Malayalam cinema is currently undergoing a "New Wave" (often called the second golden age). But unlike the 80s, which dealt with poverty and class, the current wave deals with psychology. Films like Ee.Ma.Yau (2018) look at death rituals in a fishing community; Nayattu (2021) looks at police brutality from the perspective of the perpetrators; Mukundan Unni Associates (2022) celebrates a sociopathic lawyer without redemption.

Malayalam cinema is the conscience of Kerala. It celebrates its beauty, laughs at its idiosyncrasies, weeps for its injustices, and always, always smells of the monsoon rain and freshly brewed chaya (tea). To watch a Malayalam film is to spend two hours in Kerala itself—messy, magnificent, and unmistakably human.

No exploration of Malayalam cinema is complete without its mouth-watering, often torturous, focus on food. Kerala’s culture is deeply intertwined with its cuisine, and Malayalam films have elevated the food scene to an art form.

The inception of Malayalam cinema coincided with the formation of the linguistic state of Kerala in 1956. Early films, such as Newspaper Boy (1955) and the works of Ramu Kariat, mirrored the nascent state's struggle with poverty and the dignity of labor.

The foundations of Malayalam cinema are built upon Kerala’s rich literary heritage and the social reform movements of the early 20th century.

Moreover, the industry’s handling of the 2022 Justice Hema Committee report, which exposed deep-seated exploitation and casting couch syndrome, revealed a dark underbelly. The culture of koottukudumbam (the idea that the film industry is a large family) has often been used to silence victims. This hypocrisy—speaking about women’s rights on screen but denying them backstage—remains the industry's original sin.

A resurgence in narrative-driven storytelling that prioritizes realism and contemporary social issues over formulaic scripts. Cinema as a Reflection of Kerala Society