There are movies such as Chunkzz (2017) and Dhamaka (2020) that show women as just eye candies or mere ‘props’ solely existing to receive sexist remarks from men. (Note: Without any doubt, there are hundreds of other Malayalam movies which are even more problematic, in a socio-political sense too. Sadly, most of these movies are filled with good songs. Though many have, in recent times, called out filmmakers and movies that reinforced the anti-Dalit narratives and also the way women were portrayed on screen, we, however, often overlook how some filmmakers fortified the ‘good women/bad women’ narrative through family dramas.Įven as the chorus urging all to “watch cinema as just cinema” is louder than ever, it is necessary to realise that the appreciation these movies still receive clearly denotes the deep-rooted patriarchy in our society and how we continue to remain mute spectators to the same. Then which movies are they boasting about now?Įnter the Malayalam family dramas… Just by checking the box office numbers and reruns of these flicks on TV channels, one can easily understand that these are the ‘qualitative works’ our older generation is referring to. Needless to say, a good number of them bombed at the box office.

However, most of these movies that were part of the New Wave movement (early 1970s to mid 1980s) - a direct result of the rise of film societies in Kerala - failed to eke out a gain as the members of the same generation stayed away from watching these movies in theatres back then. True to an extent… If we take into consideration movies like Irakal (1985), Elippathayam (1981) and Deshadanakkili Karayarilla (1986), they were indeed game-changers and helped the Malayalam film industry make a name for itself on the international arena. 🗞️ Subscribe Now: Get Express Premium to access the best Election reporting and analysis 🗞️

New malayalam movies 2016 rating