Mohanlal's iconic Thazhvaram: All about this 1990 Malayalam Western that packs a slow-burning punch

Mohanlal walks into Thazhvaram (The Valley) not just with a gun but with the weight of vengeance in his eyes—and a shawl that feels like it was borrowed from Clint Eastwood’s Django wardrobe.

Directed by the late Bharathan and written by the legendary M.T. Vasudevan Nair, this 1990 film might just be Malayalam cinema’s first true ‘Wild West’ classic.

Forget the sentimental tropes of Malayalam films from that era—there’s no melodrama, no lovers torn apart or reunited, no weeping mothers. Thazhvaram is a one-track ride fuelled entirely by revenge. Mohanlal plays a man hunting down his childhood friend Raju (a chilling Salim Ghouse), who murdered his wife and child, stole their money, and disappeared into the hills.

Set against the rugged, sun-drenched landscape of Palakkad, the valley unfurls like a character in itself—evocative of Mackenna’s Gold or The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Venu’s cinematography captures the arid terrain with raw beauty, while Johnson’s background score sharpens the mood with quiet menace.

What sets Thazhvaram apart is its cultural rootedness. Though styled like a Western, the story is firmly grounded in Kerala’s soil—reflecting the post-independence migration of farmers from Travancore to the unclaimed hills of Malabar. The narrative recalls The Grapes of Wrath, only this time it’s Shankaradi and Sumalatha (as a compelling father-daughter duo) who represent the grit of settlers turning forest into farmland and hardship into hope.

Initially a slow burner at the box office, Thazhvaram grew into a cult hit—its Rs 25 lakh budget dwarfed by the praise it eventually garnered. And rightly so. Between M.T.'s sparse but searing dialogue, Bharathan’s assured direction, and Mohanlal’s magnetic presence, this film proves you don’t need spectacle when you have substance and soul.

One of those rare films where you’ll forget you even have the remote in hand.