The new Malayalam hero is often a failure. He is balding, pot-bellied, neurotic, and vulnerable. In Kumbalangi Nights , the antagonist (Shammi) is a toxic male who believes in "pinnal ketti" (a regressive marital tradition), who is ultimately taken down by the collective strength of "imperfect" men. In Joji (2021), a Shakespearean adaptation, the protagonist is a lazy, greedy engineering dropout who murders his father. There is no glory; only grime.
However, the industry is not without its contradictions. While it critiques patriarchy in The Great Indian Kitchen , it occasionally produces misogynistic blockbusters. While it champions the working class, it is also wary of the rising tide of religious extremism that threatens Kerala’s traditional secular fabric.