Yoddha (1992)

In his village in Kerala, Ashokan spends his time feuding with his cousin Appukuttan, a rivalry carried on through chess games and pranks. Sent to Nepal, he finds himself the protector of a young Buddhist boy, the chosen Rimpoche, whom an evil sorcerer and his men want to sacrifice. Attacked and blinded, Ashokan must master a martial discipline in darkness to save the child. Yoddha was the debut of director Sangeeth Sivan and the first Malayalam film scored by A. R. Rahman, released the same year as his breakthrough Roja; its songs, including "Padakali", remain hugely popular. Shot largely in Nepal by Santosh Sivan, it is remembered for the comic duels between Mohanlal and Jagathy Sreekumar.