He started Udaya Studios in Alleppey (Alappuzha) in 1947, reducing the travel to Madras (Chennai) for film crew and actors. ĭuring the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Kunchacko made significant contributions to Malayalam cinema, both as a producer and as director of some notable Malayalam movies. Most of the films of the 60s were animated by the nationalist and socialist projects, and centred on issues relating to caste and class exploitation, the fight against obscurantist beliefs, the degeneration of the feudal class, and the breakup of the joint-family system. Chemmeen (1965), directed by Ramu Kariat and based on a story by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, went on to become immensely popular, and became the first Malayalam film to win the National Film Award for Best Film. The era of colour films came to Malayalam cinema with its first colour film, Kandam Bacha Coat (1961). Notable films of this decade include Odayil Ninnu, Bhargavi Nilayam (1964), Chemmeen (1965), Murappennu (1965) and Iruttinte Athmavu (1966). Vincent, also became a noted director of the 1960s and 1970s. Bhaskaran also directed a few acclaimed films in the 1960s. Bhaskaran), went on to become a celebrated director in the 1960s and 1970s. It told the story of a printing press employee and his family being stricken with extreme poverty.įurther information: Malayalam films: 1928 – 1959 1960s Ramu Kariat, one of the directors of Neelakkuyil (the other was P. This film is notable as the product of a group of amateur college filmmakers. Another notable production was Newspaper Boy (1955), which contained elements of Italian neorealism. Bhaskaran and Ramu Kariat, it is often considered the first authentic Malayali film. Scripted by the well-known Malayalam novelist Uroob, and directed by P. In 1954, the film Neelakuyil captured national interest by winning the President's silver medal.
Nevertheless, this time was hailed as "the period of giants" in Malayalam film industry, due to the work of film stars Sathyan and Prem Nazir. Although its success accelerated Malayalam movie-making, films that were produced after Jeevitha Nouka closely mimicked its structure, hoping to find some sort of "success formula", thus hampering creativity for a long time. However, this movie's success was bittersweet.
This movie became very popular and was probably the first "super hit" of Malayalam cinema. One such film, Jeevitha Nouka (1951), was a musical drama which spoke about the problems in a joint family. Prem NazirMalayalam cinema has always taken its themes from relevant social issues and has been interwoven with material from literature, drama, and politics since its inception. Malayalam films continued to be made mainly by Tamil producers until 1947, when the first major film studio, Udaya, was established in Kerala, in Alleppey (Alappuzha) by Kunchacko, who earned fame as a film producer and director. It was produced at Chennai (then Madras) in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. Nottani with a screenplay and songs written by Muthukulam Raghavan Pillai. The first talkie (1938)The first talkie in Malayalam was Balan, released in 1938. As a result, the second movie's exhibition lasted only four days. However, it became stranded in a legal battle over copyright issues and the court ordered the confiscation of the prints.
The second film, Marthanda Varma, based on a novel by C. Daniel founded the first film studio, 'The Travancore National Pictures Limited' in Kerala. Daniel, a businessman with no prior film experience. The shooting of the first Malayalam film, the silent movie Vigathakumaran, was started in 1928 the film was released in Trivandrum Capitol Theatre on November 7, 1930. Daniel, and for this work he is credited as the father of Malayalam cinema. The first film (silent movie, 1928)The first film to be made in Malayalam was Vigathakumaran, which was released in 1930. In the early days, Tamil, Hindi and English films were exhibited in these theatres. Soon such cinema halls were established in other major cities of Kerala. In 1913, the first electrically operated film projector was established (in Thrissur again) by Jose Kattukkaran and was called the "Jose Electrical Bioscope". History of Malayalam cinema The early era (1907-1950s) Cinemas before the first filmThe first cinema hall in Kerala, with a manually operated film projector, was opened in Thrissur by K.