Pat Cummins has done it and so has Ravichandran Ashwin. Almost every Instagrammer who has run into a pillar is recreating the hilarious reel from Aavesham. Fahadh Faasil’s portrayal of gangster Rangan is easily one of the most high-energy performances we’ve seen in a while. One of the most iconic scenes in the film is Fahadh ‘swaying’ to the Malayalam folk song, Karinkaliyalle, with a serious expression on one side of the pillar and a vivacious smile as he emerges on the other side of the pillar. The reel might have earned Rangan only four likes on Instagram (in the film) but has gone on to become one of the most viral Instagram trends of 2024.
Fahadh Faasil’s atmospheric rise to a pan-Indian phenomenon coincided with Malayalam cinema coming to the forefront during the pandemic. Until then Malayalam films were largely restricted to limited multiplex releases for discerning audiences and the Malayalee diaspora. OTT platforms changed all that; Fahadh was one of the Malayalam stars who benefited from it.
Films like Kumbalangi Nights that released before the pandemic gained traction even as his performances in films like Trance and his bad guy act in Pushpa made him one of India’s most recognised talents. Aavesham has gone on to become the biggest hit in his career and one of the top grossing Malayalam films of all time. It’s also part of a bigger trend where we’ve seen Malayalam cinema expand its audiences from non-conformists and hipsters to a larger, mainstream audience across India. We round up six must-watch films starring Fahadh Faasil.
Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (2017): Fahadh won his first National Award for Best Supporting Actor for Dileesh Pothan’s second directorial venture that translates to ‘The Evidence and the Eyewitness’. Fahadh plays Prasad, a thief who steals a gold chain from a newly married couple on a bus. He is the life of this film full of interesting plot twists.
Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar
CU Soon (2020): It’s almost fitting that one of India’s most innovatively produced films during the peak of the pandemic in 2020 was also its first ‘screenlife’ film (a form of visual storytelling where all events are shown entirely on a computer or smartphone screen). This mystery thriller directed by Mahesh Narayanan follows the trials of a software engineer who looks for his cousin’s missing fiancé after they uncover her video-based suicide note. Fahadh’s stellar performance is backed by powerful performances by Roshan Mathew and Darshana Rajendran.
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Malik (2021): Fahadh reunited with director Mahesh Narayanan after CU Soon for this gritty political thriller. Fahadh is Sulaimaan Malik, who emerges as a powerful leader in his local community; the role has shades of Michael Corleone from Godfather and Kamal Haasan’s portrayal of Velu Naicker in Nayakan. The film takes cues from land acquisition cases in the coastal regions of Thiruvananthapuram.
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Joji (2021): This marked the third collaboration between Fahadh and director Dileesh Pothan after Maheshinte Prathikaaram and Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum. The film is inspired from William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (a terrific adaptation by Syam Pushkaran) and is set in an estate in the high ranges of Kerala during the Covid pandemic. Fahadh plays the title role as an engineering college dropout and one of the three sons of a domineering estate owner in a house of intrigue.
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Vikram (2022): Fahadh fans will tell you how he can emote with his eyes better than any other actor. There’s a legendary scene in Vikram where the camera crops in on Fahadh’s eyes and captures his changing reactions. Fahadh’s turn as Amar, the head of a black ops squad, is arguably his best in a non-Malayalam film. Kamal Haasan might have been the star of the show in a film that marked his successful box-office comeback, but Fahadh makes his mark in a meaty role in this high-voltage action film.
Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar
Aavesham (2024): While this film has just made its OTT debut, we’d still recommend catching this film on the big screen. This film is a ‘trip’, a wild ride, and either you’re on it or you just don’t get it. Aavesham marks a new zone for Fahadh. He plays Rangan, a loud Malayalee gangster in Bengaluru who speaks a mix of Malayalam and Kannada, and forges an unlikely bond with three engineering students. The gangster comedy is a follow-up to Jithu Madhavan’s directorial debut and the 2023 blockbuster Romancham. Fahadh keeps you glued with a scintillating performance with a dark streak. The film’s dumb charades scene sums up this mood and makes for great viewing.
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
