Directors like Adoor Gopalakrishnan and John Abraham (and later, Lijo Jose Pellissery and Dileesh Pothan) stripped away the gloss. Instead of heroes fighting ten goons, they gave us Ayyappan (from Nayattu ), a cop running for his life from a broken system, or Pranchiyettan (Mammootty), a wealthy trader grappling with insecurity and ego.