Mohanlal's Sadayam and other best movies that MT fans should watch

MT Vasudevan Nair leaves behind a rich legacy of literary works and cinematic gems. The legendary writer teamed up with some of the stalwarts of Malayalam cinema, creating sheer magic on screen. MT’s collaborations with director Hariharan, and stars Mammootty and Mohanlal have led to iconic movies that are still counted among the best. From Mohanlal's Sadayam to Hariharan's Parinayam, here are the movies and series on OTTplay Premium that fans of MT's works should watch.

MT Vasudevan Nair’s movies on OTTplay Premium

Sadayam Sun NXT

Director: Sibi Malayil

Cast: Mohanlal, Maathu, Thilakan, Sreenivasan

Sathyanathan in Sadayam is not a villainous character. But he has been sentenced to death for killing two children. Through this hard-hitting film, MT tells us how an ordinary man resorts to the cruelest of action when circumstances give him no other alternative. Mohanlal is terrific as Sathyanathan and the chilling climax is proof of both Mohanlal and MT’s creative genius.

Also read: Sadayam: A haunting reminder of society’s rot from within 

Parinayam SUN NXT

Director: Hariharan

Cast: Mohini, Vineeth, Nedumudi Venu,Manoj K. Jayan, Thilakan, Jagathy Sreekumar

The film revolves around the young Unnimaya, who is married off to an elderly man only to end up as a widow. The 17-year-old then believes she has found love when she meets a kathakali artist. However, the young girl faces the wrath of patriarchy in this movie that looks into regressive practices.

Also read: MT Vasudevan Nair passes away: Iconic Malayalam films that pay homage to his legacy 

Manorathangal Zee5

Directors: Priyadarshan, Santhosh Sivan, Ranjith, Jayaraj, Shyamaprasad, Mahesh Narayanan, Ratheesh Ambat and Aswathy V Nair

Cast: Mohanlal, Mammootty, Fahadh Faasil, Biju Menon, Nedumudi Venu, Siddique, Indrajith, Asif Ali, Indrans, Aparna Balamurali, Parvathy and more

This anthology series is the latest project to be based on nine short stories of MT. From Mammootty and Mohanlal to Fahadh Faasil and Parvathy Thiruvothu, stellar actors from across generations joined hands to bring alive this anthology series, the first-of-its-kind in Malayalam.  Fahadh Faasil’s Sherlock, directed by Mahesh Narayanan, stands out in this series.

Also read: Manorathangal Review: A befitting ode to MT Vasudevan Nair’s literature and cinema 

Neela Thamara SUN NXT

Director - Lal Jose

Cast - Kailash, Archana Kavi, Samvrutha Sunil

This 2009 movie, directed by Lal Jose, tells the tale of a young maid Kunimalu who falls in love with the youth of the household where she works. But she is later shocked to learn that he is set to marry his cousin. The film, penned by MT, was in fact a remake of the 1979 movie, which was also written by the auteur.

Theerthadanam  SUN NXT

Director - GR Kannan

Cast -Jayaram, Suhasini Maniratnam

The film, penned by MT based on his story Vanaprastham, narrates the tale of an elderly man and his student who reunite after more than three decades. Jayaram featured in the lead role in the film along with Suhasini Maniratnam who won a Kerala State Award for her performance.

Kuttyedathi SUN NXT

Director - PN Menon

Cast - Kuttyedathi Vilasini, Jayabharathi, Sathyan

The 1971 film, penned by MT Vasudevan Nair, portrays the predicament of a girl, who is not considered to be good looking. She is treated unfairly even by her own family, who favours her much prettier younger sister. It is considered as one of the best films from the decade.