Kochi, Jan 22 (IANS) The New Year has begun in a low key for Malayalam cinema. Only two new films were released this month - the Jayaraj directed 'Of the People' and the Jayaram starrer 'Novel'. Both the movies received a lukewarm response at the box office.

A couple of big releases like director Renji Panikkar's 'Roudram' starring Mammootty and Mohanlal's 'College Kumaran' are slated for the month end, and these may replace a couple of Christmas releases on the list.

The top five Malayalam films are:

1. 'Kadha Parayumbol' - Sreenivasan's good times continue as it is rumoured that superstar Ranjikant has got interested in remaking this story in Tamil. Written by Sreenivasan and directed by debutant M. Mohanan, the film tells the story of a simple barber, played by Sreenivasan, in a sleepy village and of his friendship with a superstar played by Mammootty.

2. 'Romeo' - An out-and-out comedy, scripted by some masters of mimicry cinema, the film is a natural winner. Directed by Rajasenan, and starring Dileep besides three heroines - Samvrutha, Vimala and newcomer Shruthi Lakshmi - the film has everything that people expect in this genre of cinema.

3. 'Kangaroo' - Prithviraj had everything going for him last year. His 'Chocolate', directed by Shafi, was one of the biggest grossers of last year and was followed by this family entertainer. Also starring Kavya Madhavan, 'Kangaroo' has done well for the actor.

4. 'Flash' - The audience had high expectations from director Sibi Malayil's film starring Mohanlal because this team has created some of the classics of past decades. But the film has turned out to be a disappointment as the team has just remixed a few old concepts without really trying anything new.

5. 'Novel' - This was considered to be a boon for actor Jayaram to revive his fortunes in Malayalam cinema. But the film, co-starring Tamil actress Sada and directed by debutant Vijayan, has been rejected by the audience. It is here by default, for lack of competition.