Aaram Thamburan

In Shaji Kailas's 1997 Malayalam film, Mohanlal plays Jagannadhan, who settles in Kanimangalam and quickly wins the trust of the villagers. His past is unclear. Conflict begins when he revives a festival the local feudal lord had banned, and the truth about his identity opens slowly. The film is among the best-known examples of a mould that spread through nineties Malayalam cinema: the calm-looking, powerful hero who can speak the language of the feudal order. Mohanlal's entrance and his lines here are still quoted. Manju Warrier, early in her career, plays a character who stands on her own. Its ideological weight is contested. Rather than criticising feudal authority, it presents the existence of a good master as the solution, which was the most discussed objection at the time and remains a fair one. Who it's for: those curious about nineties Malayalam star cinema and Mohanlal's roles from this period. Who it's not for: viewers who find narratives that romanticise the feudal order troubling; this film does so openly.