Spring Sale
In the last decade, the "New Wave" or "Neo-Noir" Malayalam cinema has gone global via OTT platforms (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar). Yet, paradoxically, the more global it gets, the more hyper-local it becomes.
Music is the heartbeat of any culture, and Malayalam film music has a unique trajectory. While Bollywood music is often pop-oriented, Malayalam film pattu (film songs) have remained stubbornly literary and rooted. In the last decade, the "New Wave" or
Malayalam cinema is obsessed with dialect. A masterpiece like Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (2017) derives its entire second-half tension from the difference between the Kasargod dialect of the lead actor (Fahadh Faasil) and the Thrissur dialect of the police officer. The comedy arises from small slips: the pronunciation of “ Ellaa ” (No) versus “ Illay .” While Bollywood music is often pop-oriented, Malayalam film
As long as there is a Chaya (tea) shop where men argue about politics, as long as there is a Kavalam (backwater creek) where the lotus blooms, and as long as there is a Theyyam dancer who becomes a god for a night, Malayalam cinema will have a story to tell. It is, and always will be, the most faithful memoir of the Malayali soul. The comedy arises from small slips: the pronunciation