Home » News » New Malayalam OTT releases, movies, web series in June 2023 - Hotstar, JioCinema, Sony LIV, Prime Video, Netflix, ZEE5, Manorama Max
New Malayalam OTT releases, movies, web series in June 2023 - Hotstar, JioCinema, Sony LIV, Prime Video, Netflix, ZEE5, Manorama Max
Here’s the list of all the new Malayalam OTT movies and web series streaming on leading platforms
Jun 20, 2023
Posters of Charles Enterprises, Neelavelicham, Vamanan, 2018 and Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum
Malayalam cinema has always managed to come up with quality content, despite being shackled by budgets or limited audience. The past few years, especially, proved the industry’s filmmakers as well as its actors such as Mammootty, Mohanlal, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Dulquer Salmaan, Fahadh Faasil, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Anna Ben and Nivin Pauly have backed great content that has also worked with audiences across the country and also served to expand what the industry is able to achieve.
OTT platforms now also expect a huge audience for Malayalam cinema from other-language audiences, and this is evident from the original content – be it movies or web series – that leading streamers are now greenlighting.
To make your job easier by picking the best of the available Malayalam content to stream, here’s our list of all the new OTT releases from the language and reasons to watch them.
Charles Enterprises
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Ravi Kumarasamy faces an uphill task in life. His rare form of night blindness makes it hard for him to hold down a job or even find a suitable partner. After he is approached by a stranger offering him financial aid enough to solve all his problems, Ravi must decide whether to succumb to temptation and steal his mother’s favourite Ganesha idol or plod on. Despite having interesting elements, the film’s pace bogs it down and writing just doesn’t have enough to keep the viewers engaged.
Cast: Balu Varghese, Urvashi, Kalaiyarasan
OTTplay critics rating: 2.5
Vamanan
Streaming on: Manorama Max
Indrans plays the lead in this psychological horror-thriller helmed by debutant director AB Binil. The movie revolves around a series of mysterious incidents that its caretaker notices, after shifting to a remote village with his family, in search of a new beginning. Things become worse for him, when the cops aren’t convinced with his explanation. Vamanan shows another side of Indrans as an actor as he carries the entire film on his shoulder. His character’s frailty also resonates through, making the odds he faces even bigger.
Cast: Indrans, Baiju Santosh, Hareesh Kanaran
OTTplay critics rating: N/A
Ayisha
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Single mother Ayisha (Manju Warrier) faces a sea of challenges before she can journey across the Arabian sea to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a job to provide for her family. But once she begins working as a gaddama at a royal palace, her employers soon finds out about her latent talents. Though based on the inspiring life of Nilambur Ayisha, the first Malayali Muslim woman to do theatre and act in films, the writing of director Aamir Pallikal's debut directorial is too simple to evoke any powerful emotions and works more as a feel-good story than a truly motivational movie.
Cast: Manju Warrier, Radhika and Krishna Sankar
OTTplay critics rating: 3
Ayisha review: Manju Warrier excels in Aamir Pallikkal’s oversimplified true tale of a daring woman
2018
Streaming on: Sony LIV and OTTplay Premium (From June 7)
Jude Anthany Joseph’s disaster drama, which has become the highest grossing Malayalam movie ever, revolves around a series of events that happen in a village in Kerala during the 2018 floods in the State. Though mounted on a massive scale replete with every enjoyable element of a disaster movie, its makers also ensured that the film has an emotional core with stories of heroism and hope, relatable to the audience. It’s a must watch!
Cast: Tovino Thomas, Asif Ali, Kunchacko Boban
OTTplay critics rating: 3.5
Sulaikha Manzil
Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar
Director Ashraf Hamza’s wedding entertainer follows the lead-up to a Muslim Malabar wedding where the couple have second thoughts about their decision to get married. Though the movie has good intentions and would be a relatable story for the audience, it also plays to conservative traditions and stripping a person of their individual choices.
Cast: Anarkali Marikar, Lukman Avaran, Chemban Vinod Jose
OTTplay critics rating: 2.5
Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Director Akhil Sathyan’s debut directorial follows a selfish ayurveda franchisee owner, Prashanth, whose life crosses paths with three women during his trip from Kerala to Mumbai via Goa. Backed by warm storytelling and Fahadh’s brilliant performance, the feel-good movie is a great watch, despite its runtime stretching more than 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Anjana Jayaprakash, Vineeth
OTTplay critics rating: 3.5
Pookkaalam
Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar
Filmmaker Ganesh Raj’s feel-good drama revolves around a nonagenarian husband and wife, and how marital trouble crops up after the former finds a love letter that was sent to his wife five decades ago. Filled with poignant moments in the second half and some wonderful performances, the movie makes for a good watch with the family.
Cast: Vijayaraghavan, KPAC Leela, Vineeth Sreenivasan
OTTplay critics rating: 3.5
Pookkaalam review: Ganesh Raj’s sophomore directorial soars on the back of a stirring second half
Neelavelicham
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Director Aashiq Abu’s reimagining of the 1964 movie Bhargavi Nilayam follows the story of a writer who decides to live in a house, which is believed to be haunted by a woman who had committed suicide. Though the visual retelling of the film gives the story by Vaikkom Muhammed Basheer a new dimension, Neelavelicham still is restricted by the makers’ decision to not look beyond the classic script.
Cast: Tovino Thomas, Rima Kallingal, Roshan Mathew
OTTplay critics rating: 3.5
Mea Culpa
Streaming on: Saina Play
Scripted and directed by Navaz Ali, this direct-to-OTT thriller revolves around a woman who has been stalked by a stranger, whose intentions are unknown till he finally reveals the reason for his vengeance.
Cast: Sarath Kumar, Teena, Sohan Seenulal
OTTplay critics rating: NA
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