Rajamanikyam

Anwar Rasheed's first film follows Bellary Raja, disowned by his stepfather as a child. Years later the same man calls him back, wanting him to settle the inheritance quarrel among his own children and take charge of his properties. What produced the film's commercial success was Mammootty's language. The character speaks the local dialect of Thiruvananthapuram, a clear break from the standard Malayalam of the star template. Its lines passed into everyday speech at the time. The narrative moves between family drama and action and its logic is loose. But the film does not disguise that; its aim is to create a character and hold you watching him. Anwar Rasheed made very different films in later years. Who it's for: those who like 2000s mainstream Malayalam cinema and Mammootty. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a coherent script; the film rests entirely on a star performance.