Aryan is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language action crime film directed by Priyadarshan and written by T. Damodaran.

The film stars Mohanlal, Ramya Krishnan, Sharat Saxena, Shobana, Sreenivasan, Gavin Packard, M. G. Soman and Goga Kapoor.

Aryan tells the tale of an underworld battle and family bonds through Devanarayanan, who arrives in Bombay with nothing and rises to become a gangster in a powerful crime gang.

The film opens with a flashback in which Devanarayanan (Devan) is a Brahmin priest from Kerala who is the breadwinner for his impoverished family.

Govindan Nair and Arumukhan, with the help of Inspector Chandrappan, falsely accuse Devanarayanan of stealing thiruvabharana (Deity's ornaments) from the local temple.

Chandrappan arrests Devan and thrashes him in front of the villagers and his family, who beg him to stop.

In the present day, Devan lives in Bombay with Kunjali and his daughter Sainaba, who runs a tea shop.

In response, Devan points a gun at Kareem and details his reasons for defending Kunjali and Sainaba.

Sainaba, Kareem's son, and Kunjali, are shot dead by Majeed Khan, Nair, and their henchmen during the Holi celebrations.

With the help of Nirmala and Sakhavu Karunan, his politician friend, Devan gathers Arumukhan, Govindan Nair, Inspector Chandrappan, Adv Radhakrishnan and the corrupt high priest of the temple.

At the mansion, Devan finds Nirmala held hostage by Majeed Khan and Nair, who have assaulted her.

The film ends with a furious Devan screaming at a judge for having been imprisoned under fabricated accusations.

[1] Aryan was later remade in Tamil as Dravidan (1989) by Suresh Balaje, with Sathyaraj playing the lead role.