: The first Malayalam feature, Vigathakumaran (1930), was a silent social drama, and the first talkie, Balan , followed in 1938.
This aesthetic evolved into what critics now call "the new wave" or "Middle Cinema." Unlike the hyper-stylized action of the North or the gloss of the West, Malayalam cinema adopted a raw, verite style. The culture of Kerala is one of intellectual excess and political debate, and the films mirrored that. The frame became busy with posters of communist rallies, faded thekku (teak) wood furniture, and the distinct cadence of —which varies drastically from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargod. : The first Malayalam feature, Vigathakumaran (1930), was
