Best thriller Malayalam movies in India
By the KyaDekhu team · Updated · Availability for India from JustWatch, ratings from IMDb
319 movies in India match this list, with an average IMDb rating of 6.3. Newest addition: Pradhama Drishtiya Kuttakkar, added to Netflix on 9 Oct. Ranked by vote-weighted IMDb rating and popularity; showing the top 30.
-
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.
-
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?
-
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
-
4. Manjummel Boys (2024)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 15m · U · Adventure, Thriller · IMDb 8.2 (35.5K votes)
Visually stunningEdge-of-seatFast-paced
A carefree vacation turns into a desperate race against time when a group of lifelong friends must unite to save one of their own from a notoriously perilous, uncharted abyss deep within the Guna Caves.
-
5. 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.
-
6. 2018 (2023)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 30m · UA · Thriller, Action · IMDb 8.3 (17.2K votes)
Visually stunningEdge-of-seat
A disaster film set during the 2018 Kerala Floods where people from all walks of life faced catastrophic consequences and put in collective efforts to survive the calamity.
-
7. 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.
-
8. 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.
-
9. Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2020)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 57m · U · Action, Thriller · IMDb 8.0 (12.8K votes)
Cold & detachedEdge-of-seat
Ayyappan, a police officer, is an upright man who always strives to do the right thing. However, things change when a retired army havildar, Koshy, settles in his village and the two egos clash.
-
10. 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.
-
-
12. 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.
-
13. 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.
-
14. 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.
-
15. 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.
-
16. 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.
-
17. Take Off (2017)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 19m · U · Drama, Thriller · IMDb 8.0 (8.3K votes)
Edge-of-seatDark & grittyVisually stunningSerious
A group of Malayali nurses stranded in Iraq, must survive their capture by the extremists and reach out to the rescue team headed by the Indian government.
-
18. 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.
-
19. 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.
-
20. 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
-
21. 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.
-
22. Joji (2021)
Movie · Malayalam · 1h 53m · UA · Drama, Crime · IMDb 7.7 (13.1K votes)
Dark & grittyCold & detachedEdge-of-seat
Joji, an engineering dropout and the youngest son of a rich family lives with his aspirations of becoming super wealthy. Driven by greed and blind ambition, he decides to execute his plans following an unexpected event in the family.
-
23. 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.
-
24. 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.
-
25. Operation Java (2021)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 26m · UA · Thriller, Crime · IMDb 8.0 (6.1K votes)
Edge-of-seatCold & detached
B. Tech graduates Antony and Vinay Dasan are talented, but unemployed. That changes, however, when they approach the cyber cell with a new perspective to a film piracy case.
-
26. 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.
-
27. 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
-
-
29. Bheeshma Parvam (2022)
Movie · Malayalam · 2h 24m · UA · Thriller, Drama · IMDb 7.5 (15.9K votes)
Dark & grittyCold & detachedEdge-of-seatMature
Set in the backdrop of 1980s, Micheal helms his influential family in Kochi, inspiring fear and respect through his unnerving past. When a few younger members in the household feel his power over their lives too are aggravating, they join hands with foes to clamp down on him. And the story follows what’s in store for t
-
30. 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.
JioHotstar
MX Player · free with ads
Prime Video · free with ads
Apple TV
Netflix
SonyLIV
ZEE5Related lists
- thriller movies
- thriller Malayalam movies on Netflix
- thriller Malayalam movies on Prime Video
- thriller Malayalam movies on JioHotstar
- thriller Malayalam movies on SonyLIV
- thriller Malayalam movies on ZEE5
- thriller Malayalam movies on Apple TV
- feel-good Malayalam movies
- mind-bending Malayalam movies
- comedy Malayalam movies
- dark & gritty Malayalam movies
- crime Malayalam movies