oct. Ranked by vote-weighted IMDb rating and popularity; showing the top 30.
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1. Drishyam (2013)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 44m · U · Thriller, Crime · IMDb 8.4 (50.1K votes)
TwistyEdge-of-seatDark & gritty
Georgekutty lives a happy life with his wife and daughters. Things take a turn when his daughter gets indecently filmed using a hidden camera, by the son of a police inspector.
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2. Drishyam 2 (2021)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 33m · UA · Thriller, Crime · IMDb 8.4 (46.3K votes)
TwistyEdge-of-seatDark & gritty
Seven years after the events of the first film, the family lives with the trauma from that fateful night. A gripping tale of an investigation and a family threatened by it. Will Georgekutty be able to protect his family this time?
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3. Manichitrathazhu (1993)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 49m · U · Horror, Comedy · IMDb 8.7 (14.8K votes)
TwistyEdge-of-seatVisually stunning
A young couple, Ganga and Nakulan, arrives at the ancestral home called Madampalli of the latter. Hailing from a family that follows tradition and superstitions, Nakulan's uncle Thampi objects to the couple's idea of moving into the allegedly haunted mansion, which Nakulan ignores. The couple moves in anyway following
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4. Jana Gana Mana (2022)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 42m · UA · Crime, Thriller · IMDb 8.3 (22.5K votes)
TwistyCold & detachedDark & grittyEdge-of-seat
After the mysterious death of a college professor triggers nationwide protests, a police officer’s pursuit of justice unravels layers of political manipulation and moral conflict, exposing how truth and power collide in the pursuit of justice.
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5. Kishkindha Kaandam (2024)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 5m · UA · Thriller, Mystery · IMDb 8.0 (18.0K votes)
Twisty
Strange events unfold in a monkey-inhabited village, driving a newlywed couple and forest officials to embark on a mission to uncover the root of the unusual disturbances.
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6. Minnal Murali (2021)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 38m · U · Action, Comedy · IMDb 7.8 (35.6K votes)
Visually stunningTwistyFunny
A tailor gains special powers after being struck by lightning but must take down an unexpected foe if he is to become the superhero his hometown in Kerala needs.
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7. Malik (2021)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 41m · UA · Thriller, Drama · IMDb 8.0 (15.4K votes)
TwistyDark & grittyEdge-of-seatVisually stunning
A past ridden with crime, death and pain is recounted to Freddy, a juvenile criminal, who has been assigned to eliminate his estranged uncle Sulaiman, an aging patriarch, while behind bars.
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8. Rekhachithram (2025)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 19m · UA · Mystery, Thriller · IMDb 7.8 (18.4K votes)
TwistyCold & detachedDark & grittyEdge-of-seat
Having recently served a suspension for gambling online while on duty, Circle Inspector Vivek Gopinath rejoins the police force and is looking to reclaim his lost honour. Awaiting him is a 40-year-old, unresolved murder mystery with a faceless victim.
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9. Kaalapani (1996)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 58m · UA · Action, Drama · IMDb 8.5 (5.1K votes)
TwistyDark & grittyVisually stunningEdge-of-seat
Govardhan, a doctor by profession, is wrongly accused of bombing a train and is jailed by the British in Cellular Jail, also known as Kala Pani in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He witnesses sufferings of hundreds of Indian prisoners there.
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10. In Harihar Nagar (1990)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 13m · UA · Comedy, Thriller · IMDb 8.6 (4.6K votes)
FunnyTwisty
4 unemployed men who are in Harihar Nagar tries to impress a newly came girl next door.The story goes to the next level when a mysterious man comes and asks for a missing box.
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11. Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (2017)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 16m · UA · Comedy, Drama · IMDb 8.0 (9.3K votes)
FunnyTwistyDialogue-driven
Prasad and Sreeja are a couple planning to set up a new life in Kasargod. On a bus journey they end up being robbed by a thief also named Prasad and this lands them up in a police station.
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12. Memories (2013)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 12m · UA · Crime, Thriller · IMDb 8.0 (9.1K votes)
Dark & grittyTwistyEdge-of-seatCold & detached
Sam Alex, a former police officer haunted by the tragic loss of his family, drowns his grief in alcohol until duty calls him back. When a string of eerily similar murders emerges, he’s forced to confront both the case and the ghosts of his past.
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13. Bramayugam (2024)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 19m · U/A 16+ · Drama, Horror · IMDb 7.7 (18.9K votes)
Slow-burnTwistyDark & grittyVisually stunning
A folk singer in 17th-century Kerala discovers a mansion. Inside, he encounters an enigmatic cook and a powerful master, setting in motion a chain of events that changes his life.
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14. Joseph (2018)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 18m · UA · Drama, Thriller · IMDb 8.0 (8.0K votes)
TwistySeriousDark & gritty
Joseph is a retired police officer with adept investigative skills. He accidentally gets involved in a crime case after his ex-wife’s unexpected demise.
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15. Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 12m · U · Thriller, Crime · IMDb 8.1 (6.7K votes)
Cold & detachedTwistyEdge-of-seatDialogue-driven
Prabhakar Varma is appointed by the police to investigate the suicide of Omana, the daughter-in-law of a businessman. Varma decides to investigate further when all the clues reveal it was a murder.
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16. Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra (2025)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 31m · U/A 16+ · Action, Adventure · IMDb 7.6 (23.1K votes)
Visually stunningDark & grittyEdge-of-seatTwisty
The story follows Chandra, a mysterious, goth-influenced woman who has just moved to Bangalore and begins working night shifts at a café. Across the road from her apartment live Sunny and Venu, two aimless bachelors. Sunny becomes infatuated with Chandra, observing her odd routines, strange visitors, and reclusive natu
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17. Mumbai Police (2013)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 25m · UA · Crime, Mystery · IMDb 7.9 (9.0K votes)
TwistyEdge-of-seatMatureDark & gritty
ACP Antony Moses is on the verge of uncovering his friend’s murderer when an accident leaves him with partial memory loss. Reassigned to the same case, he must retrace his own forgotten steps to uncover a truth more shocking than he imagined.
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18. Balan - The Boy (2026)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 20m · U/A 16+ · Drama, Thriller · IMDb 8.0 (6.4K votes)
TwistySerious
A teenage boy searches for his missing mother following a turbulent childhood and her subsequent disappearance, exploring his search for closure and the truth about his past.
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19. Eko (2025)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 7m · U/A 16+ · Drama, Mystery · IMDb 7.7 (11.5K votes)
TwistyDark & grittyEdge-of-seatCold & detached
In the misty hills of Kaattukunnu, an aging woman and her servant boy struggle to survive the ghosts of the past, as the hunt for Kuriachan — a legendary dog breeder and outlaw — blurs the line between myth, memory, and vengeance, revealing that even in absence, he still rules the hills.
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20. Kannur Squad (2023)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 40m · UA · Thriller, Crime · IMDb 7.6 (12.8K votes)
TwistyDark & grittyEdge-of-seatCold & detached
The gripping saga of a police officer and his team, their challenging journey to nab a criminal gang across the country. Further, it shows how he leads his team towards triumph, amidst professional uncertainities in this gripping drama.
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21. Classmates (2006)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 30m · U · Mystery, Romance · IMDb 8.1 (4.7K votes)
TwistyFamily-friendly
Years after graduating from college, a few friends from across the world decide to get together for a reunion. But on the night of the reunion, one of them attempts suicide and goes into a coma.
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22. Parava (2017)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 26m · UA · Drama · IMDb 8.0 (5.3K votes)
TwistySlow-burnSerious
Irshad and Haseeb, two teenage boys from Mattanchery, share a passion for pigeon flying, a local game. Later, Irshad opens up about a tragic incident that ruined many friendships in the neighbourhood.
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23. Lucifer (2019)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 54m · UA · Action, Drama · IMDb 7.5 (16.4K votes)
TwistyCold & detachedFast-pacedDark & gritty
In God's own country, the supreme leader of the ruling party dies, leaving a huge vacuum, not only in the electoral and leadership sphere of the party but also that of the state. In the inevitable succession squabble and the power struggle that ensues, the thin line that separates good and bad becomes irrecoverably blu
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25. Thudarum (2025)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 44m · U/A 16+ · Action, Drama · IMDb 7.5 (15.8K votes)
TwistyFast-pacedEdge-of-seatMature
A taxi driver finds himself embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy after his car is confiscated by a corrupt police officer.
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26. Officer on Duty (2025)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 14m · UA · Crime, Thriller · IMDb 7.5 (12.6K votes)
TwistyDark & grittyMatureCold & detached
A demoted police inspector investigates a counterfeit jewelry racket, becoming entangled in a dangerous web of crime that puts his life at stake.
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27. Romancham (2023)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 12m · U · Horror, Comedy · IMDb 7.5 (12.0K votes)
FunnyTwistyDialogue-drivenFamily-friendly
Set in 2007, in the outskirts of Bengaluru, A game of Ouija board goes hilariously wrong when seven bachelors unexpectedly invite a spirit and try to make the best out of the situation.
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28. C U Soon (2020)
Movie · Malayalam · 1h 38m · UA · Thriller, Mystery · IMDb 7.6 (7.4K votes)
TwistyDialogue-drivenFast-pacedEdge-of-seat
Jimmy meets Anu on an online dating website and decides to marry her. Jimmy's mother entrusts his cousin Kevin to get details about Anu. Now it's Kevin's turn to search for his cousin's fiancee who vanished without a trace, only to discover dark, shocking truths about her.
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29. Anweshippin Kandethum (2024)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 23m · UA · Crime, Thriller · IMDb 7.4 (12.9K votes)
TwistyDark & grittyEdge-of-seatCold & detached
A team of four expert policemen go through extreme trials and tribulations to find the killer of a young woman.
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30. Trance (2020)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 50m · UA · Thriller, Drama · IMDb 7.3 (10.7K votes)
TwistyCold & detachedDark & grittyEdge-of-seat
A disheartened motivational speaker gets hired by a corporate to become a preacher until his live stint on television puts him and his service under the scanner.
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