Anurag Kashyap hails Malayalam films Rekhachitram, Thudarum and Eko, adds why can't be made in Bollywood

Anurag Kashyap was all praise for the films that are being made in Kerala and shared how films thrive mainly because of word-of-mouth praise.

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has often shared his appreciation for Malayalam films, talking about the risks they take and the original stories that are on display. The filmmaker, who is gearing up for the release of Kennedy, shared his praise for three Malayalam releases from 2025- Rekhachitram, Thudarum and Eko.

Rekhachitram, Thudarum and Eko are three Malayalam films which were released in 2025.

What Anurag said

In an interaction with Tried and Refused Productions, Anurag was asked about the beautiful word-of-mouth praise that exists in the audience. He said, “That is the most magical thing about it because it is one of the most educated and cinephile states. There is a film culture, there are film clubs, filmmakers support each other. If you see a movie like Rekhachitram, where they do not have hesitation… where you are taking the shoot of Bharatan, how Mammootty came… that kind of a support system is not there here. I can't randomly use somebody's name. There will be a case. I can't build a film around an existing film.”

Anurag praises Thudarum and Eko

He further added, “In Thudarum, which I saw yesterday, it is so real. Your hero (Mohanlal) is a taxi driver! Here if you say the hero is a taxi driver who wears lungi they will say no. Here all designers make clothes and you cannot make a film like that. I love Eko. What a climax! The main character is a school teacher from Meghalaya! No stars, just the word-of-mouth. People follow films, when they will be released. The world is really different there. I think I see more Malayalam films in a week than I see Hindi films in the whole year!”

About the three films

Rekhachitram is an investigative thriller where the plot revolves around the 1985 disappearance of an aspiring actress named Rekha (Anaswara Rajan) during a film shoot. Mammootty's voice is used a key plot device in the location of Bharathan's Kathodu Kathoram. It was a critical as well as commercial success.

Tharun Moorthy's Thudarum was one of the biggest Malayalam hits of 2025. Starring Mohanlal and Sobhana, the thriller received glowing reviews upon release and went on to cross the ₹100 crore mark.

Eko was released in December last year. The film is directed by Dinjith Ayyathan and penned by Bahul Ramesh, the team behind Kishkindha Kaandam. Biana Momin made her acting debut with the film. She is a teacher from Meghalaya. It also stars Sandeep Pradeep and Saurabh Sachdeva.