Writer & Geek

Listen to the first part here - A Comprehensive Overview of the History of Malayalam Cinema - Part 1

The 1970s witnessed a new wave of Malayalam cinema where the bridging of parallel and commercial cinema was at its best. It was also the time when political and action movies gained a following. Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s directorial debut, Swayamvaram in 1972 is known for pioneering the new wave of cinema movement in the industry. Chattakari (1974) and Avalude Ravukal (1978) were some of the boldest Malayalam movies of that time with the latter being the first A certified movie. The movies were based on the themes of teenage pregnancy and prostitution, respectively, which were topics that were profoundly frowned upon during those times.

The latter half of the 1970s witnessed the emergence of the legendary actor Jayan. He reformed the industry with his macho image and action sequences never seen before. Like who can forget the “We are not beggars…” dialogue from the movie Angadi (1980). It still gives me goosebumps.

Notable movies from the 1970s

Swayamvaram (1972)

Arakkallan Mukkalkkallan (1974)

Chattakari (1974)

Kodiyettam (1977)

Avalude Raavukam (1978)

Thacholi Ambu (1978)

The 1980s was the decade of combining common man’s problems with comedy. The rise of geniuses like Sreenivasan spearheaded this genre of movies to the forefront with movies such as Odaruthammava Aalariyam (1984), Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam (1986), Nadodikkattu (1987), and Varavelpu (1989). 1981 was a milestone year for Malayalam cinema with the release of Elippathayam and Manjil Virinja Pookkal. The former being screened at the London Film Festival and winning the Sunderland Trophy and the latter propelling Mohanlal Viswanathan, our very own Lalettan, to stardom. Though it is almost impossible to imagine that he started his career predominantly playing antagonistic characters.

M T Vasudevan Nair made his presence known with his screenplay for movies like Nakhakshathangal (1986), that helped Monisha win the National Award for Best Actress at the age of 15, and Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1988), an epic historical drama which showed Chandu Chekavar as a misunderstood hero. Director P Padmarajan also made his mark with the 1987 romantic drama, Thoovanathumbikal, and the 1988 mystery thriller, Aparan. The decade also delivered Malayalam’s own investigative thriller detective series with Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988), the first movie from the four-part series, with Mammootty playing the role of Sethurama Iyer.

The 80s observed many firsts with Padayottam (1982), a film based on the novel The Count of Monte Cristo, becoming the first Malayalam film to be shot in 70 mm, My Dear Kuttichathan (1984), the first Indian 3D film, and Adipapam (1988) gaining the crown of being the first Malayalam softcore film.

Notable movies from the 1980s

Angadi (1980)

Manjil Virinja Pookkal (1981)

Elippathayam (1981)

Padayottam (1982)

Odaruthammava Aalariyam (1984)

My Dear Kuttichathan (1984)

Nakhakshathangal (1986)

Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam (1986)

Nadodikkattu (1987)

Thaniyavartanam (1987)

Aparan (1988)

Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988)

Varavelpu (1989)

Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989)

The 1990s had a great start with movies such as the comedy-thriller In Harihar Nagar (1990) and comedy-drama Godfather (1991) running for over a year in theatres gaining cult status. It also saw a few larger than life stars take on a majority of screentime. With Mohanlal and Mammooty taking lead roles in almost all genres, Suresh Gopi shining in the action movie landscape, and Jayaram starring in your next-door neighbour, family-friendly characters.

Siddique-Lal’s Vietnam Colony was released in 1992 and it is noteworthy for having plot similarities with the 2009 movie Avatar — the second highest-grossing movie in the world. What does James Cameron have to say about that, I wonder? The time also witnessed movies like Manichitrathazhu (1993) where the female

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Over the years, the landscape of Malayalam cinema has changed. It has evolved. From the hero-centric, superhuman and outright chauvinistic characters in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it has moved to a character-centric, common man, and realistic stories.

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The Dutch are one of the most prosperous countries in the European continent. But that was not the case back in the 16th century. It was not even an independent country as it came under the Spanish. Before Spanish occupation, they used to trade spices procured from the Portuguese who virtually owned every major spice port in the East.

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The Stoneman Killer terrorised the streets of Bombay and Calcutta in the mid and late 1980s. The killer's modus operandi involved dashing their victim’s face with a stone that weighed around 30 kg.

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It is a common misconception that Portuguese were the first Europeans to start trading with India. In fact, it was Danish. So, we bust the myths and talk about the facts.

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India has a long history. But no story about Indian history would be complete without mentioning one of the greatest civilisations that ever existed - the Indus Valley civilisation. The Bronze age civilisation that stood majestically along with Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilisations.

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Black death is a pandemic that raged in many parts of the world and wiped out around one-third to two-thirds of the population in Europe.

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Blue whales are the largest living beings in the world. The marine mammal is scientifically known as Balaenoptera musculus. It is classified as endangered but its population is increasing. Blue whales are hunted for its oil, blubber and also meat.

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In this episode, we talk about the mighty beer!

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In this episode we talk about how memory works.

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