A revolutionary shift occurred with films like Traffic (2011) and Drishyam (2013). Filmmakers broke every rule of Indian cinema. Suddenly, heroes could be villains, endings didn't need to be happy, and "realism" became the new aesthetic. Today, directors like Lijo Jose Pellissery ( Jallikattu ), Mahesh Narayanan ( Malik ), and Blessy ( Aadujeevitham ) are taking Malayalam cinema to the Oscars and global festivals.
Here is the most fascinating trend: