P Rajeeve, minister for industries, law and coir
This year, one book that I finished reading was Yuval Noah Harari’s Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI. It was a comprehensive account that began from the Stone Age to the current era. I loved K R Meera’s Kalachi as well. Another book that struck me was Arundhati Roy’s Mother Mary Comes to Me, a deeply personal account of her life and her relationship with her mother, Mary Roy. And yes, I love watching films. The Tamil film Tourist Family was a nice watch, so was Sookshmadarshini.
V D Satheesan, leader of the opposition
Mother Mary Comes to Me — the raw honesty, the extraordinary language, and amazing editing. This is the book that influenced me the most. We will respect Arundhati Roy more after reading it. Then there are many more — ‘The Menopause Brain’ by Lisa Mosconi, The Vegetarian by Han Kang. Then, Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader murdered by Vladimir Putin in Russia. Also, Murder in the Gulag: The Life and Death of Alexei Navalny by John Sweeney, a BBC journalist. These two can be read side by side. There is also Saharu Nusaiba Kannanari's The Menon Investigation.
K Surendran, politician
C Radhakrishnan’s Geetha Darshanam, R Rajasree’s Aathreyakam and Allohalan by Ambiga-suthan Mangad are my top picks. Allohalan is centred around Theyyam, and touches upon many issues. I may not ideologically agree with everything in the book, but it was written beautifully. So is Aathreyakam. Geetha Darshanam is a book everyone should read. I don’t watch a lot of movies, but I liked Thudarum. It was good to see Mohanlal’s comeback.
Saharu Nusaiba Kannanari, writer
Zara Chowdhary's memoir The Lucky Ones is a title in scare quotes with which we liberate the literal meaning of a given word or phrase to a state of irony, of saying one thing while meaning another, and here this implies witnessing and surviving a pogrom that has come to define her life and, by extension, the country she calls home. Gujarat pogrom was Narendra Modi's Beer Hall Putsch, an event that catapulted him to national recognition, and to those who lived through it a trauma a lifetime of therapy cannot heal. The Lucky Ones is a moving and transformative document.
Kani Kusruti, actor
I don’t read much, but one book I thoroughly enjoyed and couldn’t put down was Arundhati Roy’s Mother Mary Comes to Me. When it comes to films, I loved One Battle After Another by Paul Thomas Anderson. From the nail-biting chase scene to the incredible performances, it was fantastic in every sense. Beyond the politics, the film moves one with its emotional depth.
Jagadish, actor
Well, the film I want to talk about is one that many Malayalis haven’t been able to watch yet. It is Indu Lakshmi’s Appuram. It is not because I am also part of the cast, but the writing and making of this project touched me deeply. And the shooting was also an incredible experience. I also loved Eko — an impressive film with a tight script and great storytelling. It was fantastic. I cannot talk about books, as I wasn’t able to read much this year.
Sangeeth Prathap, actor
I didn’t get much time to read this year, but my favourite pick was Pattunool Puzhu by Hareesh S. Choosing a favourite film is difficult; I watched a lot of movies this year. But my pick would be Homebound, which is also India’s Oscar entry this year. A song that I loved listening to was Kayaloram by Raunaq. It was released a year ago, but I experienced it this year.
Meenakshi Jayan, actress
My favourite book of the year is Mother Mary Comes to Me. I feel like Arundhati Roy is my best friend. That book teaches us that relationships are not black and white — they are complex and beautiful. Among films, it is a tie between two movies that I watched at the International Film Festival of Kerala. One is Sad and Beautiful World, a Lebanese film by Cyril Aris. It was like watching a dream within a dream. The other is Un Poeta by Simón Mesa Soto, which was heart-wrenching, but it also made me laugh at times. My song of the year would be Spooky Boy by Danny Gonzalez. It reminded me of a friend.
T D Ramakrishnan, writer
My favourite book of the year is E Santhosh Kumar‘s Tapomayiyude Achan, which won the Vayalar Award in 2025. It was a very different kind of book to come out in Malayalam in recent times. It really touched me. Among songs, I loved the K-pop hit APT. It sounded fresh and different from the usual numbers. The movie I liked the most is It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2025. It’s a politically loud film, but the narration is subtle. It’s a wonderful movie that rails against fundamentalism in general.
J Devika, writer and academic
A book that I loved and also plan to translate is social activist Gita Ramaswamy’s autobiography, Land, Guns, Caste, Woman: The Memoir of a Lapsed Revolutionary. It made me sit up in awe. Songs on my list this year have been mostly Urdu ones on Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry and crooned by Pakistani singer Iqbal Bano. I love her mesmerising voice. Another favourite is Freddie Mercury, whose songs also stayed with me through the year.
M Mukundan, author
Films and songs aren’t quite my forte, but books, of course, are. A book that is close to my heart is Shashi Tharoor’s The Sage Who Reimagined Hinduism: The Life, Lessons, & Legacy of Sree Narayana Guru. It is a luminous account of the Guru’s life and travails. Shashi Tharoor sails the book in the spiritual ocean with ease and grace.
Unni Mukundan, actor
I went back to the Al Pacino starrer Scarface this year. It has been a movie that not only pushed me towards cinema but also influenced my role in Marco. Among books, my go-to has been Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E Frankl. Written by a Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, this book answers the question: Why do people keep living despite unbearable suffering? As for songs, I was hooked to Talat Aziz’s Aaina Mujhse Meri Pehli Si Surat Maange from the film Daddy. I enjoyed the song because it teaches that life is not about returning to who we were but understanding why we can’t.
Lajo Jose, writer and screenwriter
I loved ‘Sinners’. It gives a fresh twist to both the vampire genre and historical drama, blending horror with a grounded sense of time and place. It powerfully highlights how Black music, art, and history have often been stolen, diluted, or misrepresented by others. And in books, ‘Small Things Like These’ by Claire Keegan was a fantastic read. This is the kind of book that stays with you even after you turn the last page. It’s a brief read that took me just over an hour, yet its haunting impact feels long-lasting.
Muhammad Abbas, writer
The book that touched me the most this year is ‘Mariya Verum Mariya’ by Mary Sandhya. In Malayalam, this is a rare kind of narrative. It really made me sit with it and think. The movie pick would be ‘Kalamkaval’, which was released recently. Mammootty’s performance was outstanding. He takes villainy to a completely different level. Usually, villains are written with some justification that creates sympathy, but here it is raw and unapologetic. Vinayakan’s presence and the film’s frames make it one of the most interesting watches of the year. My favourite song is “Guru Meets Mastan (Munname)” by Shahabaz Aman. I usually listen to ghazals and Carnatic music, like T M Krishna’s work.
Sivaprasad, director
“I really liked the book ‘Karu’ by Majeed Syed this year. It was an interesting read. A song that I kept hearing on loop this year was ‘Chillu Nee’ from my own movie ‘Maranamass’. It has a nice melody, which really had me hooked. Among movies, I absolutely enjoyed ‘One Battle After Another’ this year.
Bahul Ramesh, cinematographer
My favourite book this year was 'Indian Rainbow', a service memoir by LtCol Soniya Cherian. A song that I absolutely enjoyed was Oorum Blood from the Tamil film Dude. And in movies, F1 was my favourite this year.