While parallel cinema thrived, mainstream Malayalam cinema evolved with stars like and Mohanlal . The 1990s produced a unique genre: the family drama (e.g., Godfather , Thenmavin Kombathu ), which highlighted Kerala’s matrilineal past and complex kinship systems.
: A well-known actress and producer who has appeared in numerous Malayalam and Tamil films, including mainstream hits like While parallel cinema thrived
Movies like Jallikattu (2019)—India’s Oscar entry—took a simple premise (a buffalo escapes in a village) to expose the inherent savagery of human greed. It was an allegory for Kerala’s explosive developmental politics. Similarly, Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2020) used a caste conflict between a police officer and a retired havildar to explore how power flows through systemic violence. Thenmavin Kombathu )