What Mollywood tells us about God’s Own Country?

About 2 years back, I came across my first Malayalam movie ‘Kumbalangi Nights’ on an OTT platform. Set against the beautiful backwaters of Kumbalangi district, it was a simple story of four bickering brothers coming to terms with their losses and discovering their long lost bond. By the end of the movie, I felt, for a very brief moment, a desire to be a part of that broken family, sharing their pain, eating their fish curry (although I’m a vegan), and breathing the salty air of Kumbalangi. Smitten by this movie, I went through a phase of ‘only Malayalam’ movies and ended up watching over 20 Mollywood movies (and counting). Much of the beauty of Mollywood movies lies in the minimalism of the narrative. They depict mundane everyday tasks as an evolved expression of an art form. And when married with soulful music, authentic characterisation and poster-worthy locales, your cinematic sensibilities graduates to another notch. Some of these movies, based on realism as a style of cinema, gives a peep into what life in Kerala might be to an outsider. Of course, movies can’t capture the complexities of any issue, let alone a state without the risk of stereotyping. But here is an outsider’s armchair satirical attempt to describe Kerala’s alluring culture, its politics, beautiful landscapes and its wonderful people through the eyes of its best export — Its movies.

1. Keralites love the land and their houses. Irrespective of one’s economic standing, everyone in Kerala seems to live in a large independent home on a large parcel of land, amidst beautiful scenic locales. Keralites have a beautiful sense of aesthetics. Even the most impoverished homes have some character and antiquity.
2. Kerala has the highest per capita of beards.
3. Everyone loves black tea (sulaimani chai). You can get one in every street corner, any time of the day or night.
4. Alcohol is a part of an everyday ritual for all men; rich, poor, young or old. Alcohol is the great equalizer of the Kerala society.
5. Tamilians and Tamil are part of many Kerala movies. They consider Tamil as a natural extension of their culture and there seems to be no problem with that. And as a Tamilan, I know the inverse is not true, unfortunately.
6. Very common to find characters from all religions. And since it is quotidian, they don’t make a fuss around one’s religion.
7. Kerala is also very brave to make movies on issues that are hot potatoes or not ‘woke’ in other states. Like Dalit politics, minority appeasement, evangelical conversions, female genital mutilation etc.
8. Political activism is part of many ordinary Keralites. Many Keralites are politically enlightened and are members of some political party apart from their day jobs.
9. Kerala movies have to begin with thanking all the big movie stars and their fan clubs. Even though these movie stars aren’t part of the movie.
10. Kerala doesn’t import white-skinned North Indian actresses, the way the neighbouring states do. Talent trumps looks and they have a deep bench strength of local talent.
11. There is a deep love for socialism and communism. Many movies depict romanticism for socialism and communism as a societal objective.
12. All police jeeps have windshield protection against stone-pelting. Says a lot about the nature of political activism.
13. There is water, water everywhere. Beaches are a given for a coastal state. But almost every home is near a stream, backwater, ponds et al. Canoe and boats are an integral part of the public transport system.
14. Keralites love the Enfield Bullet motorcycles. I don’t know of any other Indian language that has made a series of movies on motorcycling and Bullets.
15. Beef is a more common cuisine in Kerala than in the United States.