Malayalam cinema
No. of screens592 screens in Kerala state of India (2022)[1]
Main distributorsAashirvad Cinemas
Amal Neerad Productions
Anto Joseph Film Company
Anwar Rasheed Entertainments
Ashiq Usman Productions
August Cinema
AVA Productions
Bhavana Studios
Collective Phase One
E4 Entertainment
Fahadh Faasil and Friends
Friday Film House
Happy Hours Entertainments
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
Udaya Pictures
Wayfarer Films
Weekend Blockbusters
Working Class Hero
Produced feature films (2019)[2]
Total219

Malayalam cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Malayalam language widely spoken in the state of Kerala, India.[3] In 1982, Elippathayam won the Sutherland Trophy at the London Film Festival, and Most Original Imaginative Film of 1982 by the British Film Institute. The film Marana Simhasanam has won the prestigious Caméra d'Or at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.

Rajiv Anchal's Guru (1997), Salim Ahamed's Adaminte Makan Abu (2011), Lijo Jose Pellissery's Jallikkattu (2019) and Jude Anthany Joseph's 2018 (2023) were Malayalam films sent by India as its official entries for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards.

Other films which achieved global acclaim include Chemmeen (1965), which received a Certificate of Merit at the Chicago International Film Festival, and a gold medal at the Cannes Film Festival for Best Cinematography.[4] Swaham (1994) won the Bronze Rosa Camuna at the Bergamo Film Meeting in Italy.[5][6][7][8] The first 3D film produced in India, My Dear Kuttichathan (1984), was made in Malayalam.[9] The first CinemaScope film produced in Malayalam was Thacholi Ambu (1978).[10]

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.[11] The first talkie in Malayalam was Balan (1938) directed by S. Nottani.[12] During the 1920s, the Malayalam film industry was based in Thiruvananthapuram, although the film industry started to develop and flourish only by the late 1940s. Later the industry shifted to Chennai (formerly Madras), which then was the capital of the South Indian film industry.

By the late 1980s, the Malayalam film industry returned and established itself in Kerala[13] with the majority of locations, studios, production and post-production facilities being located in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. Several media sources describe Kochi as the hub of the film industry.[14][15][16][17] As of 2018, Malayalam cinema has got 14 awards for the best actor, 6 for the best actress, 12 for the best film, and 13 for the best film director at the National Film Awards, India.[18]

History

Vigathakumaran
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.[19][20] 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.[19]

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.[21][22][23]

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.[11] Daniel founded the first film studio, The Travancore National Pictures Limited, in Kerala.[11] A second film, Marthanda Varma, based on a novel by C. V. Raman Pillai, was produced by R. Sundar Raj in 1933. However, after only being shown for four days, the film prints were confiscated due to a legal battle over copyright.[11]

The first talkie in Malayalam was Balan, released in 1938.[12][24][25] 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[26] was the first Malayali producer to venture into this field after JC Daniel. 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. Thus Nirmala set many firsts for introducing play-back singing. P.J. Cherian introduced play-back singing in Malayalam cinema. The lyrics of the film written by G. Sankara Kurup became popular.

Udaya Studios' Vellinakshatram (1949) was the first movie with audio to be made completely in Kerala.

1950s

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.[27] 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.[28]

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, and Jikki were the most prominent singers of the 1950s. The drama artist and school teacher Muthukulam Raghavan Pillai lent many of his skills to the cinema in this period.

1960s

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).

Malayalam cinema's first colour film was Kandam Bacha Coat (1961).

Chemmeen (1965), directed by Ramu Kariat and based on a novel of the same name by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, went on to become very popular and became the first South Indian film to win the National 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.[29]

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.

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 Alleppey (Alappuzha) in 1947, reducing the travel to Madras (Chennai) for film crew and actors. This boosted Malayalam film production in Kerala.

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.

1970s

Adoor Gopalakrishnan is one of the pioneers of Indian parallel cinema.

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 1973 M. T. Vasudevan Nair, who was by then recognised as an important author in Malayalam, directed his first film, Nirmalyam, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. G. Aravindan followed Adoor's lead with his Uttarayanam in 1974. K. P. Kumaran's Adhithi (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 were Mankada Ravi Varma for Swayamvaram (1972), P. S. Nivas for Mohiniyattam (1977), and Shaji N. Karun for Thampu (1979). John Abraham, K. R. Mohanan, K. G. George, and G. S. Panikkar were products of the Pune Film Institute who made significant contributions.

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).

1980s

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.

In 1981 Fazil directed Manjil Virinja Pookal the film also introduced then Romantic star Shankar (actor) and later actor Mohanlal to the world. Adoor Gopalakrishnan made Elippathayam in 1981. This movie won the British Film Institute award. The year 1981 also saw the rise of actor Mammootty through the movie Sphodanam directed by P. G. Viswambharan .

In the 1980s Padmarajan made some of the landmark motion pictures in Malayalam cinema, including masterpieces like Oridathoru Phayalvaan (1981), Koodevide (1983), Thinkalaazhcha Nalla Divasam(1985), Arappatta Kettiya Gramathil (1986), Namukku Parkkan Munthirithoppukal (1986), Thoovanathumbikal (1987),Moonnam Pakkam (1988), Innale (1989) and Season (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 visualized to the celluloid version.

K. G. George released films including Yavanika and Adaminte Vaariyellu. This was the period during which script writer M. T. Vasudevan Nair started teaming up with director Hariharan to produce works like Panchagni, Nakhakshathangal, Aranyakam and Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha. John Abraham's films such as Amma Ariyaan addressed people's issues and raised the finance directly from people. The period had movies with humour from directors like Priyadarshan, Sathyan Anthikad, Kamal and Siddique-Lal. Piravi (1989) by Shaji N. Karun was the first Malayalam film to win the Caméra d'Or-Mention at the Cannes Film Festival.[5]

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.[30]

1990s

Some examples are Mathilukal (1990) directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Kattukuthira (1990) directed by P. G. Viswambharan, Amaram (1991) directed by Bharathan, Ulladakkam (1992) directed by Kamal, Kilukkam (1991) directed by Priyadarshan, Kamaladalam (1992) by Sibi Malayil, Vidheyan (1993) by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Devaasuram (1993) by I. V. Sasi, Manichitrathazhu (1993) by Fazil, Ponthan Mada (1993) by T. V. Chandran, Spadikam (1995) by Bhadran, Commissioner(1994) The King (1995) by Shaji Kailas, Hitler (1996) by Siddique and Desadanam (1997) by Jayaraj. Due to a series of comedy films produced between the late 1980s and late 1990s made actors like Jagadish, Siddique, Mukesh, Sreenivasan and Jayaram became very popular for their comedy roles. This series of comedy films begun in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with comedy films by Sathyan Anthikad and Siddique-Lal, like Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu, Mazhavilkavadi, Ramji Rao Speaking, Thalayana Manthram, In Harihar Nagar, and Godfather, and some of them went on to be remade by other directors in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and other languages. The success of In Harihar Nagar led to the production of a series of comedy films in the early and mid-1990s.

Swaham (1994), directed by Shaji N. Karun, was the first Malayalam film entry for the competition in the Cannes International Film Festival, where it was a nominee for the Palme d'Or. Murali Nair's Marana Simhasanam later won the Caméra d'Or at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.[31] Guru (1997), directed by Rajiv Anchal, was chosen as India'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 writer A.K. Lohithadas made his directorial debut with Bhoothakkannadi, for which he won the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director.

2000s

The millennium started with a blockbuster hit Narasimham starring Mohanlal . 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) by Johny Antony, Meesa Madhavan (2002) by Lal Jose and Kunjikoonan (2002) directed by Sasi Shanker are examples. Sequels to a number of successful films were made. Some movies were examples of exemplary film making, such as Meghamalhar, Madhuranombarakattu, Nandanam, Perumazhakkalam, and Kaazhcha. In 2008, Malayalam movie artists came together in the multistar film Twenty:20 to raise funds for the AMMA.[32]

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.[33]

2010s

After several years of quality deterioration, Malayalam films saw the signs of massive resurgence after 2010[34] with the release of several experimental films (known as New Wave or New Generation films),[35] mostly from new directors. New Wave is characterised by fresh and unusual themes and new narrative techniques.[34][36] These films differ from conventional themes of the 1990s and 2000s and have introduced several new trends to the Malayalam industry.[37] 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.[38] The new generation also helped the Malayalam film industry regain its past glory.[39]

Salim Ahamed's Adaminte Makan Abu was chosen as India's official entry to the Academy 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 by Peruchazhi (2014), which released in 500 screens worldwide on 29 August.[40] 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.[41] 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,[42] with fans citing cultural similarities between Sinhalese people and Malayalis as a reason.[42] 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.

2020s

In November 2020, Lijo Jose Pellissery's film Jallikattu was selected as India's submission for Oscar for best foreign language film making as third Malayalam film as entry.[43] In 2020 a mid the COVID-19 lockdown, Sufiyum Sujatayum, starring Jayasurya and Aditi Rao Hydari, has become the first Malayalam film to be released on the Amazon 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 and Malik made their list in the highest rated 2021 movies in Imdb.

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. In March 2022, Amal Neeerad's Bheeshma Parvam took the record for the biggest opening weekend ever in Kerala for a Malayalam movie. The Mammooty starring action thriller grossed Rs. 21-21.25 crores in the state during its 4-days weekend, besting the previous record held by Lucifer which earned Rs. 20 crores.[44] in 2023 , disaster film 2018 was selected as India's submission for Oscar for best international film[45]

Pioneering film-making techniques

Newspaper Boy (1955), a neorealistic film, drew inspiration from Italian neorealism.[10][46] Padayottam (1982) was India's first indigenously produced 70 mm film,[47] while My Dear Kuttichathan (1984) was India's first 3D film.[9] O' Faby (1993) was India's first Live action/animation hybrid film.[48]

Amma Ariyan (1986) was 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.[49]

Moonnamathoral (2006) was the first Indian film to be shot and distributed in digital format.[50]

Jalachhayam (2010) was the world first feature film shot entirely on a cell phone camera[51] and it was also an experimental film directed by Sathish Kalathil who is the director of Veena Vaadanam, the first documentary film in India shot with the same movie capture medium.

Villain (2017) is the first Indian film to be shot entirely in 8K resolution.[52]

Vazhiye (2022) is the first found footage film of Malayalam Cinema.[53]

Notable personalities

Directors

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.[54] 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 film Neelakuyil (1954), directed by Ramu Kariat and P. Bhaskaran, shed a lot of limelight over its directors.[46] 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.[55] 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.[56]

In the 1980s and early 1990s, a new array of directors joined the stalwarts who had already made a mark in the industry. This period saw the narrowing of the gap between the different streams of the industry.[46] Directors like P. G. Viswambharan, K. G. George, Priyadarshan, I. V. Sasi, John Abraham, Fazil, Joshiy, Bhadran, Kamal, Sibi Malayil, Hariharan, Sathyan Anthikad, K. Madhu and Siddique–Lal contributed significantly . There were also extraordinary screenwriters like M. T. Vasudevan Nair, T. Damodaran, A. K. Lohithadas and Sreenivasan, whose contributions were also commendable.

The 2000s saw a decline in the quality of Malayalam films. Many directors who had excelled in the Golden Age struggled as many of their films continuously failed critically and commercially. As a result, the gap between parallel cinema (now known as art cinema) and mainstream cinema (now known as commercial cinema) widened. The 2000s also saw a commercial film formula being created in line with Tamil cinema and Hindi cinema films. Directors like Shaji Kailas, Rafi–Mecartin and Anwar Rasheed directed blockbusters which had few artistic merits to boast of. Despite the overall decline, some directors stood apart and made quality cinema. Shaji N. Karun, Lenin Rajendran, Shyamaprasad and Jayaraj made films that won laurels. Notable directors who debuted in this time include Blessy, Lal Jose, R.Sharath, Ranjith, Rosshan Andrrews, Amal Neerad, Aashiq Abu, Dr. Biju, Vineeth Sreenivasan and Lijo Jose Pellissery.

Out of the 40 National Film Award for Best Direction given away till 2007, Malayalam directors have received 12. The directors who have won include Adoor 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 the Special Jury Award as well: Mankada Ravi Varma (1984), John Abraham (1987), Shaji N. Karun (1995) and Pradeep Nair (2005).[57][58]

Film music

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.[59] 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.[60]

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 and K. Raghavan along with the lyricists Vayalar Ramavarma, P. Bhaskaran, O. N. V. Kurup and Sreekumaran Thampi.[61] Major playback singers of that time were Kamukara 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 and S. 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 like Manna Dey, Talat Mahmood, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Hemlata, Kishore Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam sang for Malayalam films. This trend was also found among composers to an extent, with film composers from other languages including Naushad, Usha Khanna, M. B. Sreenivasan, Ravi, Shyam, Bappi Lahiri, Laxmikant–Pyarelal, Salil Chowdhury, Ilaiyaraaja, Vishal Bhardwaj and A. R. Rahman scoring music for Malayalam films.[61] This can be attributed to the fact that film music in South India had a parallel growth pattern with many instances of cross-industry contributions. 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 of M. B. Sreenivasan, M. K. Arjunan, Pukezhenty Vellappan Nair, M. S. Viswanathan, A. T. Ummer, R. K. Shekhar, Salil Chowdhury and lyricists like Thirunainar 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 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.[62] 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.

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 like Shyam, K. J. Joy, and Jerry 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 director Raveendran along with Johnson and M. 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 like Poovachal Khader, Kavalam Narayana Panicker and Bichu Thirumala in the 1980s and Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri, V. Madhusoodanan Nair and Girish Puthenchery in the 1990s were part of this musical success. Contributions from Kannur Rajan, Ravi, S. P. Venkatesh, Mohan Sithara, Ouseppachan, Sharath, Vidyadharan, Raghukumar and Vidyasagar were also notable in this period. K. J. Yesudas and K. S. Chithra and singers like M. G. Sreekumar, G. Venugopal, Radhika Thilak, Unni Menon and Sujatha Mohan were also active then. A notable aspect in the later years was the extensive of classical carnatic music in many film songs of the 1980s and 1990s. Classical Carnatic music was heavily used in films like Chithram (1988), His Highness Abdullah (1990), Bharatham (1991), Sargam (1992), Kudumbasametham (1992), Sopanam (1993) etc.

At present, the major players in the scene are composers like A. 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, lyricists Rafeeq Ahamed, Anwar Ali, B. K. Harinarayanan, Vinayak Sasikumar, Sarath and Anil Panachooran, and singers Vineeth 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 and Jyotsna Radhakrishnan, along with stalwarts in the field.

Young composers like Deepak Dev, Rex Vijayan, Rahul Raj, Jakes Bejoy, Sushin Shyam, and Prashant 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.[63]

The National Award-winning music composers of Malayalam cinema are Johnson (1994, 1995), Ravi (1995), Ouseppachan (2008), Ilaiyaraaja (2010), Isaac Thomas Kottukapally (2011), Bijibal (2012) and M. Jayachandran (2016). Until 2009, the 1995 National Award that Johnson received for the film score of Sukrutham (1994) was the only instance in the history of the award in which the awardee composed the Soundtrack rather than its Playback 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) and Adaminte Makan Abu (Isaac Thomas Kottukapally). Raveendran also received a Special Mention in 1991 for composing songs for the film Bharatham.

The lyricists who have won the National Award are Vayalar Ramavarma (1973), O. N. V. Kurup (1989) and Yusufali Kechery (2001). The male singers who have received the National Award are K. J. Yesudas (1973, 1974, 1988, 1992, 1994, 2017), P. Jayachandran (1986) and M. G. Sreekumar (1991, 2000). Yesudas has won two more National Awards for singing in Hindi (1977) and Telugu (1983) films, which makes him the person who has won the most National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer, with eight. The female singers who have won the award are S. Janaki (1981) and K. 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 most National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer awards, six times.

Landmark films

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 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 [64]
1933 Marthanda Varma P.V. Rao First copyright case in Indian film industry as well as literature publishing of Kerala [65]
1938 Balan S. Nottani First talkie in Malayalam.Directed by S. Nottani, the movie was the first commercially successful film [66]
1948 Nirmala P. V. Krishna Iyer Introduced playback singing in Malayalam cinema [67]
1951 Jeevitha Nouka K. Vembu First Blockbuster at the Kerala box office [68]
1954 Neelakuyil P. Bhaskaran
Ramu Kariat		 First Malayalam film to win a National Film Award [69][46]
1955 C.I.D. M. Krishnan Nair First crime thriller film in Malayalam [70]
1955 Newspaper Boy P. Ramdas First neo realistic film in Malayalam [71]
1961 Kandam Bacha Coat Shiyas Chennattu First colour film in Malayalam cinema. [72]
1964 Bhargavi Nilayam A. Vincent First horror film in Malayalam cinema. [73]
1965 Chemmeen Ramu Kariat 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 [74]
1965 Murappennu A. Vincent First film to be shot outdoors [75]
1967 Chithramela T. S. Muthiah First anthology film [76]
1972 Swayamvaram Adoor Gopalakrishnan Pioneered "new-wave cinema movement" in Malayalam; first Malayalam film to win the National Film Award for Best Direction [77]
1974 Kanchana Sita G. Aravindan Pioneered independent filmmaking in South India [78]
1978 Thacholi Ambu Navodaya Appachan First CinemaScope film in Malayalam and also the first Malayalam film to gross more than 1 crore at the box office. [79]
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 First 70mm film in South India [80]
1984 My Dear Kuttichathan Jijo Punnoose 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. [9]
1986 Amma Ariyan John Abraham 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 [81][82]
1993 O' Faby K. Sreekuttan India's first live-action/animation hybrid film .[83]
1994 Swaham Shaji N. Karun First Malayalam film to compete for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival
1997 Guru Rajiv Anchal First Malayalam film to be submitted as India's official entry to the Oscars to be considered for nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category [84]
2005 Athbhutha Dweepu Vinayan 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. [85]
2006 Moonnamathoral V. K. Prakash First Malayalam digital movie, and first high-definition (HD) cinema to be digitally distributed to theatres via satellite [86]
2009 Pazhassi Raja Hariharan First Malayalam film to get a home video release in Blu-ray format [87]
2010 Jalachhayam Sathish Kalathil First feature film shot entirely on a Mobile phone camera .[88]
2012 Grandmaster B. Unnikrishnan First Malayalam film to release with subtitles (English) in outside Kerala, in other than film festival screenings.
First Malayalam film to release on Netflix.		 [89]
2013 Drishyam Jeethu Joseph First Malayalam film to cross ₹500 million (US$6.3 million) gross collection from theatres [41]
2016 Pulimurugan Vysakh First Malayalam film to cross ₹1 billion (US$13 million) gross collection from theatres [90]
2020 Fourth River RK DreamWest First Malayalam film to be released directly on the over-the-top (OTT) platform [91]
2020 C U Soon Mahesh Narayanan India's first computer screen film [92]
2021 Minnal Murali Basil Joseph First Superhero film of Malayalam Cinema
2022 vazhiye Nirmal Baby Varghese First Found footage film of Malayalam Cinema [53]

Kerala State Film Awards

The Kerala State Film Awards[93] are given to motion pictures made in the Malayalam language. The awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Chalachitra Academy[94] 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.

International Film Festival of Kerala

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.[95]

Film studios

The Travancore National Pictures[96] was the first film studio in Kerala. It was established by J. C. Daniel in 1926 in Thiruvananthapuram,[97] which was then a part of Travancore. Producer-director Kunchacko and film distributor K. V. Koshy established Udaya Studios in Alappuzha in 1947.[98] The studio influenced the gradual shift of Malayalam film industry from its original base of Chennai, Tamil Nadu to Kerala. In 1951, P. Subramaniam[99] established Merryland Studio in Nemom, Thiruvananthapuram. The other major studios are Sreekrishna (1952, Thiruvananthapuram), Ajantha[100] (1958, Keezhmadu – now extinct), Chithralekha[101] (1965, Aakkulam, Thiruvananthapuram), Uma Studio[102] (1975, Thiruvananthapuram), Navodaya[103] (1978, Thrikkakkara) and Chitranjali Studio[103] (1980, Thiruvananthapuram).

Organisations

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (A.M.M.A)[104] 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.[105]

Organizations 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.[106]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Vinayak, A. J. (28 September 2022). "Why films from the South set the box office on fire". The Hindu Business Line. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  2. ↑ "The Digital March Media & Entertainment in South India" (PDF). Deloitte. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  3. ↑ Kumar, K.G. (18 May 2009). "What Mollywood can learn from Nollywood". Business Line. Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  4. ↑ "Fifty and still refreshing"[usurped]. The Hindu. 11 August 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  5. 1 2 "PIRAVI". Festival de Cannes. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "SWAHAM". Festival de Cannes. Archived from the original on 22 August 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  7. ↑ "MARANA SIMHASANAM". Festival de Cannes. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  8. ↑ "100 Years of Indian Cinema: The 100 greatest Indian films of all time". IBNLive. Archived from the original on 25 April 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 thssk. "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)
  10. 1 2 "An interview with 'Navodaya' Appachan". Archives.chennaionline.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  11. 1 2 3 4 The History of Cinema, by Chelangatt Gopalakrishnan
  12. 1 2 "A nostalgic look at Malayalam cinema". The Hindu. 15 August 2004. Archived from the original on 23 September 2009.
  13. ↑ official website of INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATION DEPARTMENT Archived 4 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Prd.kerala.gov.in. Retrieved on 29 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "Kochi sizzling onscreen". The New Indian Express. 29 January 2013. Archived from the original on 26 May 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  15. ↑ "Mollywood comes home to Kochi". The Hindu. 4 March 2013. Archived from the original on 15 May 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  16. ↑ "Veedu". Malayala Manorama. 23 May 2013. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  17. ↑ "Mini-film city at Ramanthuruth". The Times of India. 7 November 2017. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  18. ↑ Chandran 2018, p. 358-361.
  19. 1 2 Roy Armes (1987). Third World film making and the West. University of California Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-520-90801-7. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  20. ↑ AMMA. "malayalamcinema". malayalamcinema.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  21. ↑ "A true adventurer". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  22. ↑ "Cinema". Keralawindow. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  23. ↑ "History of Malayalam cinema". Cinema Malayalam. Archived from the original on 7 May 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  24. ↑ Jonathan Crow (2012). "Balan (1938)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  25. ↑ Senapati, Udai (13 March 2022). Filmmaking. K. K. Publications. p. 52. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  26. ↑ "Artist P.J. Cherian". artistpjcherian.com. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  27. ↑ "Free music website-jaimusiconline.com". Archived from the original on 27 December 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  28. ↑ "Malayalam Movie, Malayalam Movies, Malayalam Cinema, Malayalam Movie News, Latest Malayalam Movie News, New Malayalam Movie, Latest Malayalam Cinema". Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  29. ↑ C. S.Venkiteswaran. A historical overview. p. 1.
  30. ↑ "Soft-porn boom hits commercial cinema in Kerala like a bolt from the blue". India Today. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  31. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Throne of Death". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  32. ↑ "Mother of all multistarrers!". Sify. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012.
  33. ↑ "Pornography is big business in Malayalam film industry". India Today. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  34. 1 2 "Malayalam new generation films failing to click?". indianexpress.com. 2 July 2013. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  35. ↑ "Glorious 100". Khaleej Times. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  36. ↑ "Malayalam cinema pushes the envelope : NATION – India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 7 July 2012. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  37. ↑ Vijay George (27 December 2012). "Arts / Cinema : The show goes on..." The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 13 September 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  38. ↑ Venkiteswaran, C. S. (2 October 2013). "New trails of discovery". Frontline. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  39. ↑ Gauri, Deepa. "Hit parade". Khaleej Times. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  40. ↑ Nicy V.P (26 August 2014). "Malayalam Wrap up: Mohanlal's 'Peruchazhi' to Release in 500 Screens". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  41. 1 2 Rajaneesh Vilakudy (14 December 2014). "Is Drishyam, Malayalam cinema's biggest hit? Jeethu Joseph answers" Archived 26 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  42. 1 2 "Sri Lankan south's lost ties with south India". The Hindu. 17 June 2018. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  43. ↑ Kumar, P. k Ajith (25 November 2020). "Malayalam Film Jallikattu is India's official Entry to the oscars". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  44. ↑ "Box Office: Mammootty's Bheeshma Parvam scores Opening weekend record in Kerala". PINKVILLA. 7 March 2022. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  45. ↑ "Malayalam Film 2018 Is India's Official Oscar Entry". NDTV. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  46. 1 2 3 4 "Cinema History Malayalam Cinema". Malayalamcinema.com. Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  47. ↑ "Rediff Movies: Team of 48". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  48. ↑ "The Rhythm of Arts". Kalakeralam.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  49. ↑ Rajmohan. "John Abraham". Cinemaofmalayalam.net. Archived from the original on 19 January 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  50. ↑ History of Malayalam Cinema Archived 23 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Cinemaofmalayalam.net. Retrieved on 29 July 2013.
  51. ↑ "Film shot with cell phone camera premiered". The Hindu. 7 June 2010. Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  52. ↑ "Mohanlals Villain shot an released in 8K resolution – Malayalam Movie News – IndiaGlitz". IndiaGlitz.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  53. 1 2 Shilpa Nair Anand (1 December 2020). "'Vazhiye': A 'found footage' film in Malayalam". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  54. ↑ Rajmohan. "History of Malayalam Cinema". Cinemaofmalayalam.net. Archived from the original on 30 July 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  55. ↑ Rajmohan. "History of Malayalam Cinema". Cinemaofmalayalam.net. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  56. ↑ Rajmohan. "History of Malayalam Cinema". Cinemaofmalayalam.net. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  57. ↑ "Directorate of Film Festival" (PDF). iffi.nic.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  58. ↑ "www.oridam.com". Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  59. ↑ "Music". Keral.com. Archived from the original on 2 August 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  60. ↑ Pradeep, K (25 April 2008). "Family affair". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 21 October 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  61. 1 2 Jason Kaitholil. "Cinema History". AMMA (Malayalamcinema.com). Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  62. ↑ "K.J. Yesudas". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 30 December 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  63. ↑ CONTRIBUTE ARTICLES/REVIEWS – The healing power of Music &n Archived 28 January 2013 at archive.today. Malayalammusic.com. Retrieved on 29 July 2013.
  64. ↑ Special Correspondent (3 March 2013). "'Vigathakumaran' did not face caste hostility: Adoor". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  65. ↑ Vijayakumar, B. (27 January 2013). "Old is Gold: Marthanda Varma, 1931". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 November 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  66. ↑ Staff Reporter (28 May 2013). "Celebrating 75th anniversary of Balan, the first Malayalam talkie". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 June 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  67. ↑ "Tribute : Family affair". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 25 April 2008. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  68. ↑ Thoraval, Yves (1998). The cinemas of India (Les Cinemas de L lnde) (in French). France: Macmillan India. ISBN 0-333-93410-5.
  69. ↑ B. Vijayakumar (25 October 2008). "Neelakuyil 1954". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 October 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  70. ↑ Vijayakumar, B. (28 September 2014). "Panchathantram: 1974". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  71. ↑ "Newspaper Boy:' a flashback to the Fifties". The Hindu. 20 May 2005. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015.
  72. ↑ "Columns : KANDAM BACHA COATU 1961". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 8 November 2008. Archived from the original on 21 October 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  73. ↑ kikvn (4 September 2006). "MACTA to remake 'Bhargavi Nilayam'". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 21 March 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  74. ↑ "'Chemmeen' is 40". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 16 November 2005. Archived from the original on 18 April 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  75. ↑ "Notes". Mtvasudevannair.com. Archived from the original on 28 October 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  76. ↑ B. Vijayakumar. (19 June 2011). "CHITRAMELA 1967" Archived 23 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. The Hindu. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  77. ↑ Rajmohan. "Interview: Adoor". Cinemaofmalayalam.net. Archived from the original on 18 February 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  78. ↑ Jayaram, S. B. (1992). Aravindan and His Films. Trivandrum: Chalachitra. pp. 1–36. OCLC 33983644.
  79. ↑ Shivpprasadh, S. (10 May 2012). "He cast a 3-D spell". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  80. ↑ R. Ayyappan (1 January 2000). "Sleaze time, folks". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  81. ↑ Kumar, P. K. Ajith (24 October 2011). "After Amma Ariyan, a new role". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  82. ↑ "Top 10 Indian Films". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011.
  83. ↑ "Of Faby and his father Interview with Director K. Sreekkuttan". Aiswarya Tanish. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  84. ↑ Rediff On The Net, Movies: An interview with Rajeev Anchal, director of the Oscar-nominated Guru Archived 2 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Rediff.com (16 March 1998). Retrieved on 29 July 2013.
  85. ↑ "Undapakru, shortest actor". Archived from the original on 5 July 2008.
  86. ↑ Kumar, P. K. Ajith (1 September 2006). "Change of scene". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  87. ↑ "Mammotty's Pazhassi Raja, the first Malayalam film on Blu –Ray!". Southscope.in. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  88. ↑ "Film shot with cell phone camera premiered". The Hindu. 7 June 2010. Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  89. ↑ Moviebuzz (14 May 2014). "Malayalam films to come with English subtitles". Sify. Archived from the original on 13 June 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  90. ↑ "Mohanlal's Pulimurugan becomes first Malayalam film to gross over 100 crore rupees". Deccan Chronicle. 7 November 2016. Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  91. ↑ "ആദ്യമായി ഡിജിറ്റൽ റിലീസിനെത്തുന്ന മലയാള സിനിമയാവാൻ 'നാലാം നദി'; പ്രദർശനം ആമസോൺ പ്രൈമിൽ". News18 Malayalam. 19 May 2020. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  92. ↑ 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.
  93. ↑ "AWARDS – Kerala Chalachitra Academy". Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  94. ↑ "HOME – Kerala Chalachitra Academy". keralafilm.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  95. ↑ Saraswathy Nagarajan (6 December 2012). "Best of world cinema". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  96. ↑ "J C Daniel". Archived from the original on 6 June 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  97. ↑ "The Kerala Movie Studio Legacy – JC Daniel's The Travancore National Pictures – OLD MALAYALAM CINEMA". OLD MALAYALAM CINEMA. 11 January 2013. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  98. ↑ "Official website of INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATION DEPARTMENT". kerala.gov.in. Archived from the original on 12 April 2014.
  99. ↑ "Visionary and entrepreneur". The Hindu. 2 January 2009. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  100. ↑ K. PRADEEP (28 February 2013). "The story of a studio". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  101. ↑ "www.keralahistory.ac.in". keralahistory.ac.in. Archived from the original on 11 July 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  102. ↑ Baiju Chandran (28 November 2013). "The Capital of cinema". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  103. 1 2 "Untitled Page". Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  104. ↑ "Malayalamcinema.com, Official website of AMMA, Malayalam Film news, Malayalam Movie Actors & Actress, Upcoming Malayalam movies". malayalamcinema.com. Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  105. ↑ The Hindu (June 2006), "AMMA office-bearers assume charge", The Hindu, Chennai, India, archived from the original on 22 December 2007, retrieved 25 December 2008
  106. ↑ "The Hindu Business Line : No show: Cinema bandh total in Kerala". thehindubusinessline.com. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2007.

Sources

  • Chandran, VP (2018). Mathrubhumi Yearbook Plus – 2019 (Malayalam ed.). Kozhikode: P. V. Chandran, Managing Editor, Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Company Limited, Kozhikode.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Malayalam cinema.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.