It has been a mixed bag for Malayalam cinema. Beginning on a quiet note, the year finished with a bang with a handful of movies conquering the box office. Experimentation was the defining hallmark of the 140 movies released in 2015.

Ace actors
Prithviraj, Nivin Pauly and Dulquer Salmaan along with Biju Menon, Kunchacko Boban, Jayasurya and Vineeth Sreenivasan are redefining the hero. Veterans Mukesh, Nedumudi Venu, Sai Kumar and so on remained the heart and soul of many a film. Dileep proved, yet, again that there is none to beat him in his kind of cinema. The superhero, thankfully, has been laid to rest for some time. Youngsters like Aju Varghese, Vinay Forrt and Neeraj Madhav found their comfort space in tinsel town with superb acts.
Missing from the big hits this year were some talented actors like Fahadh Faasil, Indrajith and Murali Gopy.
Bevy of leading ladies
Parvathy is the toast of Malayalam cinema for her brilliant, restrained performance in Ennu Ninte Moideen. Manju Warrier, Amala Paul and Rima Kallingal continue to impress. Models and actresses from across the border came good in movies while many talented actresses in Kerala did not get their due. Youngsters Namitha Pramod, Anumol, Anusree, Rachana Naryanankutty and Aparna Gopinath were the few who managed to hold their own in Mollywood. Nikki Galrani, Isha Talwar, Priyal Gor and many more sashayed their way to tinsel town.
Cinematographers
Jomon T. John led from the front with some stunning visuals in Picket 43, Oru Vadakkan Selfie, Nee-Na, Ennu… and Charlie. Sujjith Vassudev (Anarkali), Pratheesh Varma (100 days of Love), Neil d’Cunha and Madhu Neelakandan (Rani Padmini) also captivated us with some unforgettable frames.
Directors’ choice
Brash young Turks and shy chaps got the cash registers jingling while many biggies bit the dust. The box office is a great leveller. Alphonse Putharen, R.S. Vimal, G. Prajith and Jenuse Mohammed celebrated romance while D. Bijukumar, Sanal Sashidharan, Sidhartha Siva and his likes chose to make movies that broke away from the commercial format. Veterans Sathyan Anthikad, Shyamaprasad, Siddique, Lal Jose, V.K. Prakash, Siddique and Ranjith did not disappoint their fans.
Sidharth Bharathan, Rajesh Nair, Ranjith Shankar, Rajesh Pillai, Aashiq Abu, Sachy, Shafi and Martin Prakkat did a good job in the director’s seat by bringing in footfalls into theatres or by tackling interesting themes. Jayaraj’s Ottal bagged the Suvarna Chakoram at the IFFK.
Experimentation
Experimentation was the name of the game. Although not all the films pleased the box office, that did not deter young directors from trying their luck with offbeat themes and narratives.
Fashion trends
Premam made black kurtas, dhothis and coolers de rigueur for all dudes while curly hair bounced back into fashion with Malar. Dulquer’s Bohemian look in Charlie is bound to have many clones on the campus. The gorgeous Nayantara’s saris in Bhaskar the Rascal became the talk of the town.
Greenhorns
Premam, one of the biggest hits of the year, introduced 17 debutants. Deepti Sati (Nee-na) and Manjima Mohan (Oru Vadakkan Selfie) also stepped under the arc lights in 2015. It is estimated that more than 50 debutants donned the director’s cap in 2015.
Home-grown filmmakers
Basil Joseph, R.S. Vimal, Sanal Sashidharan, Sajjin Babu, Sudevan, G. Prajith, Midhun Manuel Thomas, N.K. Muhammed Koya and Santhosh Viswanathan, are some of the film directors who caught the attention of cineastes, critics and viewers.
International Film Festival of Kerala
The 20th edition IFFK won accolades for the way in which it was managed. For once, there weren’t too many controversies about films selected and screened and the ones that eventually won the award.
Journey to tinsel town
Television has shown the way to filmdom to many of our leading stars such as Dileep, Parvathy, Suraj Venjarmoodu, Tiny Tom and many others.
Following in their footsteps, Madonna Sebastian, Jewel Mary and Pearle Maaney made it to movies from the small screen.
Kerala State Film Development Corporation
The government body came to the rescue of filmmakers whose award-winning and critically acclaimed films got a theatrical release. Some of the films did well by wooing viewers who did not have a chance to see the flicks that had made headlines at many festivals.
Linguistic niceties
Nuances of Kerala’s many dialects came alive on the screen, showcasing the diversity and richness of the language.
Mega stars
Mammootty, Mohanlal and Manju Warrier stayed true to their fans. Mammootty, the thespian, could be seen in Salim Ahamed’s Pathemari.
Negative roles
The biggest villains in the movie industry were undoubtedly those making and selling pirate copies.
Premam’s remarkable success was shadowed by an ugly controversy about a pirated copy that found its way to social media.
Offbeat marketing techniques
Posters would no longer do the trick. Savvy marketers made their mark by ensuring that the movies they promote are in the news.
Motion posters, teasers, release of songs, sneak peeks, tantalising stills and visuals, and clever promotional events came to Mollywood.
Pan India influence
Language is no bar as Baahubali proved. Made in Telugu, Baahubali’s dubbed version won eyeballs all over the South.
Remakes and dubbed releases of hits in Malayalam found receptive audiences outside Kerala while directors like Jeethu Joseph, Rosshan Andrrews and Alphonse Putharen effortlessly made the transition to other languages as well.
Quirky names
Aadu Oru Bheekara Jeeviyanu, Jilebi, Kidney Biriyani, Lavender, Pickles, 3 Wikkattinu 365 Runs, KL 10- Pathu, Love 24X7, 32aam Adhyayam 23aam Vaakyam, Nellikka, Lord Livingstone 7000 Kandi, Su..Su..Sudhi Vathmeekam were some of the movies that released in theatres. Titles in English were too many to be listed.
Romance is back
And how! Premam swept the box office and was followed by Ennu Ninte Moideen. Both celebrated different shades of romance. Anarkali and Charlie, the two hits that are still in theatres, are also love stories with a difference.
Supporting stars
Malayalam cinema has always prided itself on its bank of actors who could breathe life into any character, genre no bar. Suraj Venjaramoodu, Tiny Tom, Sasi Kalinga, Sunil Sukhada, Chemban Vinod Jose, Sudheer Karamana, Joy Mathew, Hareesh Peradi, and Sreenath Bhasi are just some of the actors in that group.
Lena, Srinda Ashab, Sona Nair and Muthumani are some of the women who shine in any role.
Trailers
Sometimes, the trailers were more snazzy than the film itself. Crisply edited and made with a lot of imagination, some of the eagerly anticipated trailers became trendsetters and went viral.
USP
The USP of Malayalam cinema continues to be riveting themes, great actors and superb technicians (read directors, cinematographers, sound technicians…).
Visual effects
Again, it was Baahubali that won the sweepstakes.
Women directors
Anjali Menon set the ball rolling with her success as scriptwriter and director.
In 2015, writer Sreebala K. Menon (Love 24x7) and Preethi Panikkar (Thilothama) made their debut in mainstream cinema.
X factor
Prithviraj, Nivin Pauly and Dulquer Salmaan became the actors with the attitude and the looks.
All three did well in Tamil cinema as well.
Yawn factor
The way many Malayalam films still continue to portray women!
Zoom in
Problems are aplenty in Mollywood but at the end of the day, it is cinema that matters and cinema that wins.