The Golden Age of Malayalam cinema (the 1980s and early 90s) was defined by the ‘Middle Cinema’—a glorious middle ground between art-house and commercial. Filmmakers like K.G. George, Padmarajan, and Bharathan created films that dissected the Keralite psyche. Consider K.G. George’s Yavanika (1982), which wasn't just a murder mystery but an anthropological study of the dying art of traditional temple percussion ( Chenda melam ). Or consider Mukhamukham (1984) by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, which ruthlessly examined the disillusionment of a Stalinist leader, a theme that could only be conceived in a state where Marxism is a dinner table topic.