Malayalam cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Malayalam language, which is widely spoken in the state of Kerala and Lakshadweep islands of india. Malayalam cinema includes the commercial film industry, sometimes known as Mollywood, as well as independent cinema made in Malayalam.
Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair, popularly known as M.T., is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He is a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and is one of the masters of post-Independence Indian literature. At the age of 20, as a chemistry undergraduate, he won the prize for the best short story in Malayalam at World Short Story Competition conducted by The New York Herald Tribune. His first major novel Naalukettu, written at the age of 23, won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958. His other novels include Manju (Mist), Kaalam (Time), Asuravithu and Randamoozham. The deep emotional experiences of his early days have gone into the making of MT's novels. Most of his works are oriented towards the basic Malayalam family structure and culture and many of them were path-breaking in the history of Malayalam literature. His three seminal novels on life in the matriarchal family in Kerala are Naalukettu, Asuravithu, and Kaalam. Randamoozham, which retells the story of the Mahabharatha from the point of view of Bhimasena, is widely credited as his masterpiece.
Thanmathra is a 2005 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Blessy, based on Padmarajan's short story "Orma". It portrays the effects of Alzheimer's disease on the life of Ramesan Nair (Mohanlal) and his family. The film collected three times its budget at the box-office and completed 150 days run. Thanmathra won five Kerala State Film Awards, which includes the Best Film, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and a Special Mention Award for the debutant actor Arjun Lal. It also won the Best Feature Film in Malayalam Award at the 53rd National Film Awards.
Randamoozham is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language mythological drama novel written by the Indian author M. T. Vasudevan Nair, widely credited as his masterpiece. The work won the Vayalar Award, given for the best literary work in Malayalam, in 1985. It also won the Muttathu Varkey Award in 1994. The novel has been translated into multiple languages. It was translated into English as Second Turn by P. K. Ravindranath in 1997. Another English translation by Gita Krishnankutty published in 2013 is titled Bhima: Lone Warrior.
Nirmalyam is a 1973 Indian Malayalam-language film written and directed by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, and stars P. J. Antony, Sumithra, and Ravi Menon. P. J. Antony won the National Film Award for Best Actor in 1974 for his performance as a velichappadu in this movie. The film received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film and Kerala State Film Award for Best Film in 1974. It is one of the classics in Malayalam cinema. The film was based on M. T. Vasudevan Nair's short story Pallivaalum Kaalchilambum.
Daya is a 1998 Indian Malayalam-language period film written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, directed by Venu, and starring Manju Warrier in the title role. The film is a loose adaption of the story of Zumurrud from the Middle Eastern folktales One Thousand and One Nights: though the plot is somewhat different. Vishal Bhardwaj scored the music of the film. It was the directorial debut of cinematographer Venu. He won the awards for best debut director at the National Film Awards and Kerala State Film Awards.
Panchagni is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language crime drama film directed by Hariharan and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. The story is loosely inspired from the life of naxalite K. Ajitha who was part of the Naxalite movement in Kerala in the 1960s. The film tells the story of Indira, a Naxalite who comes out from prison on parole, while she serves a life sentence for killing a landlord. It stars Mohanlal, Geetha, Nadia Moidu, and Thilakan. It features songs composed by Bombay Ravi and a score by Pukazhenthi. The cinematography was done by Shaji N. Karun. Geetha's performance was considered noteworthy, and it established a bright career for her in the Malayalam film industry. She was even nominated for the National Award category for Best Actress.
Devan Sreenivasan is an Indian film and television actor and politician. He is known for his character roles, mostly as villain, in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and a few Kannada and Hindi films. He has starred in over 380 films.
Panitheeratha Veedu is a 1973 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan. The film stars Prem Nazir, Nanditha Bose, Roja Ramani and Jose Prakash. It is an adaptation of Parappurath's 1964 novel of the same name. It won the Kerala State Film Awards for Best Film, Best Direction, Best Story and Best Singer (Jayachandran). It also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam & also won two Filmfare Awards South.
Swapnam is a 1973 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Babu Nanthankode. The film stars Madhu, Nanditha Bose, Sudheer and Jose Prakash. It was released on 3 August 1973.
Asuravithu is a Malayalam novel written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. Set in Kizhakkemuri, a fictional picturesque village in Kerala, the novel describes the plight of the protagonist Govindankutty, the youngest son of a proud Nair tharavadu, as he is trapped between the social scenario, social injustice and his own inner consciousness. As in many other M. T. novels, Asuravithu also has as its theme, the conflicts and problems of a Nair Family. The novel's English translation is titled The Demon Seed.
Manju (Mist) is a novel by M. T. Vasudevan Nair published in 1964. With few conversations and minimal characters, it narrates the story of a school teacher. The novel is set in the mountains and valleys of Nainital where Vimala Devi, a teacher in a boarding school, waits in hope for the winter of her discontent to vanish. Despite having a family comprising a father, mother, sister, and brother, Vimala is kept aloof from them. She hates the company of her family and enjoys solitude. The eco-feminist theme of patriarchal domination and exploitation gains more prominence in Manju, MT's only novel with a female protagonist. The novel stands apart as it is set in a milieu different from the usual one, the Valluvanadan village.
Nanditha Bose is an Indian actress in Malayalam movies. She was a prominent lead actress during the 1970s in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi and Bengali films. She was well noted for her performance in the Malayalam movies Achaani (1973), Panitheeratha Veedu (1973) and Dharmayudham (1973). Currently, she is busy acting in Television serials.
Priyanka Mohan, better known by her stage name Avantika Mohan is an Indian actress and model. She made her feature film debut with Yakshi – Faithfully Yours and later earned popularity through the TV series Athmasakhi.
Poonthenaruvi is a 1974 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by J. Sasikumar and produced by C. C. Baby and V. M. Chandi. The film stars Prem Nazir, Nanditha Bose, Vincent, Sudheer and Jayan. The music score is by M. K. Arjunan.
Kaamam Krodham Moham is a 1975 Indian Malayalam-language film directed and produced by Madhu and written by P. R. Chandran. The film stars Madhu, Jayabharathi, Nanditha Bose, Kallayam Krishnadas and Manavalan Joseph. The film has musical score by Shyam.
Valarthumrugangal (transl. Pets) is a 1981 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Hariharan. The film stars Ratheesh, Sukumaran, Madhavi and Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair. The film has musical score by MB Sreenivasan.
Dheera is a 1982 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Joshiy and produced by Raghu Kumar. The film stars Sukumaran, Ambika, M. G. Soman and Sumalatha in the lead roles. The film has musical score by Raghu Kumar.
Krishna Ravindranathan Nair , also known as Achani Ravi or General Pictures Ravi, was an Indian film producer of Malayalam films, industrialist and philanthropist. He was known for a number of critically acclaimed films he produced, such as Kanchana Sita, Thampu, Kummatty, Esthappan, Pokkuveyil, Elippathayam, Manju, Mukhamukham, Anantaram and Vidheyan. Nair was credited with fostering the art film movement in Malayalam cinema during the period from the 1970s to the 1990s. A multiple recipient of National and State film awards, Nair was awarded the J. C. Daniel Award by the Government of Kerala, in 2008, for his contributions to Malayalam cinema.
Anuraga Ganam Pole is an Indian Malayalam language drama television series which aired from 17 April 2023 to 15 March 2024 on Zee Keralam. Kavitha Nair and Prince play the lead roles. The plot of the show is inspired from a Hindi series Bade Achhe Lagte Hain, which aired on SET.
