In a refreshing departure from dystopian futures, Ormakalude Tharavadu offers a warm, melancholic sci-fi. The year is 2050. A technology exists to “download” the memories of deceased ancestors into holographic AI avatars, allowing families to consult them for advice, recipes, or unresolved arguments.
While time-loop narratives are familiar in Hollywood ( Edge of Tomorrow , Palm Springs ), Samsaaram (Malayalam for conversation or affair ) grounds the gimmick in relentless emotional realism. The film follows a mid-level IT worker (Mathew) in Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, who discovers he is trapped in a 24-hour loop—but only during his daily commute.
If even half of these films deliver, 2026 will not just be a good year for Mollywood—it will be the year Malayalam cinema taught the world that the future, like home, is a place you carry inside you. sci-fi malayalam coming soon movies 2026
The original Gaganachari (2024) was a delightful oddity—a mockumentary set in a dystopian 2040s Kerala populated by alien refugees and washed-up actors. Its lo-fi charm and satirical bite turned it into a cult hit. For the sequel, Arun Chandu is thinking intergalactic.
What unites them is a refusal to imitate Hollywood. There are no laser swords or bug-eyed aliens here. Instead, 2026’s Malayalam sci-fi asks distinctly local questions: How does a Keralite tharavadu function in zero gravity? Can a time loop be broken by a perfectly brewed cup of chaya ? What does a mother’s ghost look like when rendered as unstable code? In a refreshing departure from dystopian futures, Ormakalude
For decades, Malayalam cinema wore its realism like a badge of honour. From the earthy frames of Adoor Gopalakrishnan to the procedural thrills of Drishyam , Mollywood prided itself on stories rooted in the quotidian. But something shifted in the early 2020s. With Minnal Murali (2021) and 2018: Everyone is a Hero (2023), the industry proved it could handle spectacle and genre with intelligence. Now, a new vanguard of filmmakers is quietly preparing its most audacious gambit: a slate of original, high-concept science fiction films set for release in 2026.
From time-loop thrillers to interstellar ecological parables, these projects promise not just VFX fireworks but the cerebral, character-driven storytelling that defines the Malayalam sensibility. Here is the definitive look at the most anticipated sci-fi Malayalam films heading your way in 2026. Director: Arun Chandu Cast: Gokul Suresh, Anarkali Marikar, Aju Varghese (rumoured cameo) Status: Pre-production, motion-capture tests underway While time-loop narratives are familiar in Hollywood (
Early signs are promising. Samsaaram ’s script reportedly went through 37 drafts to ensure its time-loop mechanics are flawless yet secondary to character. And Lijo Jose Pellissery has allegedly banned the word “sci-fi” on his set, calling Neelakasham 99 “just a folk tale that happens to have floating islands.” These four films are only the beginning. At least two more unannounced sci-fi projects are in development: a cyberpunk adaptation of a M. T. Vasudevan Nair short story, and a “zero-gravity musical” from a debut director who trained under Rajamouli.