Wouldn’t it be great to watch multiple movies at the same time you watch one whole movie? Here’s a list of some of the best Malayalam anthologies that will be worth your time.
Kerala Café
Watch on: YouTube
More than an anthology, Kerala Café is a movie that will definitely go down in history as one of the best films ever made. Directed by ten renowned directors like Anjali Menon, Shaji Kailas, B Unnikrishnan, Anwar Rasheed, Lal Jose and others, Kerala Café tells ten stories that will move our souls. Though of a few minute duration, every movie leaves us stunned and often, crippled. (Lal Jose’s segment would be the best to describe this feeling!).
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Aanum Pennum
Watch on: Amazon Prime Video
Standing true to its name, Aanum Pennum explores the relationship between man and woman with three different stories set in three different timelines. Each story is themed around betrayal, love and lust. Savitri, Rachiyamma and Rani are the short films that comprise Aanum Pennum and are directed by Jay, Venu and Aashiq Abu respectively.
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5 Sundarikal
Watch on: YouTube
5 Sundarikal is one of the most beautiful Malayalam anthologies I have ever seen in my life. The film tells five stories with five different women as central characters. Sethulakshmi, Ami, Kullande Bharya are a few of the best in this anthology. The ensemble cast in 5 Sundarikal which includes actors like Fahadh Faasil, Nivin Pauly, Dulquer Salmaan, Anigha, Isha Sharvani and others, makes it even more exciting. The segments in 5 Sundarikal are also helmed by a few of the best in the industry including Aashiq Abu, Amal Neerad, Samir Thahir, Shyju Khalid and Anwar Rasheed.
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Freedom Fight
Watch on: Zee5
One of the most recent anthologies, Freedom Fight, curated by Jeo Baby (The Great Indian Kitchen fame) gets into the crux of individualistic freedom. There are five short movies in Freedom Fight, each echoing freedom and choice on a personal level. Every movie gives a thoughtful message and makes us think deeply about several issues. Geethu Unchained (a wordplay on Django Unchained) tells the story of a common middle-class girl who struggles to break free from societal stereotypes. Asanghadithar visualizes the real-life struggle of a bunch of working women in Kozhikode to get something as basic as a washroom at their workplace. Ration, Old Age Home, Pra.Thoo.Mu are all similar movies that introspect what freedom means to people belonging to different classes and social constructs.
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Solo
Watch on: Jio Cinema
Yes, I’m aware that the film did not meet the box office expectations, but let us not ward off the entire movie just because of that. Shot simultaneously in Malayalam and Tamil, Solo, directed by Bejoy Nambiar had Dulquer Salmaan appear in five different shorts which were representative of the four elements of the world- Earth, Water, Wind and Fire. The cinematography and making of Solo are something to look forward to. The first story of the four, World of Shekhar, where Dulquer plays a stammering young student who falls in love with a blind girl is sweet and lovely to watch. You may find the last segment, “World of Rudra” confusing and weird but Solo is not a bad film as a whole.
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Speaking of Malayalam anthologies, Netflix has teamed up Mohanlal, Mammootty, Fahadh Faasil, Asif Ali and Shanti Krishna and other well-known names to create an anthology based on MT Vasudevan Nair’s stories.
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