The rise of Mollywood, India’s more subtle film hub

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₹2.4 billion ($29 million) at the box office, making it the highest-grossing Malayalam movie ever and the third-most successful film in India in 2024 so far. Unlike other national hits, the film’s cast is relatively unknown and its plot is unusual (the survival thriller, based on a true story, follows a group of boys trying to rescue their friend who is trapped in a cave). In its simplicity and parsimony—it cost ₹200 million to make—“Manjummel Boys" stands in stark contrast to “Fighter", Bollywood’s biggest hit of the year to date.

That blockbuster cost 13 times more and featured an ultra-nationalist plot, pitting India’s air force against Pakistan’s. The film also threw in a romance between Bollywood’s biggest stars for good measure. Yet “Manjummel Boys" is no exception: there have been a string of Malayalam box-office hits of late.

Of the 10 highest-grossing Indian movies this year, three have been Mollywood productions. They depict fresh stories. “Aadujeevitham" (“The Goat Life"), released in March, recounts the true tale of an immigrant labourer in Saudi Arabia forced into slavery as a goatherd.

“Aavesham" (“Excitement") follows college students who become entangled with an eccentric gangster. Even “Bramayugam" (“The Age of Madness"), a horror movie shot in black and white—the ultimate artistic indulgence—has achieved commercial success. For years, Kerala’s movies were limited to audiences within the state, but they are now finding fans farther afield.

Thanks to the rise of streaming, dubbed or subtitled regional movies can reach a national audience. The trend accelerated during the pandemic, as film-starved Indians stuck at home discovered Malayalam movies for the first time. “The Great Indian Kitchen", released on