Of course, Malayalam cinema is not immune to commercial pressures. The "Onam release" or "Christmas release" still brings out the mass masala films—hyper-masculine star vehicles for actors like Mohanlal and Mammootty. Here, the culture of Kavadi (spectacle) and Pooram (festival) takes over. Yet, even these commercial films are uniquely Keralite.
Films like Elippathayam (The Rat Trap, 1981) used the decaying feudal manor as a metaphor for the inability of the Nair upper-caste to adapt to modern, land-reformed Kerala. Mukhamukham (Face to Face, 1984) dissected the disillusionment of the communist movement. This wasn't escapism; it was philosophical discourse projected onto a screen. Of course, Malayalam cinema is not immune to