Sunday, 6 January 2013

Revolution in Kerala Cinema

Like all other regional film industries, the Kerala film industry is also booming like never before. The Malayalam film industry, known for its classic actors like Prem Nazeer, Sheela, Satyan to name a few, had always been was always overshadowed by the Tamil film industry because it has actors like Kamal Haasan, Rajnikanth, MGR who have a popular fan following not only in the region but all over India and across borders too.

However, young actors and filmmakers have come to the forefront to rescue the crisis-ridden Malayalam film industry. Pick up any two random movies one which was directed a couple of years back and other one which is a recent direction and you will see a huge difference. The revolution that has come over in the past two years is beyond words. Unlike ever before today, the marketing of films through social media along with other out-of-the box ways, the use of cuss words and the bold portrayal of events are some prominent elements which define a Malayalam movie.
Once upon a time, Keralites were known as conservatives. But, today’s film scenario definitely doesn’t go in sync with this age old perception. Young film makers seem to have used the influence of Bollywood and Hollywood to create their own styles.  With the kind of cinema that is being made, the Malayalam film industry has shed the image of a backward industry and is shining at its best.

Recently, a self-acclaimed all-rounder, Santosh Pandit produced a movie in which he was the director, actor, lyricist, playback singer and script writer. He marketed his movie with the help of social media. The same platform was used by the public to criticise the movie. Even though this man received hordes of criticism and insult, this would not have been possible, had it been two to three years ago. Music videos of newly released or unreleased movies are now being released on YouTube, which was not the same case maybe two to three years back.
The use of social media and the passionate film makers and artists have played a significant role in the promotion of the Malayalam film industry. And with this progress, we can be sure Kerala cinema has a long way to go.

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