The beginning
If we look back, Malayalam cinema has come a long way from
VigathaKumaran (1928) which was the first ever Malayalam movie.
VigathaKumaran marked the beginning of the silent era of the Cinema industry. It was produced and directed by a businessman, J. C. Daniel who was a fresher and had no previous film experience. Sadly, the film was a commercial failure.
J.C.Daniel
It then took almost four years for the next movie to take life. It was
Marthanda Varma, based on a novel by C. V. Raman Pillai, but the movie was never released due to some legal entanglements.
Finally in 1938,
Balan, the first ever talkie Malayalam movie was released, became a golden leaf in the history of Malayalam cinema industry. It's screenplay and songs were written by Muthukulam Raghavan Pillai and directed by S Nottani and its production was done in Chennai. Chennai remained to be the film capital and movie production remained exclusive to Tamil producers until 1947, when
Udaya, the first major film studio in Kerala was established. With this establishment, the Malayalam movie industry got a major headstart.
Chemmeen (1965), directed by Ramu Kariat and based on a story by Thakazhi Shivashankara Pillai went on to become immensely popular and won the national award. It had music by Salil Chowdhury, songs by Manna Dey and editing by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Chemmeen is still considerd as one of the best Malayalam movies ever.
The 70's boom
The 70s saw the emergence of a new wave of cinema in Malayalam. The growth of 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 President's Gold Medal for the best film. G. Aravindan followed Adoor's lead with his
Uttarayanam in 1974. John Abraham, K. R. Mohanan, K. G. George, and G. S. Panikkar were products of the Pune Film Institute who made significant contributions.
Aravindan was famous in Kerala as a cartoonist before he started making films. He is considered one of the best Indian film directors. His important movies include
Kanchana Seeta (1977),
Thampu (1978),
Kummatty (1979),
Chidambaram (1985),
Oridathu (1986), and
Vasthuhara (1990).
Golden Age of Malayalam cinema
Most critics and audiences consider the period from (late 1980s to early 1990s) as the golden age of Malayalam cinema. The Malayalam cinema of this short but beautiful period is a culmination of the malayali ethos and south Indian life. It is characterised by detailed screenplays, excellently directed by master-directors, dealing with everyday life with a lucid narration of plot intermingling with humor 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.
The period had an abundance of movies rich in creative humour from directors like Priyadarshan and Sathyan Anthikkad. The era also saw well crafted comedy by the Duo Siddique-Lal, (
Ramji Rao speaking (1989)) and
In Harihar Nagar (1990).
Popular Malayalam cinema through early-mid 1990s
Later movies followed in the essence of the golden period but lacked in freshness. However they still stand out for their brilliance in storytelling and appeal. These include
'Bharatham' (1991) by Sibi Malayil,
Kaalapaani (1996) by Priyadarshan, and the award winning
'Manichitrathazhu' (1993) by Fazil. Some works stood out as strong in evocative power reminiscent of the earlier period, like
Swaham (1994) directed by Shaji N.Karun the first malayalam film entry to the Competition in cannes international Film Festival in 1994.
Today, the Malayalam cinema industry forms a significant component of the Cinema of India, both as a form of art and as mass medium. Not less than fifty malayalam movies are released every year and this number keeps growing rapidly, faster than ever.
