2024: A Mixed Bag For Malayalam Cinema

Malayalam Cinema 2024: A Year Of Highs, Lows, & Surprises

From the trend of re-releasing classics to a diminishing focus on female-centric narratives, 2024 reflected the evolving yet inconsistent preferences of Malayalam cinema audiences, Neelima Menon writes.

AS 2024 DRAWS TO A CLOSE, Malayalam cinema’s initial box-office success has given way to a slump in the latter half of the year. Though last year didn’t have many commercial blockbusters, the industry still flourished when it came to experimenting with innovative, small-scale projects. This year it has been a mixed bag, financially as well as creatively.

First quarter, full speed

If you look at the top box-office winners this year, none of the films were predictable frontrunners. Three key aspects stood out — 1) The films that triumphed didn’t rely on A-listers to drive their success, 2) There was a neat blend of realism and mainstream appeal, with the films striking a balance between realistic storytelling and crowd-pleasing elements, and 3) There was a lot of emphasis on male bonding, highlighting a concerning shrinkage of spaces for female characters and perspectives.

The first quarter of 2024 was a game-changer for Malayalam cinema, with four out of the five 100-crore successes released during this period. Manjummel Boys, a survival thriller borrowed from a real-life incident made on a budget of 18-19 cr, grossed an impressive 200 crores worldwide. While Aavesham produced on a budget of 30 crores, rode on the quirky eccentricity of a Kannada-speaking don who three college boys befriend for their revenge plan. Then there was Premalu, a low-budgeted feel-good rom-com set in Hyderabad that was a winner with its modern take on the classic boy-meets-girl tale. Prithviraj’s big-scale magnum opus Aadujeevitham also joined the 100-crore club along with the rest.

ALSO READ | The Year In Malayalam Cinema: Underrated Films & Performances

However, even amid these unpredictable winners, two dark horses raked in the moolah—a black and white creature horror called Bramayugam and Kishkindha Kaandam, a slow-burning murder mystery. These unexpected successes marked a significant breakthrough for Malayalam cinema at the box office, leaving us pondering over the elusive success formula in the film industry. But yes, it is also true after such a stupendous start, the subsequent months witnessed a noticeable decline in the quality of films, which impacted the box-office performance.

Unexpected setbacks

The year’s most awaited film turned out to be the biggest upset of the year. When Lijo Jose Pellisery announced his biggest film Malaikottai Vaaliban with Mohanlal, it was billed as a sure-fire entry into the 100-crore club. And for Mohanlal, this would surely be a revival from his recent surge of inconsequential films. Though the film’s first-day collection was the fourth highest for a Mohanlal film, the box-office performance plummeted due to negative word-of-mouth.

Like last year, roughly 240 films were released, and barely a dozen managed to create footfalls at the box office. This scarcity of successful films underscores the challenges faced by the industry.

Still an audience for regressive formula

Joju George’s debut directorial Pani’s moderate success at the box office raises concerns about audience preferences. Pani has a regressive plot that revolves around a hero seeking vengeance for his wife’s molestation. Not only was it a theme that dates back to the 90s but even the scenes depicting the sexual violence were widely deemed as titillating and insensitive. To think that such a theme still had takers among an audience who accepted Kaathal: The Core, which normalised the LGBTQ+ community and challenged toxic masculinity, and Aattam, which addressed the bro code was baffling. This contrast highlights a puzzling inconsistency in audience preferences.

Trend of re-releases

The trend of re-releasing classic films with modern visual and audio enhancements was a major highlight this year (this trend is doing wonders in Bollywood already). Though it started with Mohanlal’s Sphadikam last year, this year there was a more extensive lineup. Interestingly Mohanlal’s Devadoothan which was a flop during the time of its release found a new audience in its revamped form. While film scholars might attribute this trend to “preserving classics,” its appeal perhaps lies in providing the current generation of moviegoers an opportunity to experience it on the big screen, while the older generation can fall back on the nostalgia factor. That’s why there were significant footfalls for Devadoothan and Manichithrathazhu as well. Devadoothan, long regarded as an underrated gem, surpassed Sphadikam’s box-office revenue. One has to concede that there was also a striking paradox in how Mohanlal’s vintage films are faring better at the box office than his current releases.

But then not all old films are suitable for re-release and therefore it is important to exercise discretion while selecting titles. That’s precisely why the 10-year-old Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakithinte Katha which also didn’t age well, failed to generate interest in its re-release. Similarly, Mammootty’s Valyettan which holds on to the outdated alpha male trope also underperformed. Either this trend has reached its saturation point, or the audience is becoming more discerning about the types of films they want to revisit.

Women headlining narratives

This was a year where nuanced female perspectives were scarce, only a handful of films like Bougainvillea, Sookshmadarshini, and Ullozhukku did well at the box office. Otherwise, such narratives were relegated to the periphery. Even one of the biggest grossers of this year, Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil prioritises the bonding between the two male protagonists over the female character around whom the conflicts unravel and resolve. Her, a direct OTT release, that showcases the lives of five women, oversimplifies their complex narratives, thereby diluting empowerment to feel-good tropes.

ALSO READ | The Year In Malayalam Cinema: Moments That Moved, Thrilled & Surprised Us

When Tamil and Telugu films failed to make much of an impact

Though Ilayathalapathi Vijay enjoys a humongous fan following in Kerala, his Goat struggled to break even. Last year Leo collected 12 crores on Day 1, while Goat took a week to reach that figure. Two of the other much-awaited releases Indian 2 (4.2 cr in 3 days) and Kanguva also underperformed at the box office. However Pushpa 2, despite getting flak from a large section of audience in Kerala managed to be the first Telugu film to surpass the Day 1 record of Rs 6 crore mark in the state. Allu Arjun’s popularity in the state undoubtedly contributed to this success. Meanwhile, Rajnikant’s Vettaiyan achieved the biggest opening weekend for a Tamil movie in the state, grossing Rs 12.8 crores. Amaran and Maharaja are the other films that generated buzz at the Kerala box office.

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