Malayalam movie industry a.k.a Mollywood has experienced a breakthrough in recent decades, producing box-office hits that impressed viewers across India. The kind of reception and financial success the likes of Manjummel Boys, Premalu and Bramayugam enjoy underlines the kind of global acclaim Malayalam movies have acquired. Many claim Mollywood has become synonymous with the finest film industry in the country thanks to the meticulously crafted works by extraordinary filmmakers.
"The new wave" Malayalam movies
Movie buffs owes a great deal to the makers of movies which acted as the catalyst for this pivotal change by broadening the horizons of Malayalam cinema on national as well as international platforms. While the likes of stalwarts including MT Vasudevan Nair, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and John Abraham produced quality movies over the decades, the acceptance of Mollywood "crowd pullers" before a global audience is a recent phenomenon.
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This shift was notable in the 2010s -- which marked a significant turning point in the industry. Before 2010, Malayalam cinema followed the age-old film formulas of melodrama and masala entertainers which often collected a fair number of audience. But from the early 2010s, the industry witnessed filmmakers boldly experimenting with formulas like coming-of-age dramas and genre-bending. Bangalore Days by Anjali Menon, Premam by Alphonse Puthren, Ustad Hotel by Anwar Rasheed are among the movies that triggered this change in Kerala.
Bangalore Days: A frontrunner
These rather unfamiliar but fresh concepts were not something people were accustomed to but it was warmly embraced. Bangalore Days, a family entertainer that played a significant role in this change, turns 10, on Thursday. Here is a look back into the heartwarming journey of the movie multi-starrer that has established a place of its own in Malayalam Cinema.
The three cousins Divya or Kunju (Nazriya Nazim), Krishnan or Kuttan (Nivin Pauly) and Arjun or Aju (Dulquer Salmaan) and their gratifying journey of self-discovery resonated deeply and won over audiences across the country. Mind you, while Dulquer Salmaan and Fahad Faasil were people's darling already, they were nowhere close to the "DQ" or "FaFa" aura that they enjoy today when the movie hit theatres.
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Anjali Menon’s fresh narrative style and technical innovation were a refreshing departure from the model Keralites were accustomed to. The director explored genres, blending romance, comedy, and drama seamlessly, making the movie a treat to watch. The young brigade of actors, which also included Parvathy Thiruvothu, Nithya Menen and Isha Talwar in credible roles, lived up to the director's vision, aiding the movie's iconic success.
It has been a decade since Bangalore Days but the lasting impression that the movie has made still echoes in the hearts of people. This peppy, feel-good movie reached wider audience beyond Kerala and was remade in various Indian languages proving Malayalam industry can be commercially successful while also offering fresh and relatable stories with high production quality. In short Bangalore Days set a benchmark and ushered a new era for Malayalam Cinema.