#1 Manichithrathazhu

Plot: Ganga, a girl with childhood trauma moves into a mansion with her husband. A room in the mansion is believed to be haunted, with the spirit of Nagavalli being locked in it. Ganga, opens the door and is fascinated by Nagavalli’s story. Supernatural occurrences are triggered in the mansion and Ganga’s husband Nakulan invites his friend Sunny, a psychiatric doctor to solve the issue. Another girls in the mansion, Sreedevi is believed to be haunted by Nagavalli. Sunny must solve this intrinsic case of Nagavalli by taking all the risks to save the family.

Review: Even after years, Manichitrathazhu is the best ever psychological thriller India has ever produced. Faazil’s direction with a tight, flawless storyline with a stellar star cast made it an ever time classic. Mohanlal’s portrayal as Sunny, Suresh Gopi as Nakulan, Shobhana as Ganga and all other legendary actors in the movie made it an ever memorable one. Manichithrathazhu received the national and state awards for the best movie.

#2 Bharatham

Plot: Gopi and Raman are brother and they hail from a family with the heritage of Carnatic music. Gopi is a singer and Raman is his Guru. Though Raman is a good singer, he slides into alcoholism which gradually takes over his fame. Gopi is forced to perform on behalf of his brother on an event as Raman is unstable due to booze. Gopi receives unimaginable fame for his performances and this ignites jealousy in Raman. Though Raman slowly understands and accepts Gopi’s talent, Gopi is burdened with an ultimate shock of his life related to his brother and is forced to keep it hidden for his family’s sake.

Review: Directed by Sibi Malayil, Mohanlal’s Bharatham is a musical drama that explores complexity in relationships. Mohanlal’s performance as Gopi was extraordinary as a man who is sandwiched between pain, fame and suppressed emotions. Nedumudivenu too was amazing in the movie, as Raman. Bharatham is considered a cinematic gem because of the masterful narration, stellar performances and soulful music. Mohanlal received the national award for best actor along with may other recognitions for Bharatham.

#3 Vanaprastham

Plot: Kunjikuttan is a kathakali artist who is renowned for his talent as a performer. He is an unsatisfied man who is disapproved by his father, stuck in an unhappy marriage and his only solace is his daughter. Kunjikuttan gets entangled in a forbidden love with Subadhra, a married lady from an upper cast family. Soon, he realizes, Subhadra loves the character he plays in Kathakali and not himself. She makes him stay distant from the child they bore too. A broken Kunjikuttan switches to performing demonic characters in Kathakali, having a battle with himself.

Review: Vanaprastham is considered as an ever-time classic and a gem of Indian Cinema. Vanaprastham, directed by Shaji N Karun depicted a tale of art, passion, love, identity and denial. Mohanlal’s performance as Kunjikuttan is still considered as a textbook reference of performing subtle acting, conveying inner turmoil with utmost perfection. He won the national award for best actor for his memorable performance in Vanaprastham and the movie too bagged a national award for the best film that year.

#4 Kireedam

Plot: Sethumadhavan is a member of a middle class family, son of Achuthan Nair, a police constable. Achuthan’s dream is to make Sethu a police officer. After getting transferred to a different place, Achuthan Nair gets beaten up by a notorious criminal of that place named Keerikadan Jose. Sethu who sees this intervenes and beats up Jose, leaving him in a near-fatal condition. The incident opens up a series of chaos that crashes on Achuthan Nair and family. As his own family slowly turns against him, Sethu gets entangled in a battle of survival and moral values.

Review: Sethumadhavan is one of the most complex-characters played by an actor in world cinema and Mohanlal bags all the credit for the same. In this gripping family drama directed by Sibi Malayil, a common man’s choices and the consequences that follows are narrated with a mature portrayal of emotions. The heart breaking portrayal of Mohanlal as Sethumadhavan and an equally amazing performance by Thilakan as Sethu’s father is considered as one of the best father-son combo ever made. Kireedam bagged the National and State awards for the best film.

#5 Drishyam

Plot: Georgekutty is a cable operator who leads a content life with his family. He is passionate about movies and dreams of owning a theatre. On an unfortunate night, Georgekutty’s elder daughter kills a young man who tries to assault her and her mother. Georgekutty finds out about this and hides his body. The boy is the son of Inspector Genral of Police. Since then, a forever battle starts between the investigation department and Georgekutty, where Georgekutty pledges to save his family, no matter what.

Review: Drishyam is considered as one of the most brilliant crime thriller ever to be made and got remade in 7 languages including Chinese. Jeethu Joseph is a master when it comes to thrillers and Drishyam is considered one of his best works. Mohanlal’s performance as Georgekutty, a clever common man was commendable. It was the tight and clever script of Jeethu that made Drishyam an internationally acclaimed movie. Drishyam bagged the state awards for best movie and best actor.

#6 Thanmathra

Plot: Rameshan is a government employee who leads a content life with his family. He slowly starts to forget things related to his daily routine. Though ignorant initially, Rameshan starts to forgetting more and more that affects his life drastically. He starts battling with the deadly disease of Alzheimer’s that also affects his family.

Review: It is a common opinion that one won’t be able to watch Thanmathra twice because of Mohanlal’s performance in Blessy’s direction. A painful, hard-hitting family drama that stirs ones soul. Mohanlal’s emotionally deep performance takes this story seep deep into your hearts, making it stay with you forever. The movie received the state awards for best actor and best film.

#7 His Highness Abdullah

Plot: Abdullah, a singer from Mumbai is brought to Kerala for killing a man. A plan plotted by members of a Royal family to kill the eldest member to get hold of the assets made Abdullah land in this situation. He agrees to this as he is looking desperately for money. Instead he gets attached to the family and plots his way out, also managing a love he finds there.

Review: His Highness Abdullah is a tale of love, betrayal and redemption set in a princely family of Kerala. Mohanlal’s performance anchors the tale strongly as he moves graciously though the narration as Abdullah who conceives a different identity on his mission. The setup of the movie akes you to the good old times and the life prevalent in Kerala within the royal families. With mind-blowing music and a gripping script, His Highness Abdullah is considered as one of Mohanlal’s best works.

#8 Devasuram

Plot: Neelakandan is known as a feudal lord who is known for his aggressive nature. His deadly acts in the pasts takes a toll on his present, leaving him almost crippled. He finds himself involved in a feud with a man called Shekharan. As Neelakandan slowly gets back to life, seeking redemption, he finds himself involved in a life or death situation to lead a peaceful life with the love of his life.

Review: Mohanlal’s Mangalasshery Neelakandan is still considered as one of most manly characters till date. The actor set many milestones to depict the machoness of a man and Neelakandan is certainly one of them. I. V. Sasi portrayed Mohanlal as a ruthless character stuck between demons of his past and moral rightness. The powerful dialogues, intense drama and memorable performances by the entire cast earned the movie a permanent place amongst the audience. Devasuram bagged the state award for best actor and best movie.

#9 Chithram

Plot: Kalyani, daughter of a wealthy NRI Ramachandran Menon, falls for a boy and decides to marry him against her father’s wishes. On the day of her marriage, he elopes. Kalyani, along with her caretaker and her dad’s best friend Purushothaman Kaimal, wonders what to do as her dad announces he approves her marriage and is coming to spend time with her. Kaimal finds a young man named Vishnu and offers him money to act as Kalyani’s husband. Vishnu blends in with Ramachandran’s family to make everyone believe he is Kalyani’s husband.

Review: Chithram is one of the movies of Mohanlal that has an immense repeat value. This beautiful tale of romance, humor and drama stands tall as one of Priyadarshan’s best works as a director. Mohanlal’s performance as Vishnu, a charismatic young boy was loved dearly by audience of all ages. The hilarious episodes and memorable music made Chithram an evergreen hit. Chithram bagged state awards for the best film and for the best actor that year.

#10 Lucifer

Plot: Stephen Nedumbally, a man who was raised by a popular political leader, P. K. Ramdas, has to handle all the chaos since his godfather’s death. As uncertainty prevails in Kerala regarding who will take up the place of PKR, the dirty political game kickstarts for power. As everyone tries to suppress Stephen to win the seat of chief minister, they gradually gets baffled realizing Stephen’s actual identity.

Review: Prithviraj Sukumaran’s directorial debut, Lucifer, stands tall on the stardom of Mohanlal. The movie utilized all of Mohanlal’s stardom and portrayed him a mysterious character with a fire ignited within. As Mohanlal played the role of Stephen, a man with a deadly past with impeccable style and subtlety, Malayalam Cinema entered the 100cr club again making it a commercial success.