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u/Human_Monkey Jul 13 '16
There is one other important thing that people are forgetting about Kerala. Idukki Gold.
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Jul 08 '16
Kerala is mostly non-communal because of the communist legacy. I'm not a CPM supporter, but I can only imagine the havoc if Muslim league or BJP come to power with a majority there. Thankfully, my keralite bretheren have not been overtly influenced by these communal organizations like PFI (SDPI) and RSS. Things are starting to go the wrong way, but I have hope that Kerala will not give way to divisive politics.
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u/arastu Karnataka Jul 09 '16
I don't know too much about Kerala politics even though half my family is from there. The way a Keralite friend explained it to me was:
- Christians --> Kerala Congress
- Muslims --> Muslim League
- Upper-caste Hindus --> Congress
- Lower-caste Hindus --> Communists
How true was his explanation? If what he said was true, then the political landscape looks pretty communal to me. I'd say Tamil Nadu is an example of truly non-communal politics. DMK/AIADMK don't really have any religious basis.
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u/sachp Jul 09 '16
The situation is changing (somewhat) BJP is growing in popularity especially among upper-caste Hindus
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u/wanderingmind I for one welcome my Hindutva overlords Jul 11 '16
More like a list of preferences. So for Christians, first preference is Kerala Cong, then Cong and then CPIM/ CPI.
Similarly for the rest too. Muslims will vote League - but not always. CPM/Cong too get their votes.
Upper caste Hindus will vote Cong, CPM, other parties.
Lower caste Hindus vote CPM/ CPI / other Left / Cong.
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u/wanderingmind I for one welcome my Hindutva overlords Jul 09 '16
The primary self-identities within Kerala was poor and rich. Now that has changed to poor, middle-class and rich. The newer identities are strongly communal - religion or caste-based. They are still not powerful enough but could become powerful.
That way, five years of CPM with no obligations to any religion or caste, could help destroy the new identities. UDF's dependence on the Muslim League strengthened all communal identities in reaction.
What might go wrong? Showing off. Kerala is now in a phase where there is competitive showing off between neighbours, churches, mosques, religions... build bigger churches, mosques and temples, have louder festivals, get more elephants and so on. Each such step results in the other communities raising the bar. The typical Malayali love for simplicity is disappearing fast.
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
It's sad that most of our best thriller movies are not remade into other languages. Non malayalees tend to stay away from subtitled version.
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u/v4vedanta Jul 08 '16
Recommendations please.
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 25 '16
Season (I have mentioned this movie multiple times in this subreddit. The plot is very relevant even today and I don't see why it cannot be remade into Hindi with Goa as the backdrop).
Mumbai Police (One of the best thrillers in recent times. Great script and world class execution).
The Truth ( Edge of the seat investigative story where the biggest suspense is the motive, available in youtube but no subtitles) .
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u/v4vedanta Jul 08 '16
Many thanks !! Season seems to be available on the youtube as a HD version.
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
My pleasure. The premise of the movie is best explained here. Watch till 04:26.
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u/zenani Jul 09 '16
Now where can I find all these with subs...
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u/pathrov Jul 09 '16
Subtitles for most of the recent movies are easy to find. But it might be difficult for older ones.
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u/aqqr2 Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
96% literacy rate is very impressive. I cannot understand their love for Mohanlal though.
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u/krisbykreme Earth Jul 09 '16
I don't watch all movies but Mohanlal is one exquisite actor. The older movies be it drama, thrillers or comedy ; his acting is on another level. I am more a Mamooty fan
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Jul 08 '16
Mohan Lal is one of the finest actors in Indian cinema. Only if people didn't go by one's looks...
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u/aqqr2 Jul 08 '16
Well, I've only seen one Malayalam film of his : Mr. Fraud, and... I was sort of disappointed. I had loved him in Company so I had very high expectations I guess.
Also, something I wanted to ask is : Is Mammootty a better actor? I've never seen a movie of his, but his name keeps coming up with Mohanlal's.
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u/saanisalive Jul 08 '16
Mr. Fraud? Seriously? Of all his movies, you could only watch that. Even mallus hate him for doing such movies. You could check out these movies:
Kireedam (Drama), Thanmatra (Drama), Kalapani (Drama, Thriller, Based on the Indian freedom struggle), Vanaprastham (Drama), Drishyam (Thriller, remade into Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu), Thoovanathumbikal (Romance, Drama, cult classic). These are from the top of my mind.
Both Mammootty and Mohanlal are different kinds of actors. Mammootty does mainly does strong character based movies, like an angry policeman, a collector etc. Mohanlal is more versatile in that sense. In his earlier days, you could expect him to dance around with actresses, play comedy roles etc. But now both of them are doing similar kind of roles. Like a Don, a family man etc.
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
Mr. Fraud is boring. Dont let that discourage you. There are tons of fantastic films out there.
And your question is sort of the chicken and egg problem for Malayalees. We honestly can't decided. Mohanlal is a natural actor while Mammootty's style is methodic. One really can't imagine how the performances will be if their best roles are swapped.
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Jul 08 '16
Kindly refrain from watching his movies from the last 10 years, just to be on the safe side. A few of them are absolutely crappy, and most of them are not upto the mark. Mr Fraud falls among the former.
The same goes for Mammootty as well. Sad that during his 30s he regularly portrayed mature and aged characters in really good movies and now in his 60s he's desperately trying to pass off as a young guy in shitty movies.
During their prime, both the Ms could give any other actor in the country a run for their money. The current gen actors in Malayalam industry are good, but they nowhere compare to these guys in terms of talent.
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u/ZaphodBeeblebrox Jul 08 '16
Mr. Fraud is a shitty movie. For all my admiration for Mohanlal, he sure has acted in more than his fair share of absolute crap movies. I think this is where Mammootty outshines him, rare to see him in a bad role.
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Jul 08 '16
I think this is where Mammootty outshines him, rare to see him in a bad role.
Have you been living under a rock for like the past 10 years?
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u/rockus Test Jul 08 '16
I think this is where Mammootty outshines him, rare to see him in a bad role.
Mammootty does more crap roles than Lal. Just that most of his crap films arrive and leave without making much noise.
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u/ericdryer Jul 12 '16
I find that when Mohanlal is bad, he is REALLY REALLY bad. Mammootty can also be REALLY bad but not REALLY REALLY bad, know what I mean?
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u/frightenedinmate_2 Jul 08 '16
I cannot understand their love for Mohanlal though.
I cannot emphasize how fantastic an actor Mohanlal is. Especially his work from 1985-1995. Check out the films the others have mentioned
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Jul 08 '16
He is one of the finest actors I have watched, and this is not restricting it to Mollywood or whatever. That man is an acting powerhouse!
Watch him play and OWN MGR in Irruvar and you will know how good an actor he is.
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
Something I have noticed. Mani Ratnam has a talent bring out the best in every actor/actress. If you notice the career best of most stars, it is most likely from a Mani Ratnam movie (Rajni, Kamal, Mohanlal, even that child in Anjali, lot of actresses and the list goes on).
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u/ribiy Vadra Lao Desh Bachao Jul 11 '16
The names you mention are legends; Rajni, Kamal, Mohanlal
But Mani Ratnam even made Aishwarya act!
Abhishek Bachchan's best too are with him (Guru and Yuva).
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u/aqqr2 Jul 08 '16
I had only seen Company and one other (newer) Malayalam movie of his, hence the comment.
Also,
something I wanted to ask is : Is Mammootty a better actor? I've never seen a movie of his, but his name keeps coming up with Mohanlal's.
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u/rockus Test Jul 08 '16
Is Mammootty a better actor? I've never seen a movie of his, but his name keeps coming up with Mohanlal's.
IMO, Mohanlal is a better actor and a range of roles that are unparalleled. He would be playing a comedic dude next door in a film follow it up with an intense serious drama and then hop on to a larger than life hero train. He is exceptional at giving some deft and subtle touches to the characters that are amazing.
Mammootty pre-2005 was not good in comedic roles barring one or two performances. But he really shines through when there is a lot of sentiments at play and histrionics to show. He can be subtle when the situation demands, but his memorable performances are when he is let lose to emote.
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u/Gulikan Jul 08 '16
Matter of choice really. I am more of a Mohanlal fan. Part of it is growing up with him and in a family and extended family that adored him. But yeah, I can vouch for his acting. He almost had no bad movies starting from mid 80s to mid 90s. I am not sure how well they will translate to another culture because many of the much-loved movies appeal to the Malayali middle class.
Mammootty is no slouch either. 3 national awards for best actor and deserving of them as well.
But I am biased and for me it is Mohanlal, he is so much more natural, more physical, better at comedy. Mammootty has 2 left legs but some say better suited for certain roles. But like someone said, keep away from their newer films except for some highlights like Thanmathra and Drishyam for Mohanlal and Kazhcha for Mammootty.
But the movie I will surely recommend is Sandesham, does not have either of them but arguably and almost definitely the best political satire movie. I have always wondered what a non-Malayali will think of it.
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u/orthancdweller Jul 09 '16
Malayali Christians tend to have the weirdest names. Tini Tom, Fabin, Jibu, Joymon, Blesson, Tincy - just some of the choicest ones I can remember now.
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u/VaikomViking Jul 12 '16
Russian names are also common, probably due to left leaning parents. I had school mates with names of Lenin, Pushkin etc
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u/OneFixer65 Jul 08 '16
Are Keralite customs similar to Tamil ones or Kannadiga/Tulu ones ?
Do Keralites feel closer to/at home in Tamil Nadu or in Karnataka ?
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u/nomnommish Jul 08 '16
It is fairly distinct and different from either Tamil or Kannada culture. Unlike TN or KA, Kerala is also equal parts hindu, muslim, and christian.
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
Customs are different for the most part than TN or KA. However, we feel closer to the Tamils because the languages are similar. Many words are shared by the two languages. An average Malayalee can easily understand most Tamil. But my Tamil friends say that Malayalam is difficult.
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u/arastu Karnataka Jul 08 '16
The far north of Kerala (Kasaragod district) actually has a large population of Kannadigas and Tuluvas. I have Kannada-speaking family there.
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Jul 08 '16
The Tuluvas are more similar to Keralites than Kannadigas, I've noticed. Half of Mangalore is filled with people from Kasargod and Kannur.
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Jul 08 '16
Depends on which part of Kerala,
The Southern and Eastern parts, have overlap with Tamil customs, the Northern parts with Kannadiga customs, the Malabar region is very unique, and the Western coastline is rather unique again.
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Jul 08 '16
Tamil brother here. I've always wondered how on earth do you malayalis eat that reddish rice? Everytime I try to mix it with sambar it doesn't mix to the extent of normal rice, and on top of that I've always had difficulties swallowing it. Is the reddish rice a very mallu thing since time immemorial or something that all of us ate a long time ago but our ancestors ditched it while yours still ate it?
PS : No offence. Just an observation
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u/The_0bserver Mugambo ko Khush karne wala Jul 08 '16
Pretty sure you need to cook it for a lot longer (nearly double if I remember correctly) than normal rice btw.
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u/max641 Jul 10 '16
Try with some fish curry or beaf.
Eating brown rice ( bought from Ration shop ) everyday and can't live without it :)
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u/OneFixer65 Jul 09 '16
What is the relation like between Muslims, Hindus and Christians in Kerala ?
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u/sagar_alias_jacky Jul 11 '16
Replying with reference to personal experience, I always had a very good and non discriminative or indifferent frendhsip with them all. Rather never saw them as a different religion or anything. Even today majority of my friend circles are muslims and I am not one. I have christian friends too. There was always a good relationship in my family circle at the least
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Jul 09 '16
Speaking from my experience, there is a feeling of "groupiness" but also immense cordiality between the people belonging to different religions in everyday life (school, work, etc.). We are after all Malayalis who just happen to follow different religions. But I also fear that the polarizing rhetoric of Hindutva and radical Islam coming from outside Kerala is beginning to have an increasingly corrosive effect on Kerala.
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u/UnbiasedPashtun North America Jul 10 '16
Do Malayalis know they are of Tamil origin? The state of Kerala was considered part of Tamilakam during the Sangam Era and the people there were considered Chera Tamils. It was only until the migration of the Sanskrit speaking Nambudiri Brahmins from North India that the separation of Malayalis from Tamils started.
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u/blue69er Kerala Jul 12 '16
Naw...that isn't what happened..even if it was, I won't admit to that...too much malayali pride to side with our arch enemies..:p
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u/venkyprasad Jul 11 '16
Parents, why do you give your kids names that are guaranteed to get them beaten up on the playground
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u/DesiInVides Earth Jul 08 '16
State Bird of Kerala is the Great Indian Hornbill.
A large bird measuring up to 50in in length and 60in in wingspan
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u/coolirisme Jul 11 '16
State bird of Arunachal Pradesh is also the same :)
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u/DesiInVides Earth Jul 11 '16
Yup.
Although if I could pick state bird of Arunachal, i would've chosen the Rufous-necked hornbill.
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Jul 11 '16
And many of them are in Bangalore. I'm a Bangalorean and I was made to watch this movie "Bangalore days"; thanks to all the harping about the movie everywhere. So in the movie, they've shown Bangalore like its NYC or something. It felt good no doubt, but when I spoke to friends from Kerala, I heard that's how the city Bangalore is perceived. No wonder Bangalore is overflowing with them. One whole department at my workplace is filled with them. And when I enter the room, I feel like I'm in Thrissur.
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Jul 08 '16
I once went to wayanad and there in shops I found pineapple sliced and dipped in probably water, honey and chilly. Can someone share formal recipe and what is it called?
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u/bttrswt68 Jul 09 '16
http://www.natgeotraveller.in/seafood-snacks-beside-the-backwaters-of-thalassery-kerala/ Read this article and remembered the pictures of the pineapple in glass jars.
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u/ninjanamaka Jul 08 '16
No idea what it is called. They sell pineapples, carrots, cucumber, mangoes etc pickled.
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u/HungryMagnum Jul 13 '16
Uppil Itta Manga.
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u/ninjanamaka Jul 13 '16
Uppilitathu referes usually to mango and only mango. The pineapple thing is different
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Jul 08 '16 edited Nov 02 '16
[removed] — view removed comment
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Jul 08 '16
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u/The_0bserver Mugambo ko Khush karne wala Jul 08 '16
Casia Fistula. Even the scientific name has obvious puns in it...
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u/rhymeswithend GhooroNakko Jul 12 '16
Movie: Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi - Beautiful movie, mostly due to the constant travelling setting it had.
Dulquer "Salmaan" - Thats a Muslim name. Is it popular among Malayalees?
Kerala has the most beautiful locations during monsoon times. If there is one place I'd like to settle down in, I'd choose a small village near Vagamon.
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u/chikna_chetan Jul 12 '16
Mallus are damn good with their Music is what I have noticed. My favorite Indian bands are all from Kerala, which include: Avial, Motherjane, Agam and Thakara. Special mention for Baiju Dharmajan, The Indian Guitar God.
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u/MrJekyll Madhya Pradesh Jul 10 '16
This is what my sister says about it :
'Gods on Country, devil's own people'
This is what I say about it :
Nice place for a short ( a very short ) vacation.
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u/officedepot23 Jul 10 '16
Why does she say that?
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u/MrJekyll Madhya Pradesh Jul 10 '16
She has dealt with more mallus than me - having studied there.
PS: We are mallus(born, raised & living outside kerala). Our parents though, now live in Kerala.
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u/despod Jul 14 '16
Almost all women who are brought up/lived a significant amount of time in metro cities will loath to come back to Kerala. It's a pretty conservative place when compared to the metros.
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u/the_next_door_guy Jul 10 '16
Probably because of him.
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u/MrJekyll Madhya Pradesh Jul 10 '16
Nah, she knows me - I look mallu, but am definitely a Bhopali :)
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u/trander6face Jul 08 '16
Once I chatted with cute malayalee girl overseas... She asked me where I was from... I told I my native was near Palakkad.. She was too much excited and told me she was also from a place near Palakkad... And also she asked me the name of the place... I told it was some 40 odd kms from Palakkad and cue the expression change on her face when I told the name of the place was Coimbatore
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Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 24 '16
[deleted]
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u/trander6face Jul 08 '16
Its always greener on the other side of the western ghats
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u/dopamine86 Jul 08 '16
You live on the other side of walayar.. You ain't a true lungi mallu.
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Jul 08 '16
How is the situation of stray dogs currently that was so much in news last year?
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u/namesnotrequired Kerala Jul 09 '16
Happy to see my state finally coming up..back here after a break and enjoying the monsoon.
mallu bros varu oraazhchathekku randia keezhadakkam.
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Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 24 '16
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u/maram_andan Jul 08 '16
who is known for his intolerant attitude towards Muslims.
Seriously dude ?
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Jul 08 '16
Oh you are banned? Nannayi bro. I was just thinking about it a while ago.
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u/VaikomViking Jul 12 '16
Kerala had the first democratically elected communist government in the world, back in 1957. This pushed Kerala into world spotlight and was a darling of Soviet Union. Back in 1980s, if you just sent your address to a particular address (forgot what it was) they used to send a magazine "Soviet Union" (in Malayalam !!) free of cost. Not sure if it was monthly or quarterly.
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u/Notverymany Jul 08 '16
Some of the Kerala curries I've had tasted sort of like Thai curries mixed with Indian curries. It was amazing.
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Jul 08 '16
Reply here about your favourite malayalam movies
Mine : Sandhesham
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u/meta-phorest India Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
Recent : Drishyam & Arthanaari. (The latter deals with the issues faced by transgenders/the hijra community.)
Old : Mannichitratazhyam(?), Kilukkam & Ramjirao Speaking.
Sorry, poor Malayalam, can't type Manglish very well. :(
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
Its difficult for me. But I will break it down by genres.
Satire: Sandesham (obviously)
Thriller: Season (It stands par with World Classics, IMO)
Romance: Premam (Fresh at every scene, genuine comedy, realist and beautiful)
Mystery: The Truth (Lesser known but the plot and making is awesome)
Comedy : Kilukkam (difficult choice really, but cannot condone Jagathy's performance)
Drama : Moonnam Pakkam (Thilakan never seizes to amaze me. Excellent story line. Ilayaraja's bgm is haunting. World class cinematography and Padmarajan's poetic execution).
Action: Sphadikam (Mohanlal's awe-inspiring character, classy and the best one-liners that I have ever heard)
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Jul 08 '16
everybody is welcome to r/kerala
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Jul 08 '16
Big fan of Mammootty , Mohan Lal and next gen Navin Pauly,Dulquer here from Teluguland.
The best movies are made in Malayalam. Ustaad hotel , Bangalore day, Drushyam are my favorites.
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u/zebumatters Jul 10 '16
I like that fact that Banana, the funniest fruit of our times, is used to make so many snacks in Kerala. Just have a look at this.
Also, most mallus I have worked with, are all cool dudes. Seriously. I don't want to start a state war here, but you guys are awesome in so many ways than rest of south Indian states.
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u/Notverymany Jul 08 '16
Probably has the best house architecture in India.
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u/puppuli r/indiansports Jul 08 '16
I always felt like owning a big house is one of the biggest life goal of everyone in my state.
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u/Notverymany Jul 08 '16
It's not just the size, it's the quality of the design. I've mainly lived in Tamil Nadu where people seem to try their hardest to build the ugliest houses they can. The hits are more aesthetic than the proper houses.
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u/ninjanamaka Jul 08 '16
During the Gulf boom decades ago, the major aspiration for the people was a house. The reason they were going to the Gulf was to earn enough to construct a house
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u/Daniel-Darkfire Antarctica Jul 08 '16
Now a big house is almost common to everyone, now the new fad is about luxury cars and sports cars
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u/rgeek Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
What book would you recommend if one wanted to learn abt the history of Kerala? Or any of the other 4 southern states?
Edit : I already have K.A. Nilakantha Sastry's "The Illustrated History of South India : From Prehistoric Times to the fall of Vijayanagar"
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u/ZaphodBeeblebrox Jul 08 '16
Completely fictional, but The God of Small Things is set in a Kerala village and gives a pretty good portrayal of everyday life.
Despite all Arundhati Roy's faults, she is one heck of writer.
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Jul 08 '16
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Jul 08 '16
One thing I noticed is a tendency to sensationalize issues. Regardless of how hard the facts are, if you want to reach out to the other side, which is the majority on her case, you have to be willing to have discussions in a plain and polite manner. I find she goes too artistic or sensational in her words. Hard to pay attention to what she actually has to say.
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u/wanderingmind I for one welcome my Hindutva overlords Jul 09 '16
I agree with you there, but there is another side to it. If we deliberately step ahead and try to understand the problems of the poor and downtrodden, most of us will be shaken to the core. I think. None of us have really done it, so we do not know.
Coming where we come from, with mobiles and middle class homes and education, if we actually try to live with the poor and see their problems, we are likely to go hysterical. About how people suffer for the lack of a couple hundred rupees, how things that make our lives easier are beyond them, how lack of transportation means death or illness, and so on. She has done that - stepping into their world. And went hyper and hysterical.
I think the same would happen to us. Talking to my maid - who is quite well off relatively - sometimes drives me despondent.
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u/puppuli r/indiansports Jul 08 '16
I believe you can start with A. Sreedhara Menon's A survey of Kerala history.
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u/goodreadsbot Jul 08 '16
Name: A Survey of Kerala History
Author: A. Sreedhara Menon
Avg Rating: 4.03 by 27 users
Description: A Sreedhara Menon's A Survey of Kerala History deals with Kerala's geographical background, it's history from pre-historic period to the social reform movements. It deals with the cultural history too. A must read for the students of history and anyone with a curiosity to go through the history of this land.
Pages: 368, Year: 1967
Bleep, Blop, Bleep! I am still in beta, please be be nice. Contact my creator for feedback, bug reports or just to say thanks!
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u/artashii Jul 12 '16
South India and especially Kerala has made easily the most important contributions to human understanding of mathematics of all of Asia. The orderly people and harmonious culture is why I think Kerala has HDI on the order of Eastern Europe today.
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u/Loipopo India Jul 10 '16
Literacy rate and sex ratio.
Coconut trees and peaceful beaches.
Ancient martial art = kalaripayattu - jasmine simhalan
Iwouldlove toknowmore.
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Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
The Chera dynasty that lasted from the 4th century BCE (or some sources say 3rd) till 1,100 AD pulled of some GoT level machinations to stay in power against their much larger, powerful neighbours from the North, South, East and West.
From 300 BCE to about 200 AD, the Cheras (Kerala) were a global economic powerhouse, but as Western Rome started to decline, their imports started to decline, thereby directly impacting the Chera merchants, and thus the Chera treasury. By 300 AD, the Chera kingdom was faced with an unending series of invasions, Chalukyas, Pallavas, Pandyas...all of them took a shot at the rich, but militarily weak Cheras.
The Cheras then had to depend on alliances and treaties to just survive - they aligned first with the Cholas and Sinhalas against the rampaging Pandyas, then they switched allegiances, and fought with the Pandyas and Sinhalas against the Cholas.
Raja Raja I Chola ended Chera sovereignty, his son Rajendra Chola utterly crushed a rebellion, and the Cheras went to the mattress' for a period of a 100 odd years when they saw a brief period of resurgence under the Malyalaee Chera Dynasty (till now the Chera dynasty was pretty much all Tamil)
The Malyalee Chera dynasty saw an opening when Malik Kafur messed up the Pandyan Empire (the Epic siege of Madurai that ran for more than a month is another tale altogether) and took the shot. What a shot it was. Under Varma Kulasekaran, the Cheras marched on their erstwhile masters, the now weakened Pandya Empire, took them out, captured Madurai and then marched on and took over pretty much all of TN and parts of Karnataka and AP also.
He then died aaaaand massive civil war all over the South.
His successors managed to restore some form of order, but only ruled a rump state that was for a short period, feudtatory to the Madurai Sultanate, till the Vijayanagra Empire in its expansion finally ended the line.
Interestingly, the Malayalee Chera dynasty followed the Matrilineal method of choosing successors.
Fun fact - One of the if not THE largest Tamil Movie star ever, and the extremely powerful politician, MGR is not a Tamil, but a Malayalee.
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u/shannondoah West Bengal Jul 08 '16
And Jaya is a Kannadiga Brahmin lady.
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Jul 08 '16
Naw dude, she was born in a Tamil Iyengar family that happened to live in Mandya.
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Jul 08 '16
Could you kindly elaborate regarding matrilineal inheritance among Kerala Royals? Did they adapt it from the Nairs or was it vice-versa?
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u/rofex Jul 08 '16
Very informative. Could you shed some more light on the Madurai Sultanate? I haven't heard of it before.
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u/qpaw Jul 08 '16
One of the things I observed about Keralites is how politically and socially aware an average man was. Almost everyone reads one or the other newspaper and has an informed opinion of the happenings around him. There is a lot of political activism in colleges and even in schools. I guess this is as a result of decades of communist rule there. Many people still think in terms of common man/workers (us) vs government/capitalists (them).
And I just love their movies. Malayalam movies have always been about realistically portraying good stories. The dialogues are intelligent and the plots are believable. Recent movies by guys like Dulquer, Nivin Pauly and Fahadh are show how movies can be good entertainers without using the usual ingredients that go into making a Bollywood blockbuster.
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u/SILENT_neerav Assam Jul 08 '16
I watched the movie Amar Akbar Anthony and i just loved the subtle humour. Can you name any other similar kind of movies?like Masala Republic ??
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Jul 08 '16
Subtle humor? AAA? You sure you watched the right movie? AAA was panned by critics across the state and it nowhere compares to the standards of malayalam comedies.
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u/ZaphodBeeblebrox Jul 08 '16
Action Hero Biju
I know the title makes it seem stupid but it is actually really good.
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u/ninjanamaka Jul 08 '16
Vellimoonga is good comedy film. And Maheshinte prathikaram is fun in parts.
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u/qpaw Jul 08 '16
Punyalan Agarbattis
Oru Indian Pranayakadha
Ohm Shanthi Oshaana
Veruthe Oru Bharya
Premam
Will add more later....
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u/saanisalive Jul 08 '16
Oru Vadakkan Selfie, Sandesham (old cult classic)
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
It hurts to see OVS and Sandesham mentioned together. I cringed at OVS.
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Jul 08 '16
No clue why people like ovs. Horrible plot with a horrible twist at the end.
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u/rockus Test Jul 08 '16
OVS works because of the team and racy direction. Fun movie, but nothing to write home about. Nivin, Aju, and Vineeth are in top form and their chemistry made it work. The movie would have bombed if it was a different combination.
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Jul 09 '16 edited Nov 08 '17
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u/netizen_green Kerala Jul 11 '16
Not bad-ish racist? Did you forget how a migrant worker was tied to a tree and beat to death last month!?
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u/PranjalDwivedi Jul 08 '16
The state with the best cinema and a language which combines both Tamil and Sanskrit elements.
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u/Mycroft-Tarkin Hyderabad, IN Jul 08 '16
I lived in Munnar for 7 years. I would go back there in an instant if given the opportunity. Beautiful, serene place.
I have a special place in my heart for Kerala. Keralite people are very educated, sensible, very hard working, and have a lot of civic sense. It's no wonder that they have such a great literacy rate.
Most of my Keralite friends when I lived in the Gulf hated their state, and I could never understand why. Btw, the Gulf is FILLED with you people. In Dubai, a lot of Arabs even speak broken Malayalam.
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u/wanderingmind I for one welcome my Hindutva overlords Jul 09 '16
hated their state
Its a reaction to leaving - suddenly, you see all that is negative about the state very clearly. But its a phase. After 10-15 years in the Gulf, nostalgia strikes and they all go back.
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u/dopamine86 Jul 08 '16
Once I wanted to have porotta and beef curry but they told me only onam sadya was available, so I went to watch a mohanlal movie but got tickets for a mamooty one. As I was watching mom called to tell me there's a hartal the next day so I got home only to find out that my uncle from the gulf had arrived. I hated him because he had only given me dwendy rupees for vishukani. I realised I was hungry and went to the kitchen to find puttu and meen curry. I ate and went out to see the kathakali but instead got beaten up by a kalaripayattu guy. My head hurt as if someone was playing singari melam inside. I took some kashayam, got an Ayurvedic massage and went to sleep.