Odiyan

Odiyan is a Malayalam-language action fantasy drama set in the Malabar region of Kerala during the period of British rule. The story draws on local folklore about the Odiyan clan, whose members were believed to possess the power to transform themselves into animals. As electrification spreads through the region, the clan's old ways and its mystique are threatened, and its members are hunted down. The film's central figure is the last remaining Odiyan, Manikyan, known as 'Odiyan' Manikyan, who uses stealth and concealment to protect what remains of his people. The narrative follows this conflict against the backdrop of a changing world in which the clan's supernatural abilities have lost their place.

The film was directed by V A Shrikumar Menon from a screenplay by Harikrishnan, produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the banner of Aashirvad Cinemas. Mohanlal plays the title role, with Manju Warrier as Prabha, Prakash Raj as Ravunni Menon, Sana Althaf as Meenakshi, Manoj Joshi as Muthappan and Siddique as Damodharan Nair. Made on a reported budget of around 8 million US dollars, it is among the more expensive Malayalam productions of its time, and the film runs 167 minutes.

Odiyan was released in December 2018 and drew considerable attention before its release, largely on the strength of its lead actor and its use of Kerala folklore. Audience ratings were mixed: on IMDb it holds a rating of 5.2 from roughly 4,300 votes, while on TMDB it rates 5.5 from about 23 votes. The large gap in vote counts reflects how much more widely the film was rated on the first platform than the second.