MALAYALA CINEMA

logo of amma
the malayalam cinema association

The cinema of Kerala or Malayalam cinema refers to the film industry in the Indian state of Kerala, which makes

films in the Malayalam language. Malayalam movies typically portray social or family issues and are considered

more realistic and highbrow than Bollywood movies. In spite of the movies' relatively low budgets, Malayalam

cinema has pioneered various technical, thematic and production techniques among films in India. The first 3-D film

produced in India, My Dear Kuttichathan (1984), was made in Malayalam. The first CinemaScope film produced in

South India was the Malayalam film Thacholi Ambu (1978).

At first (beginning in the 1920s), the Malayalam film industry was based in Thiruvananthapuram. Later, the industry

shifted to Chennai, which then was the capital of the southern Indian film industry. In the 2000s, the Malayalam film

industry returned to Kerala and established itself in Kochi.

Many Malayalam films have been remade in other languages, including Garam Masala, Kyon Ki, Billu, Bhool

Bhulaiyaa, Hera Pheri, Chup Chup Ke (in Hindi), Dindigul Sarathy, Sundara Travels, Friends, Ninaithale Inikkum,

Perazhagan, Kuselan, Chandramukhi (in Tamil), Classmates, Chandralekha (in Telugu), Aaptamitra, Manmatha, and

Bellary Naga (in Kannada).

History of Malayalam cinema

The early era (1907-1950s)

Cinemas before the first film

The first cinema hall in Kerala, with a manually operated film projector, was opened in Trichur by K. W. Joseph in

1907. In 1913, the first electrically operated film projector was established (in Trichur again) by Jose Kattukkaran

and was called the "Jose Electrical Bioscope". Soon such cinema halls were established in other major cities of

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Kerala. In the early days, Tamil, Hindi and English films were exhibited in these theatres.

The first film (silent movie, 1928)

The first film to be made in Malayalam was Vigathakumaran, which was released in 1930. It was produced and

directed by J. C. Daniel, and for this work he is credited as the father of Malayalam cinema. The shooting of the first

Malayalam film, the silent movie Vigathakumaran, was started in 1928; the film was released in Trivandrum Capitol

Theatre on November 7, 1930. It was produced and directed by J. C. Daniel, a businessman with no prior film

experience. Daniel founded the first film studio, 'The Travancore National Pictures Limited' in Kerala.

The second film, Marthanda Varma, based on a novel by C. V. Raman Pillai, was produced by R. Sundar Raj in 1933.

However, it became stranded in a legal battle over copyright issues[clarification needed] and the court ordered the

confiscation of the prints. As a result, the second movie's exhibition lasted only four days.

The first talkie (1938)

The first talkie in Malayalam was Balan, released in 1938. It was directed by S. Nottani with a screenplay and

songs written by Muthukulam Raghavan Pillai. It was produced at Chennai (then Madras) in the neighbouring state

of Tamil Nadu. Malayalam films continued to be made mainly by Tamil producers until 1947, when the first major

film studio, Udaya, was established in Kerala, in Alleppey (Alappuzha) by Kunchacko, who earned fame as a film

producer and director.

1950s

Malayalam cinema has always taken its themes from relevant social issues and has been interwoven with material

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from literature, drama, and politics since its inception. One such film, Jeevitha Nouka (1951), was a musical drama

which spoke about the problems in a joint family. This movie became very popular and was probably the first "super

hit" of Malayalam cinema. However, this movie's success was bittersweet. Although its success accelerated

Malayalam movie-making, films that were produced after Jeevitha Nouka closely mimicked its structure, hoping to

find some sort of "success formula", thus hampering creativity for a long time. Nevertheless, this time was hailed

as "the period of giants" in Malayalam film industry, due to the work of film stars Sathyan and Prem Nazir.

Sathyan

Prem Nazir

In 1954, the film Neelakuyil captured national interest by winning the President's silver medal. Scripted by the

well-known Malayalam novelist Uroob, and directed by P. Bhaskaran and Ramu Kariat, it is often considered the

first authentic Malayali film. Another notable production was Newspaper Boy (1955), which 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.

Further information: Malayalam films: 1928–1959

1960s

Ramu Kariat, one of the directors of Neelakkuyil (the other was P. Bhaskaran), went on to become a celebrated

director in the 1960s and 1970s. P. Bhaskaran also directed a few acclaimed films in the 1960s. 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). The

era of colour films came to Malayalam cinema with its first colour film, Kandam Bacha Coat (1961). Chemmeen

(1965), directed by Ramu Kariat and based on a story by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, went on to become

immensely popular, and became the first Malayalam film to win the National Film Award for Best Film.

During the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Kunchacko made significant contributions to Malayalam cinema, both as a

producer and as director of some notable Malayalam 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.

Further information: Malayalam films of the 1960s

1970s

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 recognized 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

which 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 Thamp (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 revitalize society. A noted director, Aravindan was famous in Kerala as a cartoonist before he

started making films. His important movies include Kanchana Seeta (1977), Thampu (1978), Kummatty (1979),

Chidambaram (1985), Oridathu (1986), and Vasthuhara (1990). Also, commercial cinema in this period saw several

workerclass themed films which mostly had M. G. Soman and Sukumaran in the lead followed by the emergence of

a new genre of pure action themed films, in a movement led by action star Jayan who is usually considered as the

first genuine commercial superstar of malayalam cinema. But this was shortlived, and almost ended with Jayan's

untimely death. Neverthless, it paved way for different films and future actors who proved their talents in both

commercial and art genres, the most famous of them being Mohanlal and Mammooty.

Further information: Malayalam films of the 1970s

1980s

Adoor Gopalakrishnan made Elippathayam in 1981. This movie was widely acclaimed and won the British Film

Institute award. His other movies include Mukhamukham (1984), Anantharam (1987) Mathilukal (1989), Vidheyan

(1994), Kathapurushan (1995), and Nizhalkuthu (2003), I.V. Sasi the path breaker who has directed more than 131

odd films over a span of 34 years made "Kanamarayathu" (1984), Padmarajan made his early works in this period

including the movie Koodevide? (1983).

P. A. Backer and Bharathan are other names worth mentioning.

[edit]Golden age of Malayalam cinema

Most critics and audiences consider the period from the late 1980s to early 1990s as the golden age of

Malayalam cinema. 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 brilliant

cinematography and lighting as in motion pictures like Perumthachan (1990), directed by Ajayan with Santosh Sivan

as the cinematographer. These films are also remembered for their warm background music by composers like

Johnson, as in the motion picture Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal (1986) by Padmarajan. The golden age saw

big actors like Mammootty, Mohanlal, etc.

Many of the movies released during this time narrowed the gap between art cinema and commercial cinema in the

Malayalam film industry, as in Mrigaya starring Mammootty (1989, directed by I.V. Sasi and written by Lohithadas),

Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), starring Mammootty,Kireedam (1989, directed by Sibi Malayil, starring Mohanlal

and written by Lohithadas), Mathilukal starring Mammootty (1989, directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan), Amaram

starring Mammootty (1991, directed by Bharathan), Kakkothikkavile Appooppan Thaadikal (1988, directed by

Kamal) and Sargam (1992, directed by Hariharan).

The period had an abundance of movies rich in creative humour from directors like Priyadarshan, Sathyan

Anthikkad and Kamal. The era also saw well-crafted comedy by the Duo Siddique-Lal's, Ramji Rao Speaking (1989)

and In Harihar Nagar (1990). The internationally acclaimed Piravi (1989) by Shaji N. Karun was the first Malayalam

film to win the Caméra d'Or-Mention at the Cannes Film Festival. Other notable contributions of this period include

His Highness Abdullah (1990) directed by Sibi Malayil, Abhayam (1991) directed by Santosh Sivan, and the motion

picture Daisy (1988) an expressive depiction of separation and longing set in a boarding school, directed by Prathap

K. Pothan.

Further information: Malayalam films of the 1980s

1990s

Some examples are Mathilukal (1990) directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Bharatham (1991) by Sibi Malayil,

Ulladakkam (1991) directed by Kamal, Kilukkam (1991) directed by Priyadarshan, Kamaladalam (1992) by Sibi

Malayil, Vidheyan (1993) by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Devaasuram (1993) by I. V. Sasi, Manichithrathazhu (1993) by

Fazil, Ponthan Mada (1993) by T. V. Chandran, and Desadanam (1997) by Jayaraaj. Swaham (1994), directed by

Shaji N. Karun, was the second Malayalam film entry 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. 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 and last film in Malayalam, so far,

to be chosen for Oscar nomination.

Further information: Malayalam films of the 1990s

Early-mid 2000s

Slapstick comedy was the predominant theme in 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. These include blockbuster hit Raavanaprabhu (Devaasuram) and the sequels to the

80s hit movie Oru CBI Diarykurippu, named Sethurama Iyer CBI (2004) and Nerariyan CBI (2005), which were well

received. Many movies during the early 2000s were of low quality. Adding to this crisis, a parallel culture of

adult-content movies named "Shakeela films" emerged to be the best grossers for more than a year. Malayalam

cinema saw a rare dearth of talent. At the same time, Tamil movies saw a surge of new talent in scriptwriters,

directors and actors. This resulted in increased popularity of Tamil and Hindi movies in Kerala. Several film

theatres were closed in rural Kerala and were converted to marriage halls. But by the last of year 2003, it was a

happy season for the industry.

Further information: Malayalam films of the 2000s

Late 2000s

Malayalam movies saw a comeback in 2005. New directors such as Lal Jose, Roshan Andrews, Blessy and Anwar

Rasheed brought back original scripts to Malayalam movies. Notable movies of this era are Kaazhcha, Udayananu

Tharam, Notebook, Classmates, Keerthi Chakra, Vinodayathra, Rajamanikyam, Arabikkatha, and Kadha

Parayumbol. About half of Malayalam movies are remade into other languages. This era has seen new promising

actors like Dileep, Kunchako Boban, Prithviraj, Jayasurya, and Indrajith, along with stalwarts Mammooty, Mohanlal,

Suresh Gopi and Jayaram.

Pioneered film-making techniques

Malayalam films cater to people living in the South Indian state of Kerala and emigrants from it. The total

population of Malayalees, as they are called, is around 40 million, out of which about 60% can be estimated as

filmgoing.[citation needed] Most Malayalam films are made with a budget ranging from Rs 2 crore to 10 crores

(approximately US$0.2 million to 1 million).[citation needed] Since 2007, Malayalam cinema has seen an increasing

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number of big-budget movies like Big B, Sagar alias Jacky, Red Chillies, Love In Singapore, Aakasha Gopuram,

Twenty:20 and Pazhassi Raja.

Malayalam cinema has pioneered various technical, thematic and production techniques among films in India and

South India. Such films include:

Marthanda Varma (1933): The first Indian historical drama film. The film was based on the life of Marthanda Varma,

the Maharajah of the Indian princely state of Travancore in the mid 18th century. Marthanda Varma was film

adaptation of a novel in the same name by C. V. Raman Pillai, making it one of the first Indian film adaptations from

literature other than the puranas.

Newspaper Boy (1955): India's first neorealistic film. The film drew its inspiration from Italian neorealism and was

released a few months before Satyajit Ray's debut film Pather Panchali, another neo-realistic film.

Thacholi Ambu (1978): South India's first CinemaScope film.

Padayottam (1982): India's first indigenously produced 70 mm film.

My Dear Kuttichathan (1984): India's first 3-D film.

Amma Ariyan (1986): The first film made in India with money collected from the public. The film was produced by

Odessa Collective, founded by the director of the film John Abraham and friends. The fund was raised by collecting

donations and screening Charlie Chaplin's film The Kid.

O'Faby (1993): India's first live-action/animation hybrid film.

Moonnamathoral (2006): First Indian film to be shot and distributed in digital format.

Notable personalities

Directors

Malayalam cinema boasts many brilliant film directors, starting with J. C. Daniel, the director and producer of the

first Malayalam film, Vigathakumaran (1928). Unlike other Indian films at that time, most of which were films based

on the puranas, he chose to base his film on a social theme. Though the film failed commercially, he paved way

for the Malayalam film industry and is widely considered the father of Malayalam cinema. Till the 1950s, Malayalam

film didn't see many talented film directors. The milestone film Neelakkuyil (1954), directed by Ramu Karyat and P.

Bhaskaran, shed a lot of limelight over its directors. Ramu Karyat went on to become a celebrated director in the

1960s and 1970s. P. Bhaskaran also directed a few acclaimed films in the 1960s. The cameraman of Neelakkuyil, A.

Vincent, also became a noted director of the 1960s and 1970s. 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 later 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 I. V. Sasi, K.

G. George, Bharathan and Padmarajan.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a period widely regarded as the Golden Age of Malayalam cinema, a new array of

directors joined the stalwarts who had already made a mark in the industry. The Golden Age saw the narrowing of

the gap between the different streams of the industry. Directors like I. V. Sasi, Fazil, Joshy, Kamal, Sibi Malayil,

Hariharan, Priyadarshan, Sathyan Anthikkad, K. Madhu and Siddique-Lal contributed heavily in the Golden Age.

Then there were maverick filmmakers like John Abraham, Balachandra Menon and Sreenivasan who contributed

their part as well.

The 2000s witnessed the decline of quality of Malayalam films. Many directors who 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 and Bollywood 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, T. V. Chandran,

Lenin Rajendran, T. K. Rajeev Kumar, Shyama Prasad and Jayaraj made films that won laurels. Notable directors

who debuted in this time include Blessy, Lal Jose, R. Sharath,Renjith and Roshan Andrews.

Malayalam film directors have made their mark in the national level as well. Out of the 40 National Film Awards for

Best Director given away till 2007, Malayalam directors have pocketed 12, trailed only by Bengali (14 awards). The

directors who have won the prestigious award are Adoor Gopalakrishnan (1973, 1985, 1988, 1990, 2007), G.

Aravindan (1978, 1979, 1987), Shaji N. Karun (1989), T.V. Chandran (1994), Jayaraj (1998) 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).

Actors

Lead actors

A lead actor is called as a superstar when that person has become a driving force at the box office. Just like other

Indian film industries, there are no clear-cut guidelines for decorating an actor as superstar, and this designation is

almost always bestowed by the media after an actor proves to be a champion at the box office.

Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair was the first person in the Malayalam film history to be called a superstar, following

the tremendous success of his second film Jeevithanauka (1951), which is touted as the first superhit of Malayalam

cinema. Later Prem Nazir, Sathyan, Madhu, Jayan, M. G. Soman, and Sukumaran came to be called superstars.

Prem Nazir and Sathyan formed a bipolar industry in which a considerable number of films made in Malayalam in

the later 1960s and almost the whole of 1970s starred one of them, until the rise of Jayan. Curiously, the trend was

continued in the next era as well, with Mammootty & Mohanlal being established as superstars in the early 1980s.

Suresh Gopiemerged as a superstar by mid 1990s, following a series of successful movies having police/political

themes, most notably Commissioner, directed by Shaji Kailas. Other actors who are generally considered as

superstars are Jayaram and Dileep.

As with most of the other Indian film industries, the Malayalam film industry is driven by male actors. None of the

female actors who have been part of the industry have come to be known as superstars, though there have been

immensely popular stars like Miss Kumari, Sharada, Sheela, Shobhana, Urvashi, Sujatha, Vidhubala, Manju Warrier,

Samyuktha Varma, Kavya Madhavan and Meera Jasmine.

Many actors have brought laurels to Malayalam films with their performances. As of 2007, Malayalam film actors

have won 11 out of the 42 National Film Awards for Best Actor ever given away, including two occasions of double

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awardees. 11 is the second highest number of award wins by a film industry trailed only by Hindi (17 awards). The

Malayalam film actors who have won the award are P. J. Antony (1974), Gopi (1978), Balan K. Nair (1981), Premji

(1988), Mammootty (1989, 1993, 1999), Mohanlal (1991, 2000), , Suresh Gopi (1998), Balachandra Menon (1998) and

Murali (2002). Additionally, Malayalam film actors have won several Special Jury Awards as well: Mohanlal (1990),

Kalabhavan Mani (2000), Nedumudi Venu (2004) and Thilakan (2007).

Malayalam female actors are not far behind. As of 2007, they have won the National Film Award for Best Actress 5

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times. The winners are Sharada (1969, 1973, 1979), Monisha (1987), Shobana (1994, 2002), Meera Jasmine (2004)

and Priyamani (2007). The actresses to win the Special Jury Award are Jomol (1998), Manju Warrier (1999) and

Jyothirmayi (2003). Sharada did win another award in 1979 for the Telugu film Nimajjan; so did Shobana in 2002 for

the English film Mitr, My Friend.

Supporting actors

In the early times of Malayalam cinema, supporting roles, though mostly donned by established theatre artists, did

not have any noted supporting actors. In the 1960s and 1970s several supporting actors like Kottarakkara

Sreedharan Nair, Adoor Bhasi, Bahadoor, Balan K. Nair, Adoor Bhavani and Aranmula Ponnamma came into the

scene. Most of them went on to have lifelong careers. In the 1980s and 1990s many more joined them, notably

Thilakan, Nedumudi Venu, Jagathy Sreekumar, Biju Menon, Vijayaraghavan, Innocent, Siddique, Jagadish,

Kuthiravattam Pappu, Manoj K. Jayan, Rajan P. Dev, Sukumari, K.P.A.C. Lalitha and Bindu Panicker. Some of them

had short careers with title roles as well.

Despite the presence of a number of talented actors, Malayalam films have only won 2 out of the 24 National Film

Awards for Best Supporting Actor so far given away, as of 2007. Thilakan (1988) and Nedumudi Venu (1991) are the

only actors to win the award. The same is not the case with female actors. They have won 6 out the 24 National

Film Awards for Best Supporting Actress given away, trailed only by Hindi (10 awards). The winners are K.P.A.C.

Lalitha (1991, 2001), Santha Devi (1992), Aranmula Ponnamma (1996), Sheela (2005) and Urvashi (2006).

Film music

Film music, which refers to playback singing 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.

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Before Malayalam cinema and Malayalam film music developed, the Keralites eagerly followed Tamil and Hindi film

songs, and that habit has stayed with them till now. The history of Malayalam film songs begins with the 1948 film

Nirmala. The film's music director was P. S. Divakar, and the songs were sung by P. Leela, T. K. Govinda Rao,

Vasudeva Kurup, C. K. Raghavan, Sarojini Menon and Vimala B. Varma, who is credited as the first playback singer

of Malayalam cinema.

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.

People who stormed into the Malayalam film music industry in the 1950s include musicians like V. Dakshinamurthy

(1950), K. Raghavan (1954), G. Devarajan (1955) and M.S. Babu Raj (1957) and lyricists like P. Bhaskaran (1950), O.

N. V. Kurup (1955) and Vayalar Rama Varma (1956). They are attributed with shaping Malayalam film music stream

and giving it its own identity.Major playback singers of that time were Kamukara Purushothaman, K. P.

Udayabhanu, A. M. Raja, P. Leela, Santha P. Nair, P. Susheela and S. Janaki. Many of this singers like A. M. Raja, P.

Susheela and Janaki were not Malayalis and their pronunciation was not perfect. Despite that, these singers got

high popularity throughout Kerala. In the later years many non-Malayalis like Manna Dey, Talat Mahmood, Lata

Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam sang for Malayalam films. This trend was also found among

music directors to an extent, with outside musicians like Naushad, Usha Khanna, Bombay Ravi, Bappi Lahiri,

Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Salil Chowdhury, Ilaya Raja, Vishal Bharadwaj and A. R. Rahman scoring music for Malayalam

films. This can be attributed to the fact that film music in South India had a parallel growth pattern with so many

instances of cross-industry contributions.

K. J. Yesudas, who debuted in 1961, virtually revolutionised the Malayalam film music industry and became the

most popular Malayalam singer ever. He became equally popular with classical music audience and people who

patronised film music.He along with P. Jayachandran gave a major facelift to Malayalam playback singing in

the 1960s and 1970s. Malayalam film music also received heavy contributions from composers and musicians like

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Johnson, M. G. Radhakrishnan, Raveendran, S. P. Venkatesh and Ouseppachan, lyricists like Sreekumaran Thampi,

Yusuf Ali Kechery, and Kaithaprom Damodaran Namboodiri, and singers like M. G. Sreekumar, G. Venugopal, K. S.

Chitra and Sujatha Mohan. A notable aspect in the later years was the extensive of classical carnatic music in

many film songs of the later 1980s and early 1990s. Interestingly, that particular period is also considered as the

peak time for Malayalam cinema itself and is quite widely known as the Golden Age of Malayalam cinema, a

period in which the difference between art films and popular films was least felt. Similarly, classical carnatic music

was heavily used in several popular film songs, most notably those in films like Chithram (1988), His Highness

Abdullah (1990), Bharatham (1991), Sargam (1992) and Sopanam (1993). Vidyasagar was the leading music

composer in Malayalam films, from the late nineties to the early 2000s.

At present, the major players in the scene are young telents like musicians Rahul Raj, Deepak Dev, Alphonse,

Jassie Gift and Biji Pal, lyricists Gireesh Puthanchery, Vayalar Sarath and Anil Panachooran, and singers Madhu

Balakrishnan, Afsal, Manjari and Jyotsna, along with stalwarts in the field.

Young composers like Rahul Raj and Gopi Sundar are not only known for their catchy tunes, but also known for

bringing in a lot of electronics, digital sound and a variety of genres in Malayalam film songs.

The National Award-winning music directors of Malayalam cinema are Johnson (1994, 1995), Bombay Ravi (1995)

and Ouseppachan (2008). 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 film soundtrack rather than

its songs. He shared that award with Bombay Ravi, who received the award for composing songs for the same film.

Ravindran also received a Special Jury Award in 1992 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 Yusuf Ali Kechery

(2001). The male singers who have received the National Award are K. J. Yesudas (1973, 1974, 1988, 1992, 1994),

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 Awards

for Best Male Playback Singer with seven awards, closely followed by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam with six awards.

The female singers who have won the award are S. Janaki (1981) and K. S. Chitra (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 Awards for Best Female Playback Singer with six awards, closely followed by P. Susheela with five

awards.

Landmark films

The films in this list are those which have influenced the growth, trends, fame and acclaim of Malayalam cinema

through its 80-year-long history. Quality is not a criterion for inclusion of films in this list.

Movie Artists.

2009 Pazhassi Raja Hariharan Mammootty, Sarath Kumar, Kanika The most expensive Malayalam

film, with a reported budget of 27 crores. It was also the first Malayalam film to get a home video release in Blu-ray

format.

Kerala State Film Awards

Main article: Kerala State Film Awards

The Kerala State Film Awards are the most prestigious film awards for a motion picture made in the Malayalam

language. The awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Chalachitra Academy since 1998 on behalf of the

Department of Cultural Affairs of the Government of Kerala. The awards were started in the year 1969. The

awardees are decided by an independent jury formed by the academy and the Department of Cultural Affairs. The

jury usually consists of eminent 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 that are submitted

before deciding the winners. The awards intends to promote films with artistic values and encourage artistes and

technicians.

International Film Festival of Kerala

Main article: International Film Festival of Kerala

The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital

city of Kerala. This film festival was started in 1996 and is organised by Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on

behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs of the State Government. The festival is held in November/December

every year and is acknowledged as one of the leading film festivals in India.

Organisations

Association of Malayalam Movie Artists

Main article: Association of Malayalam Movie Artists

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) is an organisation formed by artists of Malayalam cinema to

safeguard their interests. It aims to act against piracy, to safeguard the interests of member actors and actresses,

thilakan

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, fund for research, pensions,

education loans for their children etc. for the members. The organization ventured into film production in 2008 with

Twenty:20 to raise funds for its activities.

AMMA was involved in the film industry deadlock of 2004 and the alleged denial of work to senior actor Thilakan