Onam festival means two things: good food and blockbuster movies. Like last year, we don’t have any major releases during the festival this year. If not for the second wave of coronavirus, Malayalam superstar Mohanlal’s much-awaited Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham would be playing in cinemas now.

The filmmakers of the period drama were confident that the pandemic would be in control in Kerala and the rest of the country and had announced August 12 as the new release date. As Kerala continues to record the highest number of infections in the country, the makers did not even bother to announce the postponement of the release.Also Read |#Home: The heartfelt family drama that you should watch this Onam

But, all is not lost. It is a consolation that we have two new Malayalam films Kuruthi and #Home streaming on Amazon Prime Video. And it is a big relief that both these films are tasteful and offer good entertainment. As a bonus, they also provide food for thought.

And if you have already seen Kuruthi and #Home and are wondering what to watch next, don’t worry, we have got you covered.

Here are five movies, high on energy and entertainment, that make each of them a perfect choice to revisit this Onam festival.

If you haven’t seen this high-school campus comedy, it should be your first choice from this list. Written and directed by Girish A. D, the film is a carnival of laughter from start to finish. It follows Jaison’s (a wonderful Mathew Thomas) struggles at school, as he refuses to buy for a second that Ravi Padmanabhan (a hilarious Vineeth Sreenivasan) is a good man. While the entire school celebrates Ravi like a rockstar, Jaison knows that there is something off about him. Mathew Thomas’ reactions to Vineeth’s antics will leave you in splits. Thanneer Mathan Dinangal is streaming on Jio Cinema, Eros Now and Airtel Xstream.

Aadu – Oru Bheekara Jeevi Aanu (Goat – A very dangerous being) marked the directorial debut of screenwriter Midhun Manuel Thomas. The no-holds-barred comedy caper is always a good choice if you want your ribs tickled. The film is a hilarious take on the ways masculinity is used to create mythical modern-day heroes in our mainstream films. Aadu is a borderline parody of all our mainstream films that banks on the hero’s masculinity. This film is streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar.

Talking about borderline parody, we can’t miss this comedy caper starring Mammootty and Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead roles. The lowbrow comedy, which is written and directed by Vysakh, feels like a spoof of Tamil films that lean heavily on old-school machismo to click with the audience. Pokkiri Raja is too ridiculous to take it seriously. And that’s a good thing. This film is streaming on ZEE5.

If a good laugh is all that you need along with your Onam sadhya, then this film fits the bill perfectly. The humour in this film is very subtle, which is the trademark of Sreenivasan’s screenplay. The satire, starring Fahadh Faasil in the lead role, hilariously recounts the lengths youngsters are willing to go to find employment in foreign countries. Njan Prakashan is streaming on Netflix.

If you want some action mixed with humour, then you don’t need to look any further than Ayyappanum Koshiyum. One of Prithviraj’s career-best performances, Biju Menon’s subtle menace and Sachy’s high-octane dialogues make this film a solid entertainer for all seasons. Ayyappanum Koshiyum is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.