| Malayalam cinema | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| No. ofscreens | 777 screens inKerala state of India (2024)[1] |
| Main distributors | Aashirvad Cinemas Amal Neerad Productions Anto Joseph Film Company Anwar Rasheed Entertainments Ashiq Usman Productions August Cinema AVA Productions Bhavana Studios E4 Entertainment Fahadh Faasil and Friends Friday Film House Kavya Film Company Lal Creations LJ Films Magic Frames Mammootty Kampany Merryland Studio Mulakuppadam Films Navodaya Studio OPM Cinemas Pauly Jr. Pictures Prithviraj Productions Revathy Kalamandhir Sree Gokulam Movies Swargachitra Grand Production Udaya Pictures Wayfarer Films Weekend Blockbusters Working Class Hero |
| Produced feature films (2023)[2] | |
| Total | 259 |
Malayalam cinema, also referred to asMollywood, is a segment ofIndian cinema dedicated to producing films in theMalayalam language, primarily spoken inKerala and theLakshadweep islands. It encompasses both the mainstream film industry and independent Malayalam films. Known for its strong storytelling, powerful performances, and social themes, Malayalam cinema has received critical acclaim and is often regarded as one of India's most notable film industries.
The first Malayalamfeature film wasVigathakumaran, asilent film directed and produced byJ. C. Daniel. Production started in 1928, and it was released at the Capitol Theatre inThiruvananthapuram on 23 October 1930.[3] The firsttalkie in Malayalam wasBalan (1938) directed byS. 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 toMadras (now Chennai). By the late 1980s, the industry returned to Kerala,[5] establishingKochi as its hub with most production and post-production facilities located there and most of the film stars includingMammootty andMohanlal living in the city.[6][7][8][9]
As of 2024, Malayalam cinema has earned numerous accolades at theNational Film Awards, including 14 forBest Actor, 6 forBest Actress, 13 forBest Film, and 13 forBest Director.[10] Malayalam cinema garnered international recognition, withElippathayam (1982) winning theSutherland Trophy at theLondon Film Festival, and being named the Most Original Imaginative Film of 1982 by theBritish Film Institute. Additionally,Marana Simhasanam won the prestigiousCaméra d'Or at the1999 Cannes Film Festival.
Several Malayalam films have been India's official entries for theBest Foreign Language Film category at theAcademy Awards, includingRajiv Anchal'sGuru (1997),Salim Ahamed'sAdaminte Makan Abu (2011),Lijo Jose Pellissery'sJallikkattu (2019) andJude Anthany Joseph's2018 (2023). Other globally acclaimed films includeChemmeen (1965), which received a Certificate of Merit at theChicago International Film Festival, and a gold medal at theCannes Film Festival for Best Cinematography.[11]Swaham (1994) won theBronze Rosa Camuna at theBergamo Film Meeting inItaly.[12][13][14][15] Malayalam cinema has also produced India's first3D film,My Dear Kuttichathan (1984).[16] The firstCinemaScope film produced in Malayalam wasThacholi Ambu (1978).[17]
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]
The first cinema hall inKerala, with a manually operated film projector, was opened inThrissur byJose Kattookkaran in 1907. In 1913, the first permanent theatre in Kerala was established inThrissur town by Kattookkaran and was called theJose Electrical Bioscope, nowJos Theatre.[20][21][22]
The first film made in Malayalam wasVigathakumaran. Production started in 1928, and it was released at the Capitol Theatre inThiruvananthapuram on 23 October 1930. It was produced and directed byJ. 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 byC. 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 firsttalkie in Malayalam wasBalan, released in 1938.[4][23][24] It was directed byS. Nottani with a screenplay and songs written byMuthukulam Raghavan Pillai. It was produced byModern Theatres atSalem in the neighbouring state ofTamil Nadu.Balan was followed byGnanambika in 1940, which was directed by S. Nottani. Then camePrahlada 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 producedNirmala 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 byG. Sankara Kurup became popular.
Udaya Studios'Vellinakshatram (1949) was the first movie with audio to be made completely in Kerala.
Malayalam cinema has always taken its themes from relevant social issues and has been interwoven with material fromliterature,drama, andpolitics 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 filmNeelakuyil captured national interest by winning the President's silver medal.[26] It was scripted by the well-known Malayalam novelistUroob, and directed byP. Bhaskaran andRamu Kariat.
Newspaper Boy (1955) contained elements ofItalian 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]
The music took a turn away from the trend of copying Tamil and Hindi songs. The poets Tirunainaarkurichy Madhavan Nair – Thirunaiyarkurichy,P. Bhaskaran,O. N. V. Kurup, and Vayalar Ramavarma rose up in this period as film lyricists. Brother Lakshmanan,Dakshinamurthy,K. Raghavan,G. Devarajan,M. S. Baburaj, and Pukhenthey Velappan Nair started a distinct style of Malayalam music. Kamukara Purushotaman, Mehboob,Kozhikode Abdul Kader, AM Raja,P. B. Sreenivas,K. P. Udayabhanu,Santha P. Nair,P. Leela,S. Janaki,P. Susheela, B. Vasantha, Renuka, andJikki were the most prominent singers of the 1950s.[citation needed] The drama artist and school teacherMuthukulam Raghavan Pillai lent many of his skills to the cinema in this period.
Ramu Kariat, one of the directors ofNeelakuyil (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 ofNeelakkuyil,A. Vincent, also became a noted director of the 1960s and 1970s. Notable films of this decade includeOdayil Ninnu,Bhargavi Nilayam (1964),Chemmeen (1965),Murappennu (1965) andIruttinte Athmavu (1966).
Malayalam cinema's first colour film wasKandam Bacha Coat (1961).
Chemmeen (1965), directed byRamu Kariat and based on a novel of the same name byThakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, went on to become very popular and became the first South Indian film to win theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film.
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 andP. 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 startedUdaya 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 madeRosy and laterChemparanthi.G. Aravindan andAdoor Gopalakrishnan also started work in the 1960s and became famous later.
The 70s saw the emergence of a new wave of cinema in Malayalam. The growth of the film society movement in Kerala introduced the works of the French and Italian New Wave directors to the discerning Malayali film enthusiasts.Adoor Gopalakrishnan's first film,Swayamvaram (1972), brought Malayalam cinema to the international film arena. In 1973M. T. Vasudevan Nair, who was by then recognised as an important author in Malayalam, directed his first film,Nirmalyam, which won theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film.G. Aravindan followedAdoor's lead with hisUttarayanam in 1974.K. P. Kumaran'sAdhithi (1974) was another film that was acclaimed by the critics.Cinematographers who won the National Award for their work on Malayalam films in the 1970s wereMankada Ravi Varma forSwayamvaram (1972),P. S. Nivas forMohiniyattam (1977), andShaji N. Karun forPiravi (1989).John Abraham,K. R. Mohanan,K. G. George, and G. S. Panikkar were products of thePune Film Institute who made significant contributions.[citation needed]
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 includeKanchana Sita (1977),Thampu (1978),Kummatty (1979),Chidambaram (1985),Oridathu (1986), andVasthuhara (1990).
The 1970s also saw the emergence of the notable directorP. G. Viswambharan with his debut filmOzhukinethire and the mythical filmSatyavan Savithri, which were well accepted.
Also, commercial cinema in this period saw several worker-class themed films which mostly hadM. G. Soman,Sukumaran andSudheer in the lead followed by the emergence of a new genre of pure action-themed films, in a movement led byJayan. However, this was short-lived, and almost ended when Jayan died while performing astunt inKolilakkam (1980).
The Malayalam cinema of this period was characterised by detailedscreenplays dealing with everyday life with a lucid narration of plot intermingling with humour and melancholy. This was aided by thecinematography and lighting. The films had warm background music.
In 1981 Fazil directed Manjil Virinja Pookal the film also introduced then romantic starShankar and later actorMohanlal to the world. Adoor Gopalakrishnan madeElippathayam in 1981. This movie won theBritish Film Institute award.[citation needed] The year 1981 also saw the rise of actorMammootty through the movieSphodanam directed byP. G. Viswambharan.
In the 1980sPadmarajan made some of the landmark motion pictures in Malayalam cinema, including masterpieces likeOridathoru Phayalvaan (1981),Koodevide (1983),Thinkalaazhcha Nalla Divasam (1985),Arappatta Kettiya Gramathil (1986),Namukku Parkkan Munthirithoppukal (1986),Thoovanathumbikal (1987),Moonnam Pakkam (1988),Innale (1989) andSeason (1989). He wrote several short stories that were unique in content and presentation. His novels handled the darkest emotions and considered as classics. Most plots were nascent for that age literature. All works were so cinematic and can be easily visualised to the celluloid version.[citation needed]
K. G. George released films includingYavanika andAdaminte Vaariyellu. This was the period during which script writerM. T. Vasudevan Nair started teaming up with directorHariharan to produce works likePanchagni,Nakhakshathangal,Aranyakam andOru Vadakkan Veeragatha.John Abraham's films such asAmma Ariyaan addressed people's issues and raised the finance directly from people. The period had movies with humour from directors likePriyadarshan,Sathyan Anthikad,Kamal andSiddique-Lal.Piravi (1989) byShaji N. Karun was the first Malayalam film to win theCaméra d'Or-Mention at the Cannes Film Festival.[12]
Ratheesh andSukumaran also were leading stars in the industry in the early eighties. By the end of the 1980s, Mammooty and Mohanlal also established themselves as the leading actors in Malayalam.
The mid-1980s saw the emergence of low-qualityMalayalam softcore films made with fairlylow 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]
Some examples areMathilukal (1990) directed byAdoor Gopalakrishnan,Kattukuthira (1990) directed byP. G. Viswambharan,Amaram (1991) directed byBharathan,Ulladakkam (1992) directed byKamal,Kilukkam (1991) directed byPriyadarshan,Kamaladalam (1992) bySibi Malayil,Vidheyan (1993) byAdoor Gopalakrishnan,Devaasuram (1993) byI. V. Sasi,Manichitrathazhu (1993) by Fazil,Ponthan Mada (1993) byT. V. Chandran,Spadikam (1995) byBhadran,Commissioner(1994)The King (1995) byShaji Kailas,Hitler (1996) bySiddique andDesadanam (1997) byJayaraj. Due to a series of comedy films produced between the late 1980s and late 1990s made actors likeJagadish,Siddique,Mukesh,Sreenivasan andJayaram became very popular for their comedy roles. This series of comedy films begun in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with comedy films bySathyan Anthikad andSiddique-Lal, likePonmuttayidunna Tharavu,Mazhavilkavadi,Ramji Rao Speaking,Thalayana Manthram,In Harihar Nagar, andGodfather, and some of them went on to be remade by other directors in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and other languages. The success ofIn Harihar Nagar led to the production of a series of comedy films in the early and mid-1990s.
Swaham (1994), directed byShaji N. Karun, was the first Malayalam film entry for the competition in theCannes International Film Festival, where it was a nominee for thePalme d'Or.Murali Nair'sMarana Simhasanam later won theCaméra d'Or at the1999 Cannes Film Festival.[30]Guru (1997), directed byRajiv Anchal, was chosen asIndia's official entry to the Oscars to be considered for nomination in the Best Foreign Film category for that year, making it the first film in Malayalam to be chosen for Oscar nomination. Noted script writerA.K. Lohithadas made his directorial debut withBhoothakkannadi, for which he won theIndira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director.[citation needed]
The millennium started with a blockbuster hitNarasimham starringMohanlal. In 2001 came the world's first film with only one actor in the cast,The Guard. Slapstick comedy was the predominant theme of the films of this era.C.I.D. Moosa (2003) byJohny Antony,Meesa Madhavan (2002) byLal Jose andKunjikoonan (2002) directed bySasi Shanker are examples. Sequels to a number of successful films were made. Some movies were examples of exemplary film making, such asMeghamalhar,Madhuranombarakattu,Nandanam,Perumazhakkalam, andKaazhcha. In 2008, Malayalam movie artists came together in the ensemble-cast filmTwenty:20 to raise funds forAMMA, the governing body of movie actors in Malayalam.[31]
The 2000-2003 period also saw witnessed theShakeela tharangam that resulted in the production of a series of low budgetsoftporn 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 andShakeela 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 asNew 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]
Salim Ahamed'sAdaminte Makan Abu was chosen as India's official entry to theAcademy Awards to be considered for nomination in the Best Foreign Film category in 2011.
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 byPeruchazhi (2014), which released in 500 screens worldwide on 29 August.[39]Drishyam (2013) became the first Malayalam film to cross the INR 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 INR 1 billion mark at the box office.
In recent years, Malayalam films have gained popularity in Sri Lanka,[41] with fans citing cultural similarities betweenSinhalese 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 INR 2000 million at the box office.
In November 2020,Lijo Jose Pellissery's filmJallikattu was selected as India's submission for Oscar for best foreign language film making as third Malayalam film as entry.[42] In 2020 a mid theCOVID-19 lockdown,Sufiyum Sujatayum, starringJayasurya andAditi Rao Hydari, has become the first Malayalam film to be released on theAmazon Prime Video (OTT) platform as theatres remain shut in Kerala due to the pandemic. In 2021,Drishyam 2,Nayattu,Kala,Joji,The Great Indian Kitchen andMalik made their list in the highest rated 2021 movies inImdb.
Malayalam cinema's first ever original superheroMinnal Murali was released throughNetflix on 24 December 2021.Tovino Thomas as Minnal Murali which was directed byBasil Joseph underWeekend Blockbusters gained great reviews by critics and became top watched Non-English movie on Netflix. It broke all records of Malayalam cinema trailers onYouTube crossing 6 Million Views and 500K+ likes in 24 hours.[43] in 2023, disaster film2018 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 wereManjummel Boys,Aadujeevitham,Premalu,Aavesham,Marco andARM, 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]
In 2025,L2: Empuraan became the first Malayalam film to cross ₹250 and ₹300 crores mark, first Malayalam film to cross ₹50 crore opening day, first Malayalam film to cross ₹150 crore opening weekend and first Malayalam film to cross ₹150 crores inoverseas markets. Then,Thudarum became the first Malayalam film to gross ₹100 crores from Kerala box office alone. This have made Malayalam cinema to gross over ₹800 crores totally in the first half of 2025, withL2: Empuraan andThudarum being its backbone.Marco is the first Malayalam film set to be released in South Korea.[53]
Malayalam cinema's directors have includedJ. C. Daniel, the director andproducer of the first Malayalam film,Vigathakumaran (1928). Unlike other Indian films at that time, most of them were based on thePuranas, 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 "father of Malayalam cinema". Until the 1950s, Malayalam film didn't see many talented film directors. The milestone filmNeelakuyil (1954), directed byRamu Kariat andP. Bhaskaran, shed a lot of limelight over its directors.[54] 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 ofNeelakuyil,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 filmNewspaper Boy (1955).
In the 1970s, the Malayalam film industry saw the rise of film societies. It triggered a newgenre of films known as "parallel cinema". The main driving forces of the movement, who gave priority to serious cinema, wereAdoor Gopalakrishnan andG. Aravindan. People likeJohn Abraham andP. 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 andPadmarajan.[63]
Out of the 40National Film Award for Best Direction given away till 2007, Malayalam directors have received 12. The directors who have won includeAdoor Gopalakrishnan (1973, 1985, 1988, 1990, 2007),G. Aravindan (1978, 1979, 1987),Shaji N. Karun (1989),T. V. Chandran (1994),Jayaraj (1998, 2017) and Rajivnath (1999). There are several recipients of theSpecial Jury Award as well:Mankada Ravi Varma (1984),John Abraham (1987),Shaji N. Karun (1995) and Pradeep Nair (2005).[64][65]
Film score, which refers toPlayback singer in the context ofIndian music, forms the most important canon ofpopular 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, theMalayali eagerly followedTamil andHindi film songs, and that habit has stayed with them until now. The history of Malayalam film songs begins with the 1948 filmNirmala 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 byP. 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]
The main trend in the early years was to use the tune of hit Hindi or Tamil songs in Malayalam songs. This trend changed in the early 1950s with the arrival of a number of poets and musicians to the Malayalam music scene. By the middle of the 1950s, the Malayalam film music industry started finding its own identity. This reformation was led by the music directors Brother Laxmanan,G. Devarajan,V. Dakshinamoorthy,M. S. Baburaj andK. Raghavan along with the lyricistsVayalar Ramavarma,P. Bhaskaran,O. N. V. Kurup andSreekumaran Thampi.[68] Major playback singers of that time wereKamukara Purushothaman,K. P. Udayabhanu,A. M. Rajah,P. Leela,Santha P. Nair,Ayiroor Sadasivan, Lalitha Thampi,C. S. Radhadevi,A. K. Sukumaran,B. Vasantha,P. Susheela,P. Madhuri andS. Janaki. Despite that, these singers got high popularity throughout Kerala and were part of the Golden age of Malayalam music (1960 to 1970).
In the later years many non-Malayalis likeManna Dey,Talat Mahmood,Lata Mangeshkar,Asha Bhosle,Hemlata,Kishore Kumar,Mahendra Kapoor andS. P. Balasubrahmanyam sang for Malayalam films. This trend was also found amongcomposers to an extent, with film composers from other languages includingNaushad,Usha Khanna,M. B. Sreenivasan,Ravi,Shyam,Bappi Lahiri,Laxmikant–Pyarelal,Salil Chowdhury,Ilaiyaraaja,Vishal Bhardwaj andA. R. Rahman scoring music for Malayalam films.[68] This can be attributed to the fact that film music inSouth India had a parallel growth pattern with many instances of cross-industry contributions.[citation needed] The late 1950s through the mid-1970s can be considered as the golden period of Malayalam film music in its own identity. Along with the leading music directors, the likes ofM. B. Sreenivasan,M. K. Arjunan, Pukezhenty Vellappan Nair,M. S. Viswanathan,A. T. Ummer,R. K. Shekhar,Salil Chowdhury and lyricists likeThirunainar Kurichi Madhavan Nair,Mankombu Gopalakrishnan and Bharanikkavu Sivakumar, numerous everlasting and hit songs were delivered to the music lovers. The soft melodious music and high quality lyrics were the highlights of these songs.
K. J. Yesudas, who debuted in 1961, virtually revolutionised the Malayalam film music industry and became the most popular Malayalam singer ever along withK. S. Chithra. The trio ofVayalar,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 withP. 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 inSouth India.
By the late 1970s, the trends in music started changing and more rhythm oriented songs with a western touch came with the dominance of music directors likeShyam, K. J. Joy, andJerry Amaldev. The lyricists were forced to write lyrics according to the tune in these days and were often criticised for quality issues. However, from 1979 to 1980, the revolutionary music directorRaveendran along withJohnson andM. G. Radhakrishnan led the second reformation of Malayalam film music by creating melodious and classical oriented music with the soul of the culture of Kerala. Lyricists likePoovachal Khader,Kavalam Narayana Panicker andBichu Thirumala in the 1980s andKaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri,V. Madhusoodanan Nair andGirish Puthenchery in the 1990s were part of this musical success. Contributions fromKannur Rajan,Ravi,S. P. Venkatesh,Mohan Sithara,Ouseppachan,Sharath, Vidyadharan, Raghukumar andVidyasagar were also notable in this period.K. J. Yesudas andK. S. Chithra and singers likeM. G. Sreekumar,G. Venugopal,Radhika Thilak,Unni Menon andSujatha Mohan were also active then. A notable aspect in the later years was the extensive of classicalcarnatic music in many film songs of the 1980s and 1990s. Classical Carnatic music was heavily used in films likeChithram (1988),His Highness Abdullah (1990),Bharatham (1991),Sargam (1992),Kudumbasametham (1992),Sopanam (1993) etc.
At present, the major players in the scene are composers likeA. R. Rahman,M. Jayachandran,Bijibal,Deepak Dev,Rex Vijayan,Jakes Bejoy,Rahul Raj,Prashant Pillai,Shaan Rahman,Sushin Shyam,Gopi Sundar,Alphons Joseph,Rajesh Murugesan,Jassie Gift,Shahabaz Aman,Vishnu Vijay, lyricistsRafeeq Ahamed,Anwar Ali, B. K. Harinarayanan,Vinayak Sasikumar,Sarath andAnil Panachooran, and singersVineeth Sreenivasan,Shreya Ghoshal,Shankar Mahadevan,Vijay Yesudas,Shweta Mohan,Karthik,Naresh Iyer,Manjari,Haricharan,Shahabaz Aman, Sithara Krishnakumar,Vaikom Vijayalakshmi, K. S. Harisankar,Sayanora Philip,Benny Dayal andJyotsna Radhakrishnan, along with stalwarts in the field.
Young composers likeDeepak Dev,Rex Vijayan,Rahul Raj,Jakes Bejoy,Sushin Shyam, andPrashant Pillai are not only known for their catchy tunes, but also for bringing in a lot of electronics, digital sound and a variety of genres in Malayalam film scores and songs.[70]
TheNational Award-winning music composers of Malayalam cinema areJohnson (1994, 1995),Ravi (1995),Ouseppachan (2008),Ilaiyaraaja (2010),Isaac Thomas Kottukapally (2011),Bijibal (2012) andM. Jayachandran (2016). Until 2009, the 1995 National Award that Johnson received for thefilm score ofSukrutham (1994) was the only instance in the history of the award in which the awardee composed theSoundtrack rather than itsPlayback singer. He shared that award with Bombay Ravi, who received the award for composing songs for the same film. In 2010 and 2011, the awards given to film scores were won by Malayalam films:Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja (Ilaiyaraaja) andAdaminte Makan Abu (Isaac Thomas Kottukapally).Raveendran also received aSpecial Mention in 1991 for composing songs for the filmBharatham.
Thelyricists who have won the National Award areVayalar Ramavarma (1973),O. N. V. Kurup (1989) andYusufali Kechery (2001). Themale singers who have received the National Award areK. J. Yesudas (1973, 1974, 1988, 1992, 1994, 2017),P. Jayachandran (1986) andM. G. Sreekumar (1991, 2000). Yesudas has won two more National Awards for singing inHindi (1977) andTelugu (1983) films, which makes him the person who has won the mostNational Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer, with eight. The female singers who have won theaward areS. Janaki (1981) andK. S. Chithra (1987, 1989). Chitra had also won the award for Tamil (1986, 1997, 2005) and Hindi (1998) film songs, which makes her the person with the mostNational Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer awards, six times.
| Year | Title | Director | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Vigathakumaran | J. C. Daniel | First Malayalam feature film. Production started in 1928, and it was released at the Capitol Theatre inThiruvananthapuram 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 | [71] |
| 1933 | Marthanda Varma | P.V. Rao | First copyright case in Indian film industry as well as literature publishing of Kerala | [72] |
| 1938 | Balan | S. Nottani | First talkie in Malayalam. Directed byS. Nottani, this movie was the first commercially successful film | [73] |
| 1948 | Nirmala | P. V. Krishna Iyer | Introduced playback singing in Malayalam cinema | [74] |
| 1951 | Jeevitha Nouka | K. Vembu | FirstBlockbuster at the Kerala box office | [75] |
| 1954 | Neelakuyil | P. Bhaskaran Ramu Kariat | First Malayalam film to win aNational Film Award | [76][54] |
| 1955 | C.I.D. | M. Krishnan Nair | Firstcrime thriller film in Malayalam | [77] |
| Newspaper Boy | P. Ramdas | Firstneo realistic film inMalayalam | [78] | |
| 1960 | Poothaali | P. Subramanyam | 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 throughout this movie. | |
| 1961 | Kandam Bacha Coat | Shiyas Chennattu | Firstcolour film in Malayalam cinema. | [79] |
| 1964 | Bhargavi Nilayam | A. Vincent | Firsthorror film in Malayalam cinema. | [80] |
| 1965 | Chemmeen | Ramu Kariat | First Malayalam as well as South Indian film to win theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film, and the first film to participate in an international film festival | [81] |
| Murappennu | A. Vincent | First film to be shotoutdoors | [82] | |
| 1967 | Chithramela | T. S. Muthiah | Firstanthology film | [83] |
| 1972 | Swayamvaram | Adoor Gopalakrishnan | Pioneered "new-wave cinema movement" in Malayalam; first Malayalam film to win theNational Film Award for Best Direction | [84] |
| 1974 | Kanchana Sita | G. Aravindan | Pioneeredindependent filmmaking in South India[clarification needed] | [85] |
| 1978 | Thacholi Ambu | Navodaya Appachan | FirstCinemaScope film in Malayalam and also the first Malayalam film to gross more than 1 crore at the box office. | [86] |
| 1981 | Oridathoru Phayalvaan | P. Padmarajan | First Malayalam Film won International awards, by winning Best Film and Best Screenplay at 27th Asian Film Festival (1982) | |
| 1982 | Padayottam | Jijo Punnoose | First70mm film in South India | [87] |
| 1984 | My Dear Kuttichathan | Jijo Punnoose | First3D film in India. This is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy film directed byJijo Punnoose and produced by his fatherNavodaya Appachan underNavodaya Studio. It was the first Indian film to be filmed in 3D format. | [16] |
| 1986 | Amma Ariyan | John Abraham | First Malayalam film produced by collecting funds from the public and the onlySouth Indian film to feature in British Film Institute's Top 10 Indian Films list | [88][89] |
| 1993 | O' Faby | K. Sreekuttan | India's first live-action/animation hybrid film | .[90] |
| 1994 | Swaham | Shaji N. Karun | First Malayalam film to compete for thePalme d'Or at theCannes Film Festival | [citation needed] |
| 1997 | Guru | Rajiv Anchal | First Malayalam film to be submitted asIndia's official entry to the Oscars to be considered for nomination in theBest Foreign Language Film category | [91] |
| 2000 | Millennium Stars | Jayaraj | First Malayalam film released in this millennium. | [92] |
| 2005 | Athbhutha Dweepu | Vinayan | The film was given an entry into theGuinness Book of Records for casting the most dwarves in a single film, and its lead actorAjaykumar was given an entry for being the shortest actor to play the lead in the history of cinema. | [93] |
| 2006 | Moonnamathoral | V. K. Prakash | First Malayalam digital movie, and first high-definition (HD) cinema to be digitally distributed to theatres via satellite | [94] |
| 2008 | Twenty:20 | Joshiy | First Malayalam film to cross ₹25 and ₹30 crores gross collection from theatres | [95] |
| 2009 | Pazhassi Raja | Hariharan | First Malayalam film to get ahome video release inBlu-ray format | [96] |
| 2012 | Grandmaster | B. Unnikrishnan | First Malayalam film to release withsubtitles (English) in outside Kerala, in other than film festival screenings. First Malayalam film to release onNetflix. | [97] |
| 2013 | Drishyam | Jeethu Joseph | First Malayalam film to cross ₹50 crores gross collection from theatres | [40] |
| 2016 | Pulimurugan | Vysakh | First Malayalam film to cross ₹100 and ₹150 crores gross collection from theatres | [98] |
| 2020 | Fourth River | RK DreamWest | First Malayalam film to be released directly on theover-the-top (OTT) platform | [99] |
| C U Soon | Mahesh Narayanan | India's firstcomputer screen film | [100] | |
| 2021 | Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam | Don Palathara | First Malayalam film as the entire movie is of an 85 minutesingle shot | |
| Kurup | Srinath Rajendran | First Indian film to haveNon-fungible token (NFT) collectibles. | [101][102] | |
| Minnal Murali | Basil Joseph | FirstSuperhero film of Malayalam cinema | ||
| 2022 | Vazhiye | Nirmal Baby Varghese | FirstFound footage film of Malayalam cinema | [103] |
| Ela Veezha Poonchira | Shahi Kabir | First movie to release in 4k Dolby HDR[citation needed] | ||
| 2024 | Bramayugam | Rahul Sadasivan | Firstmonochrome film in India to cross ₹50 crores gross collection from theatres | |
| Manjummel Boys | Chidambaram | First Malayalam film to cross ₹200 crores gross collection from theatres | ||
| 2025 | L2: Empuraan | Prithviraj Sukumaran | First Malayalam film to release inIMAX andEPIQ resolutions. First Malayalam film to cross the milestone of ₹250. | |
| Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra | Dominic Arun | First Superheroine film of Indian and Malayalam cinema and first Malayalam film to cross₹300 crores in box office collection. | [104][105] |
The Kerala State Film Awards[106] are given to motion pictures made in theMalayalam language. The awards have been bestowed byKerala State Chalachitra Academy[107] since 1998 on behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs of thegovernment 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 inThiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala. It was started in 1996 and is organised byKerala 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.[108]
Today, most of the film studios are located inKochi, where the majority of the pre- and post-film production works are conducted. All the major film production companies in the Malayalam film industry, includingAashirvad Cinemas,Friday Film House,Kokers Media Entertainments,Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments,Prithviraj Productions, are located inKochi.
The Travancore National Pictures[109] was the first film studio in Kerala. It was established byJ. C. Daniel in 1926 inThiruvananthapuram,[110] which was then a part ofTravancore. Producer-directorKunchacko and film distributor K. V. Koshy establishedUdaya Studios inAlappuzha in 1947.[111] The studio influenced the gradual shift of Malayalam film industry from its original base ofChennai,Tamil Nadu to Kerala. In 1951,P. Subramaniam[112] establishedMerryland Studio inNemom,Thiruvananthapuram. The other major studios are Sreekrishna (1952,Thiruvananthapuram), Ajantha[113] (1958, Keezhmadu – now extinct), Chithralekha[114] (1965,Aakkulam,Thiruvananthapuram), Uma Studio[115] (1975,Thiruvananthapuram),Navodaya, Kochi[116] (1978,Thrikkakkara,Kochi) andChitranjali Studio[116] (1980,Thiruvananthapuram).
TheAssociation of Malayalam Movie Artists (A.M.M.A) is an association of Malayalam film actors and artists based inKochi[117] 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 withTwenty:20 to raise funds for its activities.[118]
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.[119]
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