Malayalam cinema began with J. C. Daniel’s silent feature Vigathakumaran (1928), which notably focused on social drama rather than the mythological themes prevalent in other Indian industries at the time.
One cannot discuss Malayalam culture via cinema without addressing the "realism contract." In Bollywood, a hero fights ten men and sings in a Swiss meadow. In Malayalam cinema, a hero might spend two hours trying to fix a leaking roof or navigating the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of a ration shop.
With the advent of affordable digital cameras and OTT platforms, Malayalam cinema underwent a radical rebirth. This is arguably the most exciting period, often called the "Second New Wave."