It's raining Malayalam films this Christmas

It's the final season of the year as Christmas and New Year are round the corner, which means a flurry of films all lined up for the holiday season.

On December 18, two films will virtually start the race. They are Mammootty's Chattambinaadu, directed by Shafi and Keralotsavam 2009, directed by yesteryear heartthrob Shankar Panickar.

Rosshan Andrrews' Mohanlal film, Ivide Swargamanu and Saji Surendran's Happy Husbands are also expected to join the party soon, which will make the competition tough.

But first lets us take a closer look at the two releasing this weekend.

Mammootty has teamed up with director Shafi twice earlier -- in Thommanum Makkalum and Mayavi -- both of which were blockbusters. Naturally, there are huge expectations from Chattambinaadu.

The director has to prove a point as well after his dream run of successive hits ended with the debacle of Lollipop. Benny P Nayarambalam, one of the most in demand script writers around, has penned the story of Chattambinaadu.

Chattambinaadu was mostly shot in Pollachi. The story is set in Chembattunaadu, where two wealthy families are fighting against each other most of the time.

Goondas are brought from outside to settle the matter. However, things get out of control when the goons take control of things resulting in Chembattunaadu being known as Chattambinaadu.

Mammootty plays Vijedra Mallaya, a rich goonda, who speaks Malayalam with a Kannada accent. Vinu Mohan plays his brother. Lakshmi Rai and Manikyam Maithily are the heroines of Chattambinaadu.

The other film releasing on the same day is Keralotsavam 2009 directed by Shankar Panicker, who was once the hero of Fazil's blockbuster, Manjil Virinja Pookkal.

Vinu Mohan and Vishnupriya play the lead in the film, which has terrorism as its backdrop.

Shankar says that Keralotsavam 2009 showcases the various art forms of Kerala.

The story tells of Padmanabhan Embranthiri (Nedumudi Venu) who has retired from Kerala Kalamandalam and is in the process of organising a cultural group called Kalanikethan with the help of his daughter Ganga (Vishnupriya), a gifted dancer.

Enter a handsome young man by the name of Sandeep Subramaniam (Vinu Mohan) who joins the group. The story takes an interesting turn when his reasons for joining the group is revealed.

In the meantime, Sandeep and Ganga become closer, a thread which takes the story to a different direction. Kalabhavan Mani plays a RAW officer.