Best Sangeeth Sivan movies to watch on OTT

Malayalam filmmaker and cinematographer Sangeeth Sivan, who has helmed popular movies such as Yodha and Nirnayam apart from a slew of Bollywood films, passed away on May 8 at a private hospital in Mumbai. The filmmaker, whose latest movie Kapkapiii had him teaming up with Shreyas Talpade and Tusshar Kapoor and was a remake of the 2023 Malayalam horror-comedy Romancham , has left behind an envious filmography in Malayalam as well as Hindi.

Sangeeth, the brother of renowned director and cinematographer Santosh Sivan, had begun his career in tinseltown producing Aamir Khan’s Raakh, before making his directorial debut through Raghuvaran and Captain Raju’s Vyooham, which gained a cult following. While his Bollywood movies that included Sunny Deol’s Zor and the adult comedy Kya Kool Hai Hum had a few hits, his Malayalam journey especially in the 90s put him as one of the top commercial filmmakers in the industry. Sangeeth also had the penchant of working with some of the best talents from across industries - be it Mohanlal, Sunny Deol, Arvind Swamy or Dharmendra - and the filmmaker was also never afraid of exploring different formats, as evident from his ZEE5 web series debut through Bhram, which starred Kalki Koechlin.

Top Sangeeth Sivan movies to watch: Yodha to Nirnayam

Here’s a list of the veteran filmmaker’s best movies, across genres and languages, and where to stream them.

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Yodha

Even though the filmmaker has been part of 15 movies, Yodha will always be the movie that he will be remembered for. The much-celebrated film, which had Mohanlal in the lead and marked AR Rahman’s debut as a composer in Malayalam, was loosely based on Eddie Murphy’s The Golden Child and revolved around a Malayali youth who travels to Nepal to meet his uncle but ends up being a protector of a young monk. The entertainer, which also has Madhoo and Jagathy, is remembered for its comedy and action, and was among the first few Malayalam movies that also enjoyed an audience for it Hindi-dubbed version.

Where to stream: ZEE5, MX Player

Vyuham

Sangeeth’s directorial debut Vyooham, which was an action thriller, was based on the Lethal Weapon movies with Raghuvaran and Sukumaran playing the main characters. Though there had been several buddy cop movies in Malayalam before then, this one truly gave the genre a unique spin and also marked Raghuvaran’s comeback to the industry after almost seven years. The film revolves around an undercover cop who finds himself in the deep end while tracking smugglers in Kochi.

Where to stream: YouTube

Gandharvam

Being the collaboration after the superhit Yodha, Gandharvam didn’t quite live up to the expectations, but it was fresh in terms of its technical aspects, visual aesthetics and also the script structure. The film, which was also Mohanlal’s 200th venture, saw fans throng to the theatres and had a good mix of romance, comedy and action. The film is still remembered for Mohanlal’s comedy scenes with Kalpana.

Where to stream: Disney+ Hotstar

Daddy

Sangeeth had followed up the success of Yodha by bringing together Suresh Gopi and Arvind Swamy for a Malayalam-Tamil bilingual. The movie revolves around the bond between a convict and a circle inspector and how the former’s son forms a bond with the cop. The emotional thriller enjoys a special place in the hearts of Malayalis as it saw Sangeeth bring Arvind Swamy, who had already gained a huge fan base with Thalapathi and Roja, to the Malayalam film industry.

Where to stream: YouTube

Nirnayam

Sangeeth and Mohanlal teamed up for a third time for the Malayalam remake of Harrison Ford’s The Fugitive, about a surgeon on the run after being accused of murder. To clear his name and also bring to light an even bigger conspiracy of the organ-smuggling syndicate, the doctor has to take extreme measures. Though heavily inspired by the Hollywood film, Sangeeth, who had also written the movie, gave it an emotional spin - setting the tone with a romance at a hospital and also bringing a child to the fray that gets the audience hooked. Santosh Sivan once again handled the cinematography for his brother in the movie.

Where to stream: Sun NXT, JioCinema