The COVID-19 pandemic was a catastrophe for Bollywood, but it was a catalyst for Malayalam cinema. With theaters closed, films like The Great Indian Kitchen and Nayattu dropped directly on Amazon Prime and Netflix.
Conversely, in Jallikattu (2019), the forested, hilly terrain of a remote village transforms into a chaotic, muddy arena that reflects the primal, animalistic chaos erupting within the human heart. The film, which follows an escaped buffalo, uses the specific geography of Kerala to explore universal themes of greed and violence. This reliance on natural lighting, location sound, and authentic sets has birthed a visual grammar that is instantly recognizable: gritty, humid, and alive.