Take the archetype of the Gunda (thug). Unlike the waxed, stylized gangsters of the North, a Malayalam anti-hero like "Kireedam" Sethumadhavan is a reluctant fighter. He cries. He apologizes to his father. He destroys his own life out of helplessness. This is profoundly Keralite —the violence of circumstance, not of ambition.
: Some popular genres in Malayalam cinema include:
Malayalam cinema began as a tool for social commentary. The industry's first film, Vigathakumaran