A bus ride through the hilly roads of Wayanad is never complete without the soft hum of a Yesudas classic. The Onam celebrations are choreographed to Chingam songs from 1990s films. The legendary lyricist Vayalar Ramavarma and composer Raveendran elevated the Malayalam language. Their lyrics are studied in literature classes, proving that in Kerala, the line between high art (poetry) and popular art (cinema) does not exist.
This era was marked by a "love affair" between literature and cinema. Masterpieces like