The first Malayalam cinema, Vigathakumaran, was produced and directed by J C Daniel is released in 1928. It was a silent movie with a social theme. ‘Balan’ was the first movie with sound track. Balan featured the struggle of two orphaned children, Balan and his younger sister, oppressed and exploited by their evil stepmother until a kindly lawyer rescues them. Following the success of Balan, Janambika was released in 1940.

Jeevitha Nouka released in 1951 was a landmark in the history of Malayalam cinema. This movie narrated the story of ego clashes in a joint family. It was a huge success in the market. Thikkurishi Sukumaran Nair, an actor from the stage, became the first 'superstar' of Malayalam cinema after the success of the film. Some of the noteable directors during this period were Ramu Karyat, P Bhaskaran and A Vincent. Ramu Karyat shot ‘Neelakuyil’ in 1954 and ‘Minnaminugu’ in 1957. Mudiyanaya Puthram, Mudapadam and Chemmeen are some of the masterpieces in his portfolio. Chemmeen based on noted Malayalam writer Thakazhi’s novel later won President’s Gold Medal. P Bhaskaran has Rarichan enna Pauran, Irutintea Atamav to his credit. A Vincent’s Bhargavinilayam (1964) is the perhaps the first horror movie in Malayalam cinema.

Satyan and Prem Nazir were two prominent actors during this period. Satyan elevated to stardom after the huge success of Neelakuyil. Sheila, Ragini, Sharada and Miss Kumary were the popular heroines during this period. 1960s saw large number of successful quality cinemas. Many of these movies had the strength of original Malayalam stories and novels by renowned Malayalam writers. Randidangahzi, Murapennu, Asuravithu, Thulabharam Irutintea Atmavu, and Olavum Theravum are some of the noted cinemas during this period.  

The growth of film society movement and the screenings of world classics forced a drastic change in Malayalee film sensitivity during the early 1970s. A new movement often termed as the 'New Wave Malayalam Cinema' or the Parallel movies emerged as a trend. The making of the World-renowned director Adoor Gopalakrishanan was during this period. He made his debut by make Swayamvaram in 1972. G Aravindan was also a protagonist for this movement.

Another interesting development during this period is the growth of middle-stream Malayalam cinema. Led by Padmarajan, K. G George and Bharathan this movement produced many exceptional movies. Because of the powerful themes and great presentation these genre influenced large number of viewers. Nedumudi Venu and Gopi were two notable actors during this period. Their realistic approach to acting helped many characters they represented to live in the hearts of millions of film fans for the years to come.

By 1980’s Malayalam cinema started witnessing highly commercialized ventures with big budgets. The peak performance of macho hero Jayan, the debut for today’s super heroes Mammooty, Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi and Mukesh happened during this time. Directors like I V Sasi, Fazil, Joshi , Priyadarshan, Satyan Antikadu and Kamal created some of the all time superhits during this period. This period also saw many technically superior films.

Many people accuse Malayalam cinema’s deterioration of the present time is due to the monopoly by 80’s superstars. But the real reason can be attributed to dearth of good directors and scriptwriters. The huge success of ‘Classmates’ a movie directed by Lal Jose starring yesteryears hero Sukumaran’s son Prithviraj gives a new hope to Malayalam cinema.