New Wave (Malayalam Film Movement)

New generation films is a Malayalam film movement developed in the early 2010s, characterized by fresh and unusual themes and new narrative techniques.Malayalam new generation films failing to click? – Indian Express
/ref> Films of the new wave differ from conventional themes of the past two decades and introduced several new trends and techniques to the Malayalam film industry. While the new generation formats and styles are deeply influenced by global trends, their thematics are firmly rooted in Malayalee life and mindscapes.

The new generation also helped to revive the Malayalam film industry in the early 2020s when the industry was hit with the effects of COVID-19 pandemic.

Beginning

Filmmaker Amal Neerad is widely credited with bringing a new era of filmmaking in Malayalam cinema. His directorial debut, '' Big B'' (2007), introduced a fresh cinematic experience to Malayalam audiences and has since garnered a significant cult following. This style inspired upcoming filmmakers, who went on to experiment further and produce films in the coming years such as ''Traffic'' (2011), ''City of God'' (2011), ''Salt N' Pepper'' (2011) and ''Chaappa Kurishu'' (2011), which helped define the movement. In the beginning, most of the new wave films were modestly budgeted, thus supporting experiments by new directors between 2-3 crores, compared to the average Malayalam films that had a budget of 6-8 crores and have more than recovered their investment.

Unlike the general trend in the Malayalam films, most of the new directors were young. Director Aashiq Abu, one of the most talked-about new generation film-makers in Malayalam, introduced several new wave films and technicians. Actor-producer Jayasurya who had debuted into the industry in 2002, had begun creating his own signature in the new-wave of cinema through phenomenal acting performances in films such as ''Beautiful'' and ''Trivandrum Lodg''e. Jayasurya had also broke the image barrier of performing in lead roles for a mainstream actor or star, by essaying several character roles and antagonist roles all which were critically acclaimed. Actor-writer Anoop Menon was another emerging personality in the beginning of New Generation Era.

Characteristics of films

Erosion of the so-called "superstar" system in popular Malayalam films coincided with rise of the new wave where screenplay got rooted-to-reality, closer-to-life and lead characters became ordinary men and women. Influx of new actors, the absence of superstars, rise of metro-centric/urban and middle-class themes and different story-lines were also noted in the wave. While formats and styles of the new directors are deeply influenced by the global trends, their thematics were firmly rooted in Malayali life and mind-scape. A recurrent trope in these new narratives is accidents, coincidences, casual encounters and chance meetings that set in motion an unexpected chain of events affecting the lives of the characters drifting in the urban flotsam. The frequent use of Malayalam influenced by English is also noted in the films.www.outlookindia.com , Chemmeen Pickle
/ref> The use of latest technology has added speed to the process of change in the industry. More advanced technology and innovative techniques are being experimented and the industry has become more open to trying out new ideas.

Until the beginning of new wave, most Malayalam films had rural themes portraying the "essential goodness" and "unspoilt beauty" of villages. The focus of the films also shifted from the conventional masculine, handsome, virtuous and invincible hero to more humane characters. Another notable feature is that stories shifted to depict more non-male characters as lead. Films featuring gender minorities and homosexual leads is another definitive characteristic of this era of Malayalam cinema. The depiction of women has also changed in the new wave films beyond recognition. The leading ladies have often been shown to be working women who are individualistic by flirting openly, drinking and smoking in public, and making lewd comments, something which was considered taboo in the 80s and 90s. A number of female-oriented films like '' 22 Female Kottayam'' (2012), '' How Old Are You?'' (2014), ''Rani Padmini'' (2015), ''Uyare'' (2019), ''The Great Indian Kitchen'' (2021) were also the part of the new wave.

Impact on superstardom

The new wave soon ignited a debate about the era of superstars coming to an end with Malayalam cinema witnessing a radical change. In the 1980s, stars mattered, though not as much as in the 1990s and 2000s, when Malayalam cinema was practically dictated by the then superstars of the industry. The stranglehold of superstars that was stifling any new experimentation, complemented by the autocratic control of Malayalam film industry organisations over all areas of the industry was seen as pushing the industry to the wall. Unlike Mohanlal, Mammootty has done more films with directors of new wave movement, mostly being the directors' debut movie.

Actors

* Aishwarya Lekshmi
* Aju Varghese
* Alencier Ley Lopez
* Anil Nedumangad
* Anna Ben
* Ann Augustine
* Anoop Menon
* Antony Varghese
* Anumol
* Anusree
* Aparna Balamurali
* Aparna Gopinath
* Arjun Ashokan
* Asif Ali
* Balu Varghese
* Basil Joseph
* Binu Pappu
* Chemban Vinod Jose

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases