From Take Off to Malik: How Mahesh Narayanan emerged as the most promising filmmaker in Mollywood

Malik, the much-anticipated Mollywood movie had its release on Amazon Prime Video on July 15, 2021. Upon its release, the film received rave reviews from all corners, and audiences portrayed Fahadh Faasil for his brilliant portrayal of Sulaiman alias Ali Ikka, an influential smuggler turned social worker in Ramadapalli. Inspired from real incidents, the film is a masterpiece by director Mahesh Narayanan who has previously made movies like Take Off and CU Soon. 

Mahesh Narayanan: A man with uncompromising cinematic language

Mahesh Narayanan has been active in the film industry as an editor since 2007. However, he made his directorial debut in 2017 with the movie Take Off starring Kunchakko Boban, Fahadh Faasil, Asif Ali, and Parvathi Thiruvoth. 

Take Off was a real surprise to Mollywood audiences. Due to budget constraints and lack of technical expertise, Mollywood often fails to produce movies with international standards. However, Take Off stood out, and with a limited budget, Mahesh Narayanan successfully created a survival war drama in the backdrop of Iraq. Take Off is considered a classic from Mollywood, and it marked Mahesh Narayanan's grand entry to the industry as a director. For Take Off, Santosh Raman won the National Award for the Best Production Design. 

Crafting a film during Covid time

In 2021, Mahesh Narayanan surprised the entire nation by shooting a computer screen movie using iPhone. Titled CU Soon, the film had its direct release on Amazon Prime Video. Even though with limited resources, the director successfully managed to deliver an engaging thriller, and it received positive responses from audiences and critics alike. 

And now, Malik has been released on Amazon Prime Video, and netizens are eagerly searching on the internet to know about this visionary filmmaker who always tries to deliver films with impeccable quality and uncompromising cinematic language. 

Malik is now being praised for Fahadh Faasil's extraordinary performance, but in the future, the film could become a textbook for all film aspirants. "Mahesh Narayanan, you are one rare breed of talent, stay here and deliver classic flicks like these, and elevate the fame of Mollywood to new heights," said one fan.