Hridayapoorvam

Directed by Sathyan Anthikad, this Malayalam film opened for Onam in 2025 and reunited Mohanlal with the director after a ten year gap. Sandeep, a wealthy and emotionally detached hotelier running a cloud kitchen chain in Kochi, receives a heart transplant from an army colonel killed in a traffic accident, and dismisses the emotional weight of the operation. He travels to Pune for the engagement of the donor's daughter Haritha, and when the engagement collapses he is injured in the resulting scuffle and ends up staying for weeks in the colonel's family home. The warmth of Haritha and her mother gradually softens him, and though he initially develops romantic feelings for her, he pulls back on realizing she sees her father in him. The most notable production detail is this: it is the first film Mohanlal has shot with live sync sound on set since 1991, a gap of thirty four years. Mohanlal chose the title himself, and the title card in the credits is in his own handwriting. Made on a budget of thirty crore rupees, it grossed roughly seventy six crore worldwide. About a month after release, Mohanlal received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honor in Indian cinema. Who it's for: Viewers who enjoy warm family drama and like seeing Mohanlal play an ordinary man. Who it's not for: Not for those wanting tight storytelling, since critics flagged uneven pacing and underdeveloped characters.