'Classmates' wins Onam competition

Kochi, Sep 20 (IANS) The Onam season was disappointing for the Malayalam film industry as most films failed to live up to expectations and hype. Only "Classmates", made with a bunch of youngsters, achieved success at the box office.

The top five Malayalam films are:

1. "Classmates" - A campus film directed by Lal Jose has become the talk of the town, especially because of the good performances by youngsters like Prithviraj, Jayasurya, Indrajith and others.

2. "Keerthi Chakra" - This film has overtaken Onam releases and is on second position on this list. Directed by Major Ravi, the film has completed 50 days. Mohanlal, who plays an army officer fighting with terrorists in Kashmir, has won over the audience with his performance.

3. "Mahasamudram" - Mohanlal as fisherman held much promise but in the end it turned out to be like any other of his characters. Directed by debutant S. Janardhanan, the film drops to number three from number one.

4. "Don" - Dileep, who hoped to establish himself as an action hero with the film, is disappointed because director Shaji Kailas failed to recreate his old magic.

5. "Pathaka" - Suresh Gopi stars in yet another political thriller directed by K. Madhu. But the film has failed to create a stir and is on this list just by default.