However, critics worry that the new wave’s focus on urban, upper-caste, middle-class angst (coffee shops in Kochi, vacations in Vagamon) is erasing the Dalit and Adivasi (tribal) voices that the early parallel cinema championed. The industry is currently grappling with this: films like Nayattu (2021) (police brutality) and Aavasavyuham (2019) (the surveillance of tribal lands disguised as a sci-fi mockumentary) are pushing back, trying to ensure that the mirror remains clear.
Malayalam cinema began with J.C. Daniel’s silent film Vigathakumaran (1928) . While other Indian regions focused on mythological epics, Daniel chose a family drama, setting a precedent for "social cinema" that remains a hallmark of the industry.
In the 1970s and 80s, directors like John Abraham and G. Aravindan rejected commercial formulas to create a parallel "New Wave" ( Adoor-Gopalakrishnan wave ). Aravindan’s Thambu (1978) and Kummatty (1979) were abstract, folkloric meditations on feudal oppression and the vanishing art forms of North Malabar. Meanwhile, John Abraham’s Amma Ariyan (1986) was a radical, Brechtian exploration of caste and landlord tyranny.
In recent years, Malayalam cinema has experienced a resurgence, with a new generation of filmmakers experimenting with innovative themes and styles. Directors like Adoor Gopalakrishnan, A. K. Gopan, and S. P. Mahesh have gained international recognition for their work, which often explores complex social and cultural issues.
For decades, the "Mammootty-Mohanlal" hero was a stoic, heavy-drinking, philosophizing man-child. Films like Mayanadhi (2017), Thanneer Mathan Dinangal (2019), and Joji (2021) deconstruct this. The hero is now insecure, petty, and emotionally repressed—a direct critique of the Keralite patriarchal culture that smiles at guests but abuses its wife at home.