Five iconic negative characters of Malayalam cinema in 2019 that redefined villainism

Malayalam movies are incomplete without an antagonist being trashed by the protagonist at the end. Traditional plot narratives require some kind of conflict which would lead to the hero triumphing over the villain.

However, the conventional plots have been replaced in Malayalam movies and 2019 is the best example of it. Most of the movies released in the year proved that the character of a villain will have different dimensions and he may not be the old stereotyped baddie who treats women as collateral damages in his fight and finds pleasure in committing murderers.

International Business Times, India edition, present you such iconic villains who have solid reasons to justify their evil acts. 

Siddique

Siddique is undoubtedly an impeccable actor and he has proved his versatility over a long career spanning over three decades. In 2019, Siddique enacted three memorable roles in 'Uyare', 'Kodathi Samaksham Balan Vakeel' and 'Mikhael'.

In 'Mikhael', Siddique portrayed the role of a baddie named George Peter. Even though his character is loaded with evilness, he had his own justifications for his actions. As Siddique played the role of the victim's father, all the evil acts done by him can be easily justified, considering the emotional trauma that character is going through. 

Shane Nigam

'Ishq' is a mindblowing thriller that starred Shane Nigam, Ann Sheethal and Shine Tom Chacko in lead roles. A beautiful love story of a possessive guy and a girl not steeped in romance deals with different notions of society. Everyone would have hatred towards the role played by Shine Tom Chacko. The character was not a fictional creation. The movie shows the reality of society.

But who is the real villain of the story? It's Sachi. Even in the 21st century, the perspective of men asserting the idea of purity on women is at peak and it should be the most discussed social evil of the society. The second half of the story is beautifully depicted and at last, Sheetal realizes that Sachi might have not accepted her if Shine had done anything to her.

But in eyes of the viewers, Shane is a good guy struggling for her lover and the hard reality is that Shane is the real villain under a mask. 

Soubin Shahir

'Kumbalangi Nights' is undoubtedly a cult classic. The film showcased Fahadh Faazil playing the role of the lead antagonist. But was Fahad's Shammi the real villain? The unknown villain in this movie could be Soubin Shahir's Saji. There is often a bad character in movies that is loved by all. Saji is such a character who brings his best friend's wife to his house and looks after her.

In the movie, Fahad Faazil played the role of Shami, a good, self-employed and well-dressed person. Shane Nigam played Bobby, who does not have a job, while Saji, portrayed by Soubin, is a loafer and lives by his friend's earnings. It should be also noted that Saji's best friends die because of his irresponsible and ultra-sensitive character. 

But everyone who watched the movie expressed that Fahadh Faasil nailed the role of villain in the movie. But how can a person, who looks after his wife's family consisting of a mother and sister, be portrayed as a villain? The real underrated villain of the movie is Saji who is a loafer, kills his friend and brings his friend's wife to his home. Fahadh Faazil's Shammi, on the other hand, is a psychiatric patient who needs treatment at a counselling centre. 

Vijayaraghavan

'Porinju Mariyam Jose', directed by master craftsman Joshiy narrated a story set in the backdrops of a Thrissur church festival. The film depicted the unbreakable relationship between two best friends Porinju and Jose and long-time romance between Porinju and his friend Maryam. The story deals with a chain of vindictive events. The movie ends with the killing of Porinju by his loyal master played by Vijayaraghavan. Everyone would hate Vijayaraghavan for the brutal act but when viewed from the old man's perspective, he was blind in his affection for the grandson.

Mohanlal

2019 witnessed the evergreen hits of the Malayalam industry, with the release of 'Lucifer' directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran. The movie starts with the downfall of PK Ramdas, a political kingmaker. As PK Ramdas dies, his son-in-law Bimal Nair alias Bobby played by Vivek Oberoi takes charge of the empire and starts manipulating plans.

However, Mohanlal's Stephen Nedumpally enters the scene and destroys Bimal Nair and his clandestine clutches. But Is Stephen Nedumpally an angel? No, says his past. He is a devil and is actually Abram Qureshi, an underworld don, and an alleged member of Illuminati, who has nexus with gold smuggling.