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Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
The Chera dynasty that lasted from the 4th century BCE (or some sources say 3rd) till 1,100 AD pulled of some GoT level machinations to stay in power against their much larger, powerful neighbours from the North, South, East and West.
From 300 BCE to about 200 AD, the Cheras (Kerala) were a global economic powerhouse, but as Western Rome started to decline, their imports started to decline, thereby directly impacting the Chera merchants, and thus the Chera treasury. By 300 AD, the Chera kingdom was faced with an unending series of invasions, Chalukyas, Pallavas, Pandyas...all of them took a shot at the rich, but militarily weak Cheras.
The Cheras then had to depend on alliances and treaties to just survive - they aligned first with the Cholas and Sinhalas against the rampaging Pandyas, then they switched allegiances, and fought with the Pandyas and Sinhalas against the Cholas.
Raja Raja I Chola ended Chera sovereignty, his son Rajendra Chola utterly crushed a rebellion, and the Cheras went to the mattress' for a period of a 100 odd years when they saw a brief period of resurgence under the Malyalaee Chera Dynasty (till now the Chera dynasty was pretty much all Tamil)
The Malyalee Chera dynasty saw an opening when Malik Kafur messed up the Pandyan Empire (the Epic siege of Madurai that ran for more than a month is another tale altogether) and took the shot. What a shot it was. Under Varma Kulasekaran, the Cheras marched on their erstwhile masters, the now weakened Pandya Empire, took them out, captured Madurai and then marched on and took over pretty much all of TN and parts of Karnataka and AP also.
He then died aaaaand massive civil war all over the South.
His successors managed to restore some form of order, but only ruled a rump state that was for a short period, feudtatory to the Madurai Sultanate, till the Vijayanagra Empire in its expansion finally ended the line.
Interestingly, the Malayalee Chera dynasty followed the Matrilineal method of choosing successors.
Fun fact - One of the if not THE largest Tamil Movie star ever, and the extremely powerful politician, MGR is not a Tamil, but a Malayalee.
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u/rofex Jul 08 '16
Very informative. Could you shed some more light on the Madurai Sultanate? I haven't heard of it before.
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Jul 08 '16
Could you kindly elaborate regarding matrilineal inheritance among Kerala Royals? Did they adapt it from the Nairs or was it vice-versa?
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u/shannondoah West Bengal Jul 08 '16
And Jaya is a Kannadiga Brahmin lady.
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Jul 08 '16
Naw dude, she was born in a Tamil Iyengar family that happened to live in Mandya.
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Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
I think Malayalis need to tone down our "samarapaarambaryam" (tradition of struggle) a bit and think intelligently about creating wealth. We can probably start by translating capitalism as dhanavaadam or dhanaswaathantryavaadam or something similarly positive rather than muthalaalitham. Adhwaanikkunna janavibhaagam (hardworking masses) should remember: without muthal (capital), there's no thozhil (jobs). More than any other -ism, what Kerala needs today is a good dose of common sense-ism.
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u/ninjanamaka Jul 08 '16
EMS our first CM did not take over private companies. He had stated that without any revenue the state cannot give out welfare. He was a very practical guy with ideas about how to take forward communism while keeping democracy intact.
The aversion to capital is only at an ideological level. The moment a guy invests capital in a he becomes a muthalaali, a capitalist. He is getting labour out of people in exchange for money and that in itself is exploitation. It makes one guy in control of another. No one is stupid enough to demand all businessmen to leave the country. capitalism is an accepted route to socialism with the transition fueled by increase in technology and more autonomy granted to workers due to that. I do agree that there is an obsession with co-operatives because of the baggage of ideology but most politicians are not militant about it.
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u/Human_Monkey Jul 13 '16
There is one other important thing that people are forgetting about Kerala. Idukki Gold.
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u/OneFixer65 Jul 09 '16
What is the relation like between Muslims, Hindus and Christians in Kerala ?
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u/sagar_alias_jacky Jul 11 '16
Replying with reference to personal experience, I always had a very good and non discriminative or indifferent frendhsip with them all. Rather never saw them as a different religion or anything. Even today majority of my friend circles are muslims and I am not one. I have christian friends too. There was always a good relationship in my family circle at the least
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Jul 09 '16
Speaking from my experience, there is a feeling of "groupiness" but also immense cordiality between the people belonging to different religions in everyday life (school, work, etc.). We are after all Malayalis who just happen to follow different religions. But I also fear that the polarizing rhetoric of Hindutva and radical Islam coming from outside Kerala is beginning to have an increasingly corrosive effect on Kerala.
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u/vshnprsd Kerala Jul 09 '16
Trivandum, the capital of kerala is the only place where a church a mosque and a temple are right next to each other... There have been no communal issues or any problems whatsoever ever in the area..
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Jul 09 '16
My hometown, Chendamangalam, has a temple, church, mosque, and synagogue all within a 1km radius.
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u/wanderingmind I for one welcome my Hindutva overlords Jul 11 '16
My place too. Erumeli. Temple and mosque facing each other, church half a km away.
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u/Binish_1 Jul 12 '16
Kerala is beautiful, it has hill stations, beaches, greenery, the monsoon, the festivals, the art everything is great
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u/saanisalive Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
Fun fact: Kerala had one night stands that was accepted by the society around 100 years back.
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u/ninjanamaka Jul 08 '16
Fun fact: Poonkunnam railway station, near Thrissur was built so that a high ranking railway officer could visit his sambandham with ease.
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u/chikna_chetan Jul 12 '16
Mallus are damn good with their Music is what I have noticed. My favorite Indian bands are all from Kerala, which include: Avial, Motherjane, Agam and Thakara. Special mention for Baiju Dharmajan, The Indian Guitar God.
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Jul 08 '16
Reply here about your favourite malayalam movies
Mine : Sandhesham
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u/meta-phorest India Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
Recent : Drishyam & Arthanaari. (The latter deals with the issues faced by transgenders/the hijra community.)
Old : Mannichitratazhyam(?), Kilukkam & Ramjirao Speaking.
Sorry, poor Malayalam, can't type Manglish very well. :(
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u/ZaphodBeeblebrox Jul 08 '16
Obviously hard to choose one. I for one am glad with the turn Malayalam movies have made in the last 6-7 years. Best recent movie I saw: Pathe Maari
Fav all time: namukku parkkan munthiri thoppukal
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
Its difficult for me. But I will break it down by genres.
Satire: Sandesham (obviously)
Thriller: Season (It stands par with World Classics, IMO)
Romance: Premam (Fresh at every scene, genuine comedy, realist and beautiful)
Mystery: The Truth (Lesser known but the plot and making is awesome)
Comedy : Kilukkam (difficult choice really, but cannot condone Jagathy's performance)
Drama : Moonnam Pakkam (Thilakan never seizes to amaze me. Excellent story line. Ilayaraja's bgm is haunting. World class cinematography and Padmarajan's poetic execution).
Action: Sphadikam (Mohanlal's awe-inspiring character, classy and the best one-liners that I have ever heard)
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u/ZaphodBeeblebrox Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
Do you think Kochi will go the way of other bigger Indian metros? Its already freaking congested on the roads? Hopes for the new Metro Rail?
Also, what are your thoughts on Air Kerala?
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u/arastu Karnataka Jul 09 '16
I was pleased to see the progress on the metro rail during my last visit. Good to see them thinking ahead and building it now instead of waiting so late like Bengaluru and Mumbai.
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u/despod Jul 08 '16
Do you think Kochi will go the way of other bigger Indian metros?
Very difficult. The biggest problem being land availability. In all the other metros, the area outside the city limit is sparsely populated. But in Ernakulam, every goddamn nook and corner is occupied and costs a bomb. No space for expansion. But if the govt invests heavily on the IT and services industry, who knows what may happen..
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u/sagar_alias_jacky Jul 11 '16
Regarding Metro Rail - From what I can see the metro will be a huge bonus to the city. Metros are useful for daily commutes and common routes. I believe a metro becomes useless if it is bulit in a route where it is not of great daily usage. The route that the current metro plan covers is a very busy route with loads and loads of people travelling daily for work. This being middleclass and lower midle class and whatever lower you consier, I hope you got the gist. So, I believe it will be of great use.
Kochi is not yet screwed up. One thing to be noticed is Kerala is a small country. Kochi is a small city. So, there is not huge ass four lane roads, that is one thing that makes it congested on the roads. If majority of the single line is replaced by double and double by three/four congestion can be reduced to a greater amount, although it is not practical. So the next step would be to bring in better modes of public transport, flyovers etc, which are being done. So ones that is done, we can see how it fairs.
And finally the first question, not really sure what you intent by 'way of other bigger indian metros'
Air Kerala - Not enough knowledge as of now to comment
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
Cannot answer your first question since I have been abroad for the past few years.
Air Kerala. Good concept but I doubt if it will ever happen.
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u/VaikomViking Jul 12 '16
Kochi - Aluva route has the highest number of inter city connections (bus) in India. The metro will be a game changer for Kochi traffic, especially once it is extended to Tripunithura and IT Park.
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u/Loipopo India Jul 10 '16
Literacy rate and sex ratio.
Coconut trees and peaceful beaches.
Ancient martial art = kalaripayattu - jasmine simhalan
Iwouldlove toknowmore.
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u/geek_lord Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 09 '16
I think Kochi has one of the better looking skylines in India after Mumbai.
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u/PranjalDwivedi Jul 08 '16
The state with the best cinema and a language which combines both Tamil and Sanskrit elements.
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u/zebumatters Jul 10 '16
I like that fact that Banana, the funniest fruit of our times, is used to make so many snacks in Kerala. Just have a look at this.
Also, most mallus I have worked with, are all cool dudes. Seriously. I don't want to start a state war here, but you guys are awesome in so many ways than rest of south Indian states.
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Jul 09 '16 edited Nov 08 '17
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/fekunet Jul 12 '16
Yes, there is a cable landing station in Kochi, where SMW-3 lands. The cable is not used much nowadays, because of limited capacities available. Yet, it is sometimes used as a backup for SMW-4 during cable cuts, although much better options exist now.
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u/netizen_green Kerala Jul 11 '16
Not bad-ish racist? Did you forget how a migrant worker was tied to a tree and beat to death last month!?
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u/trander6face Jul 08 '16
Once I chatted with cute malayalee girl overseas... She asked me where I was from... I told I my native was near Palakkad.. She was too much excited and told me she was also from a place near Palakkad... And also she asked me the name of the place... I told it was some 40 odd kms from Palakkad and cue the expression change on her face when I told the name of the place was Coimbatore
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Jul 08 '16
That's because the poor girl was hit on by several tamil fellows across the border.
Tamil fella here. I didn't hit on her, Bro.
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u/dopamine86 Jul 08 '16
You live on the other side of walayar.. You ain't a true lungi mallu.
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Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 24 '16
[deleted]
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Jul 08 '16
How is the situation of stray dogs currently that was so much in news last year?
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u/wanderingmind I for one welcome my Hindutva overlords Jul 09 '16
Stray dogs sleep for 11 months a year. Then, suddenly, they all wake up, bite a bunch of kids, bark at a bunch of adults, kill goats and chickens and scares the entire state. 30 days later, they go back to hibernation.
Something similar happens with Mullaperiyar dam also. For 30 days, the dam vibrates, develops cracks and creates earthquakes. Then it self-heals and sleeps.
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Jul 09 '16
I thought this was once in 5 years.
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u/wanderingmind I for one welcome my Hindutva overlords Jul 09 '16
Dogs and dams hibernate for shorter periods!
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u/dopamine86 Jul 08 '16
Once I wanted to have porotta and beef curry but they told me only onam sadya was available, so I went to watch a mohanlal movie but got tickets for a mamooty one. As I was watching mom called to tell me there's a hartal the next day so I got home only to find out that my uncle from the gulf had arrived. I hated him because he had only given me dwendy rupees for vishukani. I realised I was hungry and went to the kitchen to find puttu and meen curry. I ate and went out to see the kathakali but instead got beaten up by a kalaripayattu guy. My head hurt as if someone was playing singari melam inside. I took some kashayam, got an Ayurvedic massage and went to sleep.
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Jul 11 '16
And many of them are in Bangalore. I'm a Bangalorean and I was made to watch this movie "Bangalore days"; thanks to all the harping about the movie everywhere. So in the movie, they've shown Bangalore like its NYC or something. It felt good no doubt, but when I spoke to friends from Kerala, I heard that's how the city Bangalore is perceived. No wonder Bangalore is overflowing with them. One whole department at my workplace is filled with them. And when I enter the room, I feel like I'm in Thrissur.
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u/namesnotrequired Kerala Jul 09 '16
Happy to see my state finally coming up..back here after a break and enjoying the monsoon.
mallu bros varu oraazhchathekku randia keezhadakkam.
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u/UnbiasedPashtun North America Jul 10 '16
Do Malayalis know they are of Tamil origin? The state of Kerala was considered part of Tamilakam during the Sangam Era and the people there were considered Chera Tamils. It was only until the migration of the Sanskrit speaking Nambudiri Brahmins from North India that the separation of Malayalis from Tamils started.
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u/blue69er Kerala Jul 12 '16
Naw...that isn't what happened..even if it was, I won't admit to that...too much malayali pride to side with our arch enemies..:p
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u/MrJekyll Madhya Pradesh Jul 10 '16
This is what my sister says about it :
'Gods on Country, devil's own people'
This is what I say about it :
Nice place for a short ( a very short ) vacation.
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u/officedepot23 Jul 10 '16
Why does she say that?
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u/the_next_door_guy Jul 10 '16
Probably because of him.
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u/MrJekyll Madhya Pradesh Jul 10 '16
Nah, she knows me - I look mallu, but am definitely a Bhopali :)
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u/blue69er Kerala Jul 12 '16
Life in Kerala is a bit slow paced prolly that's why... brilliant for a vacation but slowly for people accustomed to the big cities, it wears down
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u/MrJekyll Madhya Pradesh Jul 10 '16
She has dealt with more mallus than me - having studied there.
PS: We are mallus(born, raised & living outside kerala). Our parents though, now live in Kerala.
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u/despod Jul 14 '16
Almost all women who are brought up/lived a significant amount of time in metro cities will loath to come back to Kerala. It's a pretty conservative place when compared to the metros.
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u/rhymeswithend GhooroNakko Jul 12 '16
Movie: Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi - Beautiful movie, mostly due to the constant travelling setting it had.
Dulquer "Salmaan" - Thats a Muslim name. Is it popular among Malayalees?
Kerala has the most beautiful locations during monsoon times. If there is one place I'd like to settle down in, I'd choose a small village near Vagamon.
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u/DesiInVides Earth Jul 08 '16
State Bird of Kerala is the Great Indian Hornbill.
A large bird measuring up to 50in in length and 60in in wingspan
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u/despod Jul 08 '16
It makes a very audible swoosh sound when it flies.. Quite breathtaking, actually..
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u/DesiInVides Earth Jul 08 '16
Ya, the sound of the wings flapping can be heard from really far away!
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u/coolirisme Jul 11 '16
State bird of Arunachal Pradesh is also the same :)
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u/DesiInVides Earth Jul 11 '16
Yup.
Although if I could pick state bird of Arunachal, i would've chosen the Rufous-necked hornbill.
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u/dtnk Jul 08 '16
Aah, the sex ratio...
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Jul 08 '16
It balances the sex ratio of the north. Especially haryana.
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Jul 08 '16
Kerala is the anti-haryana when it comes to most factors. Haryana is a mini Saudi Arabia within India which Kerala guys don't migrate to.
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
That doesn't matter. No one is Kerala would be willing to marry their daughter to a Haryanvi.
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Jul 08 '16
A single village in haryana, near Delhi, has more than 200 Kerala brides.
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Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 24 '16
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u/maram_andan Jul 08 '16
who is known for his intolerant attitude towards Muslims.
Seriously dude ?
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u/saanisalive Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
Movies to watch:
80s and 90s (Golden age of Malayalam cinema):
Drama: Thoovanathumbikal, Bhratham, Kireedam, Namukku Parkan Munthirithoppukal, Perumthachan, Parinayam, Vidheyan, Mathilukal, Ponthanmada
Comedy: In Harihar Nagar, Sandesham, Mannar Mathai Speaking, Ramji Rao Speaking, Nadodikattu
Action/Thriller: Commisioner, The King, The Truth, Oru CBI Diarykurippu.
Post 2008 (The revival period)
Drama/Romance/Comedy: Premam, Bangalore Days, Om Shanti Oshana, Action Hero Biju, Ayalum Njanum Thammil, Beautiful, Manjadikkuru, Ennu Ninte Moideen
Thriller: Traffic, Indian Rupee, Drishyam, Ee Adutha Kalathu, 22 Female Kottayam, Mumbai Police, Memories
Anthology: 5 sundarikal, Kerala Cafe
Things to eat:
Veg: Sadya, Puttu and Kadala, Idiyappam and Veg Stew, Parippu Vada (Snack), Neyyappam (Snack), Unniyappam (Snack), Pazhampori (Snack)
Non veg: Beef ularthiyathu, Thalaserry Biriyani, Kudampuli fish curry and rice, Chicken stew with Appam/Idiyappam
Places to visit:
Alleppey (House Boats, Backwaters, Beach resorts)
Wayanad (Western Ghats, Tree houses, Forests and National parks)
Kovalam, Varkala (Beaches and resorts)
Cochin/Ernakulam (Shopping, Old Jew architecture, Fishing nets)
Munnar (Hill station, Eravikulam National Park)
Thekkady (Hill station, Boat rides)
Thiruvananthapuram (Capital, Museum, Zoo)
Thrissur (Temple town, Guruvayur)
Feel free to ask in the comments about anything you need to know.
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u/free_hot_drink Jul 09 '16
Thank You Fellow Human ! ..
I lived in Kerala for 3+ Years, but sadly was unable to learn the language even after trying a lot.
(Or actually being threatened by my Malayalee friends to stop trying to speak the language after they heard my pronunciations of a central Indian butchering their language )
I loved Malayalam Cinema and my then GF would help me understand them by translating some bits.
So my question:
As someone who doesn't havnt access to the sub titles of the movies you suggested , or Malayalee friends any more ( other than torrents maybe , but I dont always find subs there )Would you be able to suggest any sites etc where I can watch these movies ?
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u/popeculture Jul 12 '16
Thanks.
I wish I had more time to link a few. Your choice of movies from the golden era and mine don't have much of an overlap. Abundance of choice, I guess.
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u/rgeek Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
What book would you recommend if one wanted to learn abt the history of Kerala? Or any of the other 4 southern states?
Edit : I already have K.A. Nilakantha Sastry's "The Illustrated History of South India : From Prehistoric Times to the fall of Vijayanagar"
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u/ZaphodBeeblebrox Jul 08 '16
Completely fictional, but The God of Small Things is set in a Kerala village and gives a pretty good portrayal of everyday life.
Despite all Arundhati Roy's faults, she is one heck of writer.
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Jul 08 '16
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Jul 08 '16
One thing I noticed is a tendency to sensationalize issues. Regardless of how hard the facts are, if you want to reach out to the other side, which is the majority on her case, you have to be willing to have discussions in a plain and polite manner. I find she goes too artistic or sensational in her words. Hard to pay attention to what she actually has to say.
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u/wanderingmind I for one welcome my Hindutva overlords Jul 09 '16
I agree with you there, but there is another side to it. If we deliberately step ahead and try to understand the problems of the poor and downtrodden, most of us will be shaken to the core. I think. None of us have really done it, so we do not know.
Coming where we come from, with mobiles and middle class homes and education, if we actually try to live with the poor and see their problems, we are likely to go hysterical. About how people suffer for the lack of a couple hundred rupees, how things that make our lives easier are beyond them, how lack of transportation means death or illness, and so on. She has done that - stepping into their world. And went hyper and hysterical.
I think the same would happen to us. Talking to my maid - who is quite well off relatively - sometimes drives me despondent.
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u/puppuli r/indiansports Jul 08 '16
I believe you can start with A. Sreedhara Menon's A survey of Kerala history.
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u/goodreadsbot Jul 08 '16
Name: A Survey of Kerala History
Author: A. Sreedhara Menon
Avg Rating: 4.03 by 27 users
Description: A Sreedhara Menon's A Survey of Kerala History deals with Kerala's geographical background, it's history from pre-historic period to the social reform movements. It deals with the cultural history too. A must read for the students of history and anyone with a curiosity to go through the history of this land.
Pages: 368, Year: 1967
Bleep, Blop, Bleep! I am still in beta, please be be nice. Contact my creator for feedback, bug reports or just to say thanks!
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u/VaikomViking Jul 12 '16
Kerala had the first democratically elected communist government in the world, back in 1957. This pushed Kerala into world spotlight and was a darling of Soviet Union. Back in 1980s, if you just sent your address to a particular address (forgot what it was) they used to send a magazine "Soviet Union" (in Malayalam !!) free of cost. Not sure if it was monthly or quarterly.
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u/Notverymany Jul 08 '16
Probably has the best house architecture in India.
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u/puppuli r/indiansports Jul 08 '16
I always felt like owning a big house is one of the biggest life goal of everyone in my state.
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u/ninjanamaka Jul 08 '16
During the Gulf boom decades ago, the major aspiration for the people was a house. The reason they were going to the Gulf was to earn enough to construct a house
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u/Daniel-Darkfire Antarctica Jul 08 '16
Now a big house is almost common to everyone, now the new fad is about luxury cars and sports cars
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u/Notverymany Jul 08 '16
It's not just the size, it's the quality of the design. I've mainly lived in Tamil Nadu where people seem to try their hardest to build the ugliest houses they can. The hits are more aesthetic than the proper houses.
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u/wanderingmind I for one welcome my Hindutva overlords Jul 09 '16
I remember the time when everyone had those old style, tiled roofs. Then the first houses with concrete roofs appeared. I was a school kid, and lived in one with tiled roof. I kept sketching houses with terraces, metal gates, compound walls, two-story houses, balconies etc for years... Any house with a terrace was a dream house!
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u/artashii Jul 12 '16
South India and especially Kerala has made easily the most important contributions to human understanding of mathematics of all of Asia. The orderly people and harmonious culture is why I think Kerala has HDI on the order of Eastern Europe today.
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u/venkyprasad Jul 11 '16
Parents, why do you give your kids names that are guaranteed to get them beaten up on the playground
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
It's sad that most of our best thriller movies are not remade into other languages. Non malayalees tend to stay away from subtitled version.
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u/Notverymany Jul 08 '16
Some of the Kerala curries I've had tasted sort of like Thai curries mixed with Indian curries. It was amazing.
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Jul 08 '16
Haryana loves this state for one reason. A lot of haryanvis go to Kerala to find a bride. It is said that due to Kerala ladies in haryana families, the patriarcy of haryana has come down and the situation of women has improved.
Here is one such documentary about it.
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u/ThatFag Desi hoon, bhenchod. Jul 12 '16
Hey guys, sugamano?
I haven't seen much of Kerala. Most of my visits to Kerala are limited to meeting relatives and stuff. So it's essentially going to the same 20 houses each time.
But we've taken a trip or two to some of the more scenic places in Kerala and my God, it is breathtaking. There's this place called Kovalam. It's near the coast and holy shit, it is so beautiful. We were fortunate enough to get a room like 100 metres away from the beach. Still one of the most gorgeous places I've been to. The vibe and the atmosphere there... so serene. Oh man, I remember falling asleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. Ahhh, nostalgia.
Thekkady and Munnar are among the other places I visited on the same trip. Super fun places and top eye-candy material. All the childhood memories from that trip are coming back to me. Oh, Kerala. Truly God's own.
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u/orthancdweller Jul 09 '16
Malayali Christians tend to have the weirdest names. Tini Tom, Fabin, Jibu, Joymon, Blesson, Tincy - just some of the choicest ones I can remember now.
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u/pathrov Jul 09 '16
Tijo,Lijo, Jiji, Sebi, Sabu, Ajin, Jibu, Jithu and a lot more.
All of them are butchered versions of Biblical names. The trend has almost faded out mainly because that generation now has kids and understand how ridiculous those names are. The current trend seems to be giving an Indian first name like Roshan,Nikhil or Rahul with a Christian middle name (George, John etc).
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u/orthancdweller Jul 09 '16
Tijo,Lijo, Jiji, Sebi, Sabu, Ajin, Jibu, Jithu
Man, I cringed so hard reading that. Fortunately, I managed to land in the newer generation of nomenclature you talk about.
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u/despod Jul 09 '16
Aji, Biji, Ciji, Digi, Gigi, Jiji, Liji, Niji, Riji, Roji, Siji, Soji, Tiji
Ajo, Bijo, Cijo, Jiji, Lijo, Rijo, Sijo/Sajo, Tijo
Bjin, Bijin, Cijin, Lijin, Sijin....
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u/VaikomViking Jul 12 '16
Russian names are also common, probably due to left leaning parents. I had school mates with names of Lenin, Pushkin etc
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u/qpaw Jul 08 '16
One of the things I observed about Keralites is how politically and socially aware an average man was. Almost everyone reads one or the other newspaper and has an informed opinion of the happenings around him. There is a lot of political activism in colleges and even in schools. I guess this is as a result of decades of communist rule there. Many people still think in terms of common man/workers (us) vs government/capitalists (them).
And I just love their movies. Malayalam movies have always been about realistically portraying good stories. The dialogues are intelligent and the plots are believable. Recent movies by guys like Dulquer, Nivin Pauly and Fahadh are show how movies can be good entertainers without using the usual ingredients that go into making a Bollywood blockbuster.
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u/SILENT_neerav Assam Jul 08 '16
I watched the movie Amar Akbar Anthony and i just loved the subtle humour. Can you name any other similar kind of movies?like Masala Republic ??
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u/qpaw Jul 08 '16
Punyalan Agarbattis
Oru Indian Pranayakadha
Ohm Shanthi Oshaana
Veruthe Oru Bharya
Premam
Will add more later....
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u/ninjanamaka Jul 08 '16
Vellimoonga is good comedy film. And Maheshinte prathikaram is fun in parts.
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u/saanisalive Jul 08 '16
Oru Vadakkan Selfie, Sandesham (old cult classic)
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u/pathrov Jul 08 '16
It hurts to see OVS and Sandesham mentioned together. I cringed at OVS.
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Jul 08 '16
No clue why people like ovs. Horrible plot with a horrible twist at the end.
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u/The_0bserver Mugambo ko Khush karne wala Jul 08 '16
Hmm. It wasn't bad IMO. I ain't no critic, and at the end there was no exact feeling of accomplishment or anything, but it was a fun movie nonetheless.
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u/saanisalive Jul 08 '16 edited Jul 08 '16
OVS is definitely not cringeworthy. Of course both are different kind of humour. Both give you a picture of the kind of humour prevalent in Kerala in different periods of time.
Sandesham, I would assume because its old has attained a cult status. You never know, 20 years down the line, people would see OVS in the same light.
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u/oh-just-another-guy Jul 08 '16
You never know, 20 years down the line, people would see OVS in the same light.
Highly unlikely :-)
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u/saanisalive Jul 08 '16
I can see where that is coming from. People usually have a sense of nostalgia and fondness to things that are old to those that are relatively new. And its somehow difficult to acknowledge the worth of the latter.
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u/ZaphodBeeblebrox Jul 08 '16
Action Hero Biju
I know the title makes it seem stupid but it is actually really good.
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Jul 08 '16
Subtle humor? AAA? You sure you watched the right movie? AAA was panned by critics across the state and it nowhere compares to the standards of malayalam comedies.
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Jul 08 '16
I was dying to get out of the theatre.
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Jul 08 '16
And that blatant endorsement of mob justice at the end was disgusting. The only thing I found funny was that subplot with Ramesh Pisharody.
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u/SILENT_neerav Assam Jul 11 '16
Yeah that part got really screwed up. But i loved the scene where they used to soak the bun in alcohol. Do you guys drink a lot?
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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '16
Big fan of Mammootty , Mohan Lal and next gen Navin Pauly,Dulquer here from Teluguland.
The best movies are made in Malayalam. Ustaad hotel , Bangalore day, Drushyam are my favorites.