Malayalam cinema has established its reputation during the last 50 years of its existence. Remarkable for its portrayal of real life in celluloid, Malayalam cinema has won many awards and International fame.

The viewers in Kerala enjoy the films comprehending the reality in it. They possess high insight in distinguishing reality from fiction in the themes of experimentalism. Malayalam Cinema has contributed much to the creative and critical analysis sectors of Malayalam literature.

The first silent movie in Malayalam 'Vigatha Kumaran' was produced and directed by J C Daniel, a businessman who had no previous experience in this field. However the film was not financially success. But it is notable that while mythological films ruled all over the Indian cinema arena, J. C. Daniel had the courage to produce the first ever Malayalam film with a social theme. The economic failure of Vigatha Kumaran discouraged him from producing further films, thus he withdrew from the film field.

In 1931, the second Malayalam film, 'Marthanda Varma', based on a well-known historical novel by C. V. Raman Pillai, was made. Although sound films were produced in Hindi and Tamil regularly, Malayalam cinema had to wait till 1938 to present its first sound film, 'Balan'. The picture was, of course a super hit .In 1947, the first major film studio, Udaya was established in Kerala. Then, in 1948, another film 'Nirmala' produced by P. J. Cherian and directed by P. V. Krishna Iyer was released. This film was a revolution in the field of film technology. The play -back system was introduced for the first time in the Malayalam cinema. Until then, artists had to act and sing simultaneously.

'Jeevithanouka' was a turning point for Malayalam cinema. This highly dramatic musical film, which narrated the story of ego clashes in a joint family, was mainly directed towards the women audience. Jeevithanouka was a huge success. Thikkurishi Sukumaran Nair, an actor from the stage, became the first "superstar" after the success of Jeevithanouka. But this success had also an adverse effect. Films that were made after this film were channeled through this success formula, and nothing creative was seen for a long time. Superstars took over the drivers seat and directors were forced to the background.

Through 'Neelakuyil' (1954) Malayalam cinema for the first time had an authentic Malayalam story. The story for Neelakuyil was penned by renowned Malayalam writer Uroob and directed by the duo of P. Bhaskaran and Ramu Karyat. This melodramatic film dealt with the issue of untouchability in the society. Satyan and Miss Kumari were elevated to stardom after the huge success of this film. Malayalam film music, which till then was cheap imitations of Hindi and Tamil film music, also got a fresh breath through this film. K. Rghavan arranged the lyrics written by P. Bhaskaran in an authentic Malayalam manner. The tunes of this film, which was influenced by Malayalam folk music, became popular among the masses. Neelakuyil showed the presence of Malayalam cinema in Indian film arena.

Another significant effort was Newspaper Boy (1955) made by a group of college students lead by enthusiastic N. Ramdas, who was totally new to the film industry and amateur students handled almost all technical works. Newspaper Boy (1955) was the reflection of neo-realism in cinema, which became popular all over the world. This film narrates the sad story of a printing press employee and his family reeling through poverty.

He dies of extreme poverty and illness, which forces his children to stop their education. His elder son Appu leaves to Madras in search of a job. Failing to secure a job there, he reaches back to Kerala and decides to take up the job of newspaper boy. Even though P. Ramadas failed in exploring the possibilities of the media of cinema, his out look of the society is appreciable

In the sixties, the influence of Malayalam literature on cinema was strengthened more. So many films were made upon famous novels and even poems like 'Karuna' and 'Ramanan' provided themes for films. P Bhaskaran went a long way by directing the film 'Rarichan Enna Powran'. His most famous film was 'Iruttinte Aathmavu'. M T Vasudevan Nair, noted writer also made some remarkable collaborative works during this period including 'Nirmalyam' his own directorial venture.

Sethumadhavan, who came to the field by directing 'Jnanasundary' in 1961, always maintained his identity by choosing themes with social relevance, and presenting them in a simple manner. Most of his films including 'Odayil Ninnu', 'Aranazhika Neram', 'Anubhavangal Palichakal' where based on famous novels. The most celebrated actor Satyan proved his talent through Sethu Madhavan's films.

It was also the golden era for Malayalam film songs. The Vayalar - Devarajan team have given us numerous unforgettable melodies. Baburaj, Dakshinamurthy , K Rakhavan etc. composed enchanting tunes for the lyrics by P Bhaskaran, Yusaf Ali Kechery, Sreekumaran Thambi etc. Ever famous Yesudas, Jayachandran, S Janaki , P Leela, P Susheela, Kamukara Purushothaman, A M Raja etc. are the gifts of that era.

Ramu Kariattu brought us the first national level recognition. Rural Kerala were the locations for all his films. He introduced Madhu to Malayalam cinema through his film 'Moodupadam'. His most famous film 'Chemmeen' was honored by President's gold medal. The film was based on Thakazhi Shivasankara Pillai's famous novel by the same name. Sathyan, Kottarakkara, Sheela, Madhu, S P Pillai etc. presented their remarkable performances in the film.

After 'Chemmeen' Malayalam Cinema has never had to look back. One after another we could make outstanding movies like 'Swayamwaram', 'Kanchana Seetha', 'Thambu', 'Elippathayam', 'Mathilukal', 'Piravi', 'Swam', etc. and could prove Kerala's strong presence in Indian Cinema Industry. Outstanding directors including Aravindan, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shaji N Karun and T V Chandran have claimed national and International awards for many of their films.

The prominent film makers who had made remarkable films in the past century include John Abraham, K G George, K R Mohanan and others like Bharathan, K P Kumaran, P A Backer, P Padmarajan, Mankada Ravi Varma and Pavithran.

Lenin Rajendran, Rajivnath, Lohitha Das, Jayaraj, R Sarath, M P Sukumaran Nair and the likes form the future direction of Malayalam cinema having created a niche in India and abroad with their sensitive story telling.

A remarkable development of present day Malayalam film industry is the entry of a number of young filmmakers who, fighting against all odds and despite the so-called crisis in the film industry, have managed to make interesting films. Most of their films are low budget, formally adventurous, thematically introspective and engage with the present in all its complexities. This new age youngsters will be heralding the sprouting Malayalam film industry.