Script The New Superstar

The new wave of Malayalam cinema.

- Athira Raj

The macho hero, the evil villain, the beautiful leading lady, a revenge plot, comedic dialogues and teary-eyed family scenes were the recipe for every successful '90s film. The hero would be a household name and the film would be known for its superstar. Fans would flock to the theatres to see their favourite superstar shine through the screen, bearing the torch of moral values and justice. The action sequences were unrealistic and the emotional dialogues were exaggerated. It would be unjust to say that these films lacked good stories but certainly, there was a set formula.

Malayalam cinema was not different from this phenomenon of superstar films. The films of that era were more popularly known for the actor, the hero. But since the '90s, our ideas of heroes and heroines, cities and villages, friends and family, changed as the internet became accessible and films in other languages became available to the audience. Malayalee audience has stopped walking into the theatres just to watch their superstar; now they demand nuanced stories, realistic representation and an engaging plot. Earlier, many stories and characters were written for a particular actor. This prevented Malayalam cinema from welcoming new faces and experimenting with new narratives.

In January 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, Jeo Baby's The Great Indian Kitchen ignited a great response with its eye-opener theme. A story set in the familiar space of a household, we see a young, newly-wed woman, slipping into the duties of a wife, slaving away in the kitchen, cleaning leftovers, and being silenced. The husband and the other patriarchal figures go about their days as if this is nothing out of the ordinary. The simple yet seething script made use of excellent direction and acting to force its audience to pay attention to the disparities that exist so conveniently in our own households.