Note on Malayalam Movie Industry - How the rise in Mapilla financial power has changed the face of the

industry

Background of the Issue

The Malayalam movie industry, even though financially smaller than many other Indian movie industries,
has always been known for creating quality movies for a long time. The golden age of the industry in the
1980s and 90s were known for the creation of movies that were widely adapted to many Indian languages
including Bollywood. Many of the talented and able technicians and actors also moved outside the
industry to showcase their talent. This period faded by the beginning of the 2000s and the industry saw a
huge influx of substandard movies. However, the years from 2010 saw a return to the old standards.

But this change came with a difference. The Malayalam movie industry was sucked into a whirlpool of
'woke' left-liberals who are deeply Hinduphobic and Islamic sympathizers. A group called the 'Kochi
lobby' is said to be the pillar supporting the new Malayalam movie industry who almost replaced the
'Trivandrum lobby' that was behind the golden age of Malayalam movies in the 80s and 90s.

The main reason for this shift in power and ideology in the Malayalam movie industry is said to be the
change in the source of the money that finances the industry. While the source of the capital for the
industry in the early days came from the country or the state itself, today the money is being pumped
from the Middle Eastern nations. Many of the people who invest their capital are Muslims. Their strong
connection to Islam from their early childhood and their hate or aversion towards the Hindutwa forces
due to their upbringing in the Islamic and leftist environment has resulted in them funding movies that
either promote Islam or degrade the Hindu culture. It is this deadly combination of deep-seated Islam and
left environment along with objectively talented artists and technicians that made the Malayalam movie
industry what it is today.

How is it changing the existing narrative?

To understand this, we have to compare and analyze the most influential movies of the 80s and 90s to the
movies coming out today.

A specimen for the first kind is Manichithrathzhu. It is one of the most financially successful and
technically sound Malayalam movies that was later adapted in several Indian languages. The movie is a
psychological thriller directed by Faasil made in the backdrop of a Hindu Taravad. The movie also delves
into the story of Nagavalli who was a dancer in a Tamil ruler's court. All these shows how the movies
during those times revolved around the Hindu/Indian culture. Several other hit movies that revolve
around Hindu history and culture are Vaishali, Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha, Devasuram, Vanaprastham,
Narasimham, Kamaladalam, Aaramthampuraan, Kalapani etc. This list is not exhaustive. Most of these
movies have either their basic canvas or the entire story revolving around something Hindu and these
were huge commercial hits. We cannot think of a Malayalam movie coming in such a canvas and being a
hit today. That is how the Malayalam movie has changed in the first decade of the twenty-first century.

To understand this change let's analyze 2 examples.

The first on the list is Malik. The movie released in 2021 is claimed by the writer/director to be loosely
based on the Beemapalli firing issue that happened in 2009. However, the writer-director Mahesh
Narayanan purposely choose to ignore the involvement of the then government lead by the left in the
firing that lead to the death of many people. He also glorifies the protagonist who kills a rich Hindu
during a temple festival, smuggles products into the country, and gives no choice to his Christian wife on
the religion of their child etc. The protagonist is shown as a hero and the leader of the Muslims of the
area.

Another critically acclaimed movie that we can take as an example is The Great Indian Kitchen. The
movie is claimed to be progressive but is just 1Hr 40Mins of pure Hinduphobia. The peak of
Hinduphobia in the movie is shown when the female lead throws wastewater on the Swamis who are
preparing to leave for Sabarimala. This movie was hailed to be one of the best movies of those days.

From this comparison, we realize how society has changed in the span of a decade or two. Today for a
Malayalam movie to be a commercial hit it has become necessary to add some Hinduphobia along with
some Pro Islamic sentiments.

Who are behind this shift?

The shift in narrative has happened along with the generational shift of the filmmakers in the industry.
The beginning of the last decade saw the rise of a new generation of directors and producers who are
behind this major left-liberal – Islamic shift in the industry. They are called the 'Kochi Lobby'. The major
players here are Ashiq Abu, Parvathi Thiruvothu, Rima Kallingal, Shyam Pushkaran etc. They have
almost replaced the 'Trivandrum lobby' or 'Nair lobby' lead by the stalwarts of the 80s and 90s Dileep,
Mohanlal, Priyadarshan, Maniyan Pilla Raju etc.

What is the reason for this shift?

One of the major reasons for this shift is the frequency and quality of movies made by both groups. While
many in the old gang have either retired or got sidelined, some of them like Mohanlal are still making
movies. Even when many of such movies are of great quality the frequency of such movies have dropped
by a great extent. They started focusing on big-budget movies whose frequency is mostly once a year.

At the same time, the number of new technicians, actors and producers who rally behind the 'Kochi gang'
has seen an exponential increase in the past years. The people supported by this group are making good
quality movies frequently that are making them more popular among the masses. This is what they are
using for their advantage to successfully spread their propaganda.

What is the solution?

Direct involvement of the party or affiliated organizations in this issue is going to do harm more than
good. It is a fact that there exists widespread hate towards the party and RSS in the state. So, direct
involvement in supporting the like-minded moviemakers is not going to help the cause. What we require
is covert funding and support to such movie makers who can equalize or shift the balance towards the
Hindu side.