Rise of the pan-Indian Malayalam cinema

In a never-before impact, Malayalam cinema is gaining acceptance outside its domestic realms, writes Deepa Gauri

Malayalam cinema has seen the best and worst of times. Several decades ago, beyond the boundaries of the state, its cinema was equated as soft-porn, as dubbed versions of titillating films made their cut as 'noon shows' in the big cities of Mumbai and New Delhi.
That the state was winning clutches of honours at the national film awards didn't matter to people outside the state. Malayalam cinema's narrative brilliance, as defined by directors such as Ramu Karyat, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Aravindan and KG George, among others, were limited to the so-called 'serious' film-lovers.
The 1980s and 1990s marked the emergence of the 'mainstream' Malayalam cinema that bridged the intellectual complexities of 'art' alias 'independent' cinema and the commercial viability of commercial cinema.
Naturally, it gained wider acceptance among audiences beyond Kerala. The 'next generation' filmmakers of Tamil Nadu - including trend-setters such as Samuthirakani and Sasikumar - were vocal in their admiration of Malayalam cinema.
But for the people beyond south - and even in states such as Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the Malayalam film industry still meant titillating movies - which in fact had come back with all vengeance with a slew of soft-porn movies.
There were occasional incursions by actors from Kerala into 'other language' movies including Jayaram, Biju Menon and Rahman - but that added little to elevate Malayalam cinema to the next level.
Things, however, are changing dramatically. And much of the credit for that change goes to the young director Alphonse Putharen, who created the sensational, cult classic called Premam. The 2015 film created box office history, elevated its hero Nivin Pauly as the next superstar, and made its heroine Sai Pallavi a household name in Kerala.
But the real impact was beyond its borders. The film went on to complete a good 250-day run in Tamil Nadu, and it was taken up by virtually all Tamil directors as a film that deserved due merit and recognition at the Kerala state awards (where it was practically sidelined). To this day, YouTube videos sprout that feature Premam songs 'remade' with other-language lyrics such as in Telugu and Kannada.
In the months that followed, Malayalam cinema found itself transforming like never before with more pan-India acceptance - particularly in the south. Social media networks have been abuzz on almost all new releases of actors including Nivin Pauly and Dulquer Salman - the two who are most popular among audiences in other south Indian states.
Further, actors such as Prithviraj are openly talking of 'cross-over films.' In an interview with Khaleej Times, he had observed: "We need to look beyond the language that the film speaks. A Malayalam film must graduate to a place where it is justa film made in Kerala. Don't look at it as a film that will speak only Malayalam."
He is already on to a multilingual epic titled Karnan that was launched in Dubai. "When Karnan happens, we will have a same version of the film speaking four different languages. But it will still be a film that is 'Made in Kerala.' That is the kind of sensibility we must strive to achieve in cinema in general."
The 'Made in Kerala' brand of films that find acceptance across other markets is further accelerated by the new trends of mass releases across all key cities in India  and the introduction of sub-titles. Unlike the appalling sub-titles of yore, the quality today has definitely improved although much is still desired.
The mass releases of films by the young heroes (Nivin Pauly's Jacobinte Swargarajyam and Dulquer Salman's Kammattipaadam, for example, found strong takers across several Indian cities) is also backed by some carefully driven, orchestrated and well-calibrated social media and public relations stunts.
Some of Chennai's leading PR practitioners of Tamil cinema today are obsequious in their Malayalam hero worship, while editors of leading Indian (read Bollywood) film magazines, which do other language awards and editions to win readers, can be seen shamelessly patronising the 'stars' rather than the 'actors.'
On a more meaningful level, there is also greater and positive interaction among talents. Bollywood's trend-setter director Anurag Kashyap was most recently seen visiting Malayalam's new age of actors and directors in Kochi 'Proudly' posting his picture with Anurag, Nivin Pauly posted on his social media wall, with a 'wink' emoticon: "Ardently waiting for him to join our team soon." The actor, meanwhile, has already moved on to doing a full-length Tamil film with Gautham Ramachandran even as he continues to be extremely choosy about his films in Malayalam. Daring to defy trends and not be carried away with the mistakes that his predecessors made, Nivin is taking one film at a time.
The cross-fertilisation of talent is further underlined by Tamil's hit-make Gautham Vasudeva Menon announcing his new venture, a multi-lingual with Prithviraj. Dulquer Salman already made a mark having teamed up with Mani Ratnam, which not only fetched him fans in south Indian states but also got him a top ranking among the '50 Most Influential Young Indians' by a lifestyle magazine.
Another talented actor Fahadh Faasil has been extremely careful about choosing 'other language' films although his better half Nazriya Nazim had won over Tamil audiences before she quit acting. In an interview with Khaleej Times, he had observed: "I don't think I am an actor for other languages. I think in Malayalam and my command on other regional languages is very minimal. So yeah, I have never taken the prospect to work outside Malayalam ahead. Every time I interact with a maker from outside Kerala, the first and the only thing I ask is 'Can you do a film in Malayalam?'"
Meanwhile, the legends in Malayalam cinema - Mammootty and Mohanlal - are having another go at other languages. Having already done Jilla with Vijay in Tamil, and Mythri in Kannada, Mohanlal now has two Telugu films lined up for release shortly: Manamantha and Janatha Garage. Mammootty is doing Peranbu in Tamil, directed by Ram, and will reportedly do another film with Seenu Ramaswamy. 
As for the actresses, they have already made the most successful cross-overs than their male counterparts. From Nayanthara to Parvathi, and even Madonna Sebastian and Anupama of Premam, several Malayalam actresses have made their mark in other south Indian languages. However, in an industry that recognises the success of male actors, their achievement is often taken for granted or less crowed about.
In Kerala, the mass appeal of its young actors beyond the state has not necessarily influenced filmmakers to think of 'pan-Indian' films. The movies that work now are increasingly those that are rooted in the Keralite ethos - Premam being a classic example - and Fahadh Faasil's Maheshinte Prathikaram further underscoring it. The new release Kismath, a talking-point film, again is rooted in contemporary Kerala - with a story that has universal resonance.
The publicity stunts associated with young Malayalam stars beyond Kerala  are not necessarily on the merit of their films but rather for their current 'sell-factor', particularly among youth audiences.
That takes us perhaps to the big questions: can Malayalam cinema find real acceptance across India riding only on its sub-titles? Two, is this trend sustainable? Three, aren't these young actors - who now flaunt their 'stardom' bringing back the 'superstar' coltishness that indeed caused the creative downfall of the industry.
The answers are anybody's guess for now, but the silver lining is that today's young actors are more discerning. Investing their money prudently, they have seen their seniors err and fall. They know that the era of 'another Mammootty and Mohanlal' is practically over. They know that their worth is directly related to the merit of the movie - which means, having a good script and director.
If those basics are not lost in the race, we can say with conviction that Malayalam cinema has entered its real prime, found its real moorings and pan-Indian acceptance can be a tangible reality.
- supplements@khaleejtimes.com