Malayalam cinema began in the 1920s with the production of the first Malayalam film, "Balan," in 1938. However, it wasn't until the 1950s and 1960s that Malayalam cinema gained popularity with films like "Nokketha Doorathu Kannum Nattu" (1953) and "Chemmeen" (1965).
The past decade has witnessed a remarkable surge in Malayalam cinema, with films like (2017), Sudani from Nigeria (2018), and Angamaly Diaries (2017) gaining national and international recognition. These films have not only been critically acclaimed but also commercially successful, breaking box office records and attracting new audiences.
, which faced immediate backlash due to caste prejudice. Dalit woman P.K. Rosy , the first female lead, was hounded out of the state by upper-caste groups for portraying a Nair woman, highlighting the industry's early struggle with caste hegemony. : During the 1980s, legends like Adoor Gopalakrishnan and G. Aravindan