Kerala finally got its own streaming heavyweight: ManoramaMAX is the Malayalam-first service run by the Malayala Manorama group, live since 2019 with Mazhavil Manorama catch-up, over 400 films, and originals like CID MAX and Open Heart. Inside India and the Gulf, the ad-supported tier is free, while premieres, originals, and the Manorama News live feed sit behind a paid plan. For Malayalis in the Gulf it is the closest thing to home.
Travel out of India or the GCC and the geo-block kicks in, and an Indian subscription will not unlock ManoramaMAX premium, because the plans are tied to your location. Surfshark fixes that: connect to a server back home, pull up the full catalog in 1080p, and watch in the app exactly as viewers in Kochi do. Without the right location, most titles stay locked and the app simply turns you away, whether you try the website or a smart TV.
Tested weekly by our team. Green: works, amber: partial, red: blocked.
| VPN Service | Price | ManoramaMAX | Tested | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SurfsharkBEST | From $1.78/mo | ✓ Works | October 5 | Try it |
 ExpressVPN | From $2.79/mo | ✓ Works | October 5 | Open |
 NordVPN | From $2.99/mo | ✓ Works | October 3 | Open |
 Private Internet Access | From $1.79/mo | ✓ Works | October 4 | Open |
 ProtonVPN | From $3.59/mo | ~ Partial | September 30 | Open |
 CyberGhost | From $1.75/mo | ~ Partial | October 3 | Open |
 IPVanish | From $2.19/mo | ~ Partial | October 1 | Open |
✓ Works✓ Works✓ Works✓ Works~ Partial~ Partial~ PartialTakes about 2 minutes. Works on your phone, tablet, TV, PC, or laptop.
ManoramaMAX works in 36 countries, including in the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Australia, in Canada and in New Zealand. In 158 more it is blocked, and outside available regions you will need a VPN.
ManoramaMAX works without a VPN in the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Australia, in Canada, in New Zealand, in Ireland and in Germany, plus in 29 more countries.
ManoramaMAX is blocked in Japan, in Brazil, in Afghanistan, in Albania and in Algeria, plus in 153 more countries. To access it, use a premium VPN like Surfshark.
ManoramaMAX is a Malayalam-language streaming service launched in September 2019 by MM TV, part of the Malayala Manorama group in Kerala, India. It runs on a freemium model: in India and across the Gulf you watch free with ads while premium titles are paid, and if you are outside those regions everything sits behind an international plan. The library blends catch-up from the Mazhavil Manorama channel, more than 400 Malayalam films, MAX Exclusives originals such as CID MAX, Open Heart, Picture Perfect and Soul Stories, plus reality shows, news and live TV in crisp HD 1080p. It is built for Malayali audiences at home and for the large diaspora in the Gulf. Note that subscriptions are region-locked, so an Indian plan only unlocks premium content while you are physically in India.
5 tips from our ManoramaMAX testing team · Updated July 18, 2026
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Everything you need to know before subscribing to ManoramaMAX.
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