Malayalam cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Malayalam language, which is widely spoken in the state of Kerala and Lakshadweep islands of india.Malayalam cinema includes the commercial film industry, sometimes known as Mollywood, as well as independent cinema made in Malayalam.
The first Malayalam feature film was Vigathakumaran, a silent film directed and produced by J. C. Daniel. Production started in 1928, and it was released at the Capitol Theatre in Thiruvananthapuram on 23 October 1930.[3] The first talkie in Malayalam was Balan (1938) directed by S. Nottani.[4] During the 1920s, the Malayalam film industry was based in Thiruvananthapuram, although the film industry started to develop and flourish by the late 1940s. Later the industry shifted to Madras (now Chennai). By the late 1980s, the industry returned to Kerala,[5] establishing Kochi as its hub with most production and post-production facilities located there.[6][7][8][9]
A scene from Vigathakumaran, the first Malayalam feature film
Active Malayalam film production did not take place until the second half of the 20th century: there were only two silent films, and three Malayalam-language films before 1947.[18][19] With support from the Kerala state government production climbed from around 6 a year in the 1950s, to 30 a year in the 1960s, 40 a year in the 1970s, to 127 films in 1980.[18]
Origins 1928
The first cinema hall in Kerala, with a manually operated film projector, was opened in Thrissur by Jose Kattookkaran in 1907. In 1913, the first permanent theatre in Kerala was established in Thrissur town by Kattookkaran and was called the Jose Electrical Bioscope, now Jos Theatre.[20][21][22]
PK Rosy, the first actress of Malayalam movie industry
The first film made in Malayalam was Vigathakumaran. Production started in 1928, and it was released at the Capitol Theatre in Thiruvananthapuram on 23 October 1930. It was produced and directed by J. C. Daniel, a businessman with no prior film experience, who is credited as the father of Malayalam cinema.[3] Daniel founded the first film studio, The Travancore National Pictures Limited, in Kerala.[3] A second film, Marthanda Varma, based on the novel by C. V. Raman Pillai, was produced by R. Sundar Raj Nadar in 1933. However, after only being shown for four days, the film prints were confiscated due to a legal battle over copyright.[3]
The first talkie in Malayalam was Balan, released in 1938.[4][23][24] It was directed by S. Nottani with a screenplay and songs written by Muthukulam Raghavan Pillai. It was produced by Modern Theatres at Salem in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. Balan was followed by Gnanambika in 1940, which was directed by S. Nottani. Then came Prahlada in 1941, directed by K. Subramoniam of Madras and featuring Guru Gopinath and Thankamani Gopinath.
Until 1947 most Malayalam films were made by Tamil producers, P. J. Cherian[25] was the first Malayali producer to venture into this field after JC Daniel Nadar. PJ Cherian produced Nirmala in 1948 with Joseph Cherian and Baby Joseph his son and daughter-in-law as hero and heroine. He also cast many other family members in other roles, trying to break the taboo that noble family people do not take up acting. Nirmala is the first movie which introduced play-back singing in the Malayalm filim industry . P.J. Cherian introduced play-back singing in Malayalam cinema. The lyrics of the film written by G. Sankara Kurup became popular.
Malayalam cinema has always taken its themes from relevant social issues and has been interwoven with material from literature, drama, and politics since its inception. One such film, Jeevitha Nouka (1951), was a musical drama that spoke about the problems in a joint family.
In 1954, the film Neelakuyil captured national interest by winning the President's silver medal.[26] It was scripted by the well-known Malayalam novelist Uroob, and directed by P. Bhaskaran and Ramu Kariat.
Newspaper Boy (1955) contained elements of Italian neorealism. This film is notable as the product of a group of amateur college filmmakers. It told the story of a printing press employee and his family being stricken with extreme poverty.[27]
Ramu Kariat, one of the directors of Neelakuyil (along with P. Bhaskaran), went on to become a successful director in the 1960s and 1970s. P. Bhaskaran directed many acclaimed and hit films in the 1960s and 70s. The cameraman of Neelakkuyil, A. Vincent, also became a noted director of the 1960s and 1970s. Notable films of this decade include Odayil Ninnu, Bhargavi Nilayam (1964), Chemmeen (1965), Murappennu (1965) and Iruttinte Athmavu (1966).
Most of the films of the 1960s were animated by the nationalist and socialist projects and centered on issues relating to caste and class exploitation, the fight against obscurantist beliefs, the degeneration of the feudal class, and the break-up of the joint-family system.[28]
In the 1960s, M. Krishnan Nair, Kunchacko and P. Subramaniam were the leading Malayali producers. Thikkurusi Sukumaran Nair, Prem Nazir, Sathyan, Madhu, Adoor Bhasi, Bahadur, S.P. Pillai, K.P. Ummer, Kottarakara Sreedharan Nair, Raghavan, G.K. Pillai, Muthukulam, Joseprakash, Paravur Bharatan, Muthayya, Shankaradi, Govindankutty, K.R. Vijaya, Padmini, Ragini, Sharada, Sheela, Ambika, Jayabharathi, Arumula Ponnamma and Sadahna were among the more popular actors active in this period.[citation needed]
During the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Kunchacko made significant contributions to Malayalam cinema, both as a producer and as director of some notable movies. He started Udaya Studios in Alappuzha in 1947, reducing the travel to Madras (Chennai) for film crew and actors. This boosted Malayalam film production in Kerala.[citation needed]
Many directors sprang up in this period. P.N. Menon made Rosy and later Chemparanthi. G. Aravindan and Adoor Gopalakrishnan also started work in the 1960s and became famous later.
During the late 1970s, some young artists started seeing Malayalam cinema as a medium of expression and thought of it as a tool to revitalise society. A noted director, Aravindan, was famous in Kerala as a cartoonist before he started making films. His important movies include Kanchana Sita (1977), Thampu (1978), Kummatty (1979), Chidambaram (1985), Oridathu (1986), and Vasthuhara (1990).
The 1970s also saw the emergence of the notable director P. G. Viswambharan with his debut film Ozhukinethire and the mythical film Satyavan Savithri, which were well accepted.
Also, commercial cinema in this period saw several worker-class themed films which mostly had M. G. Soman, Sukumaran and Sudheer in the lead followed by the emergence of a new genre of pure action-themed films, in a movement led by Jayan. However, this was short-lived, and almost ended when Jayan died while performing a stunt in Kolilakkam (1980).
The Malayalam cinema of this period was characterised by detailed screenplays dealing with everyday life with a lucid narration of plot intermingling with humour and melancholy. This was aided by the cinematography and lighting. The films had warm background music.
Ratheesh and Sukumaran also were leading stars in the industry in the early eighties. By the end of 80s, Mammooty and Mohanlal also established themselves as the leading actors in Malayalam.
The mid of 80s saw the emergence of low-quality Malayalam softcore films made with fairly low budgets. They were remarked as B-grade films, and were certified as fit for adults only (A rated). These films emerged parallel with the mainstream Malayalam cinema. In 1986, roughly 14 of the 32-odd films released were classified as B-grade films.[29]
The 2000-2003 period also saw witnessed the Shakeela tharangam, that resulted in the series of production of low budget softporn films in Malayalam cinema. The continued failure of comedy films and the theater strikes in Kerala, that started in the early 2000s, were the major reasons behind the comeback of B-grade films in Malayalam. Around 57 of the total 89 films released in 2001 belonged to the soft-porn category and Shakeela featured in many of them.[32]
After several years of quality deterioration, Malayalam films saw the signs of massive resurgence after 2010[33] with the release of several experimental films (known as New Wave or New Generation films),[34] mostly from new directors. New Wave is characterised by fresh and unusual themes and new narrative techniques.[33][35] These films differ from conventional themes of the 1990s and 2000s and have introduced several new trends to the Malayalam industry.[36] While the new generation's formats and styles are deeply influenced by global and Indian trends, their themes are firmly rooted in Malayali life and mindscapes.[37] The new generation also helped the Malayalam film industry regain its past glory.[38]
Christian Brothers (2011) was released worldwide with a total of 310 prints on 18 March; it went to 154 centres in Kerala, 90 centres outside Kerala and 80 centres overseas, making it the widest release for a Malayalam film at that time. This record was later broken by Peruchazhi (2014), which released in 500 screens worldwide on 29 August.[39]Drishyam (2013) became the first Malayalam film to cross the 500 million mark at the box office. The film was critically acclaimed and was remade in four languages.[40] Later, in 2016, Pulimurugan directed by Vyshak became the first Malayalam film to cross the 1 billion mark at the box office.
In recent years, Malayalam films have gained popularity in Sri Lanka,[41] with fans citing cultural similarities between Sinhalese people and Malayalis as a reason.[41] In 2019, Lucifer became the highest grossing Malayalam film of all time. Lucifer became the highest grossing Indian film in Dubai. The film collected a final gross of 2000 million at the box office.
Malayalam Cinema's first ever original superhero Minnal Murali was released through Netflix on 24th December 2021. Tovino Thomas as Minnal Murali which was directed by Basil Joseph under Weekend Blockbusters gained great reviews by critics and became top watched Non-English movie on Netflix. It broke all records of Malayalam Cinema trailers on YouTube crossing 6 Million Views and 500K+ likes in 24 hours.[43] in 2023 , disaster film 2018 was selected as India's submission for Oscar for best international film[44]
Malayalam Cinema enjoyed unprecedented box office success in early months of 2024, with worldwide box office collection of Malayalam films touching ₹900 crores in the first quarter. Malayalam Cinema achieved its first calendar year ₹1000 crore worldwide gross by May. As of 24 May, total worldwide box office gross stood at ₹1030 crores, including ₹660 crores from India and ₹370 from overseas.[45][46] The films that led the success story were Manjummel Boys, Aadujeevitham, Premalu, Aavesham and ARM, all of which earned over ₹100 crores at worldwide box office.[47][48][49] The success is attributed to wide critical acclaim, themes that resonated with the audience and tapping into other state markets.[50][51][52]
Malayalam Independent cinema
Malayalam independent cinema is a subsect of the Malayalam cinema which is not intended for commercial purposes. Major independent films are premiered through International film festival of Kerala. The films conveys key cultural and social messages in Kerala. Notable films are Family by Don Palathara, Chavittu by Rahman brothers.[citation needed]
Amma Ariyan (1986) is the first film made in India with money collected from the public. It was produced by Odessa Collective, founded by the director John Abraham and friends. The money was raised by collecting donations and screening Charlie Chaplin's film The Kid.[56]
Malayalam cinema's directors have included J. C. Daniel, the director and producer of the first Malayalam film, Vigathakumaran (1928). Unlike other Indian films at that time, most of them were based on the Puranas, he chose to base his film on a social theme.[61] Though it failed commercially, he paved the way for the Malayalam film industry and is widely considered the "fatherofMalayalam cinema". Until the 1950s, Malayalam film didn't see many talented film directors. The milestone film Neelakuyil (1954), directed by Ramu Kariat and P. Bhaskaran, shed a lot of limelight over its directors.[53] Ramu Kariat went on to become a celebrated director in the 1960s and 1970s. P. Bhaskaran directed a few acclaimed films in the 1960s. The cameraman of Neelakuyil, A. Vincent, also became a noted director of the 1960s and 1970s.[62] Another noted director of the 1950s was P. Ramadas, the director of the neorealistic film Newspaper Boy (1955).
In the 1970s, the Malayalam film industry saw the rise of film societies. It triggered a new genre of films known as "parallel cinema". The main driving forces of the movement, who gave priority to serious cinema, were Adoor Gopalakrishnan and G. Aravindan. People like John Abraham and P. A. Backer gave a new dimension to Malayalam cinema through their political themes. The late 1970s witnessed the emergence of another stream of Malayalam films, known as "middle-stream cinema", which seamlessly integrated the seriousness of the parallel cinema and the popularity of the mainstream cinema. Most of the films belonging to this stream were directed by PN Menon, I. V. Sasi, P. G. Viswambharan, K. G. George, Bharathan and Padmarajan.[63]
Film score, which refers to Playback singer in the context of Indian music, forms the most important canon of popular music in India. The film music of Kerala in particular is the most popular form of music in the state.[66] Before Malayalam cinema and Malayalam film music developed, the Malayali eagerly followed Tamil and Hindi film songs, and that habit has stayed with them until now. The history of Malayalam film songs begins with the 1948 film Nirmala which was produced by artist P. J. Cherian who introduced play-back singing for the first time in the film. The film's music composer was P. S. Divakar, and the songs were sung by P. Leela, T. K. Govindarao, Vasudeva Kurup, C. K. Raghavan, Sarojini Menon and Vimala B. Varma, who is credited as the first playback singer of Malayalam cinema.[67]
K. J. Yesudas, who debuted in 1961, virtually revolutionised the Malayalam film music industry and became the most popular Malayalam singer ever along with K. S. Chithra. The trio of Vayalar, G. Devarajan and Yesudas also made unforgettable songs like the earlier trio of Kamukara, Tirunainaarkurichy and Brother Laxmanan. Yesudas became equally popular with classical music audience and people who patronised film music.[69] He along with P. Jayachandran gave a major face-lift to Malayalam playback singing in the 1960s and 1970s. K. S. Chithra debuted in 1979, and by the mid-eighties, she became the most sought after female singer in South India.
First Malayalam feature film. Production started in 1928, and it was released at the Capitol Theatre in Thiruvananthapuram on 23 October 1930. It was produced and directed by J. C. Daniel, a businessman with no prior film experience, who is credited as the father of Malayalam cinema
The first film to use a double role in Malayalam cinema. TK Balachandran is the actor who played the first double role in Malayalam cinema through this movie.
First Malayalam as well as South Indian film to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, and the first film to participate in an international film festival
First 3D film in India.This is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy film directed by Jijo Punnoose and produced by his father Navodaya Appachan under Navodaya Studio. It was the first Indian film to be filmed in 3D format.
First Malayalam film produced by collecting funds from the public and the only South Indian film to feature in British Film Institute's Top 10 Indian Films list
The film was given an entry into the Guinness Book of Records for casting the most dwarves in a single film, and its lead actor Ajaykumar was given an entry for being the shortest actor to play the lead in the history of cinema.
First Malayalam film to release with subtitles (English) in outside Kerala, in other than film festival screenings. First Malayalam film to release on Netflix.
The Kerala State Film Awards[102] are given to motion pictures made in the Malayalam language. The awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Chalachitra Academy[103] since 1998 on behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs of the government of Kerala. The awards were started in 1969. The awardees are decided by an independent jury formed by the academy and the Department of Cultural Affairs. The jury usually consists of personalities from the film field. For the awards for literature on cinema, a separate jury is formed. The academy annually invites films for the award and the jury analyses the films before deciding the winners. The awards intend to promote films with artistic values and encourage artists and technicians.
The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) is held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala. It was started in 1996 and is organised by Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs of the State Government. It is held in November/December every year and is acknowledged as one of the leading film festivals in India.[104]
The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (A.M.M.A)[113] is an organisation formed by artists of Malayalam cinema. It aims to act against piracy, to safeguard the interests of member actors and actresses, and to serve as a common forum to raise concerns and address issues. The activities of AMMA include endowments, insurance schemes, and committees on wages and benefits on revision, funds for research, pensions, and education loans for the children of the members. The organisation ventured into film production in 2008 with Twenty:20 to raise funds for its activities.[114]
Organisations such as Kerala Film Producers Association, Kerala Film Distributors Association, Kerala Cine Exhibitors Federation, Hyperlink Film Club and Kerala Film Exhibitors Association have coordinated work stoppages.[115]
^ abcthssk. "Casting a magic spell". Hinduonnet.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^Desk, Online (25 August 2020). "WATCH 'C U Soon' trailer is here! Fahadh Faasil, Roshan Mathew mystery thriller looks promising". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 30 August 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
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