Kayamkulam Kochunni (2018)

Kayamkulam Kochunni brings to the screen one of Kerala's best-known folk heroes, a thief who lived in Travancore in the 1800s and became a legend for robbing the rich and sharing with the poor. The film follows Kochunni from a poor, humiliated boy to a young man pushed outside the law by caste injustice and cruelty, and to the outlaw who trains under the mysterious bandit Ithikkara Pakki. Nivin Pauly plays the title role, and Mohanlal appears in an extended guest role as Pakki that became the film's most celebrated stretch. Written by Bobby–Sanjay and shot by Binod Pradhan, it was one of the most expensive Malayalam films made up to that time, with elaborate period sets and large action set pieces, and it was a major box-office success in 2018.