Mayaanadhi

Mathan got into a bad money deal and killed a police officer while getting away. He returns to Kochi, where Aparna, his former partner, is trying to make it as an actress: the roles do not come and the money does not stretch. Mathan wants to restart the relationship. Aparna does not want to go back into the life he is running from, and states her terms plainly. Directed by Aashiq Abu and written by Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair, the film sets a crime story inside a romance without putting the crime at the center. At the center is Aparna's decision: a woman who knows what she wants and does not negotiate, which drew a great deal of discussion in Malayalam cinema. Its open ending has been argued over ever since. Tovino Thomas plays Mathan and Aishwarya Lekshmi plays Aparna. It opened on 22 December 2017 to wide critical praise. Who it's for: Viewers who like crime folded into romance, strong female characters, and new-wave Malayalam cinema. Who it's not for: The male lead is not sympathetic and the film offers him no resolution. The ending is left hanging if you want closure.