The first Malayalam film, "Balan," was released in 1938, marking the beginning of a new era in Kerala's entertainment industry. The early years of Malayalam cinema were characterized by mythological and social dramas, which gradually gave way to more nuanced and realistic storytelling. The 1960s and 1970s saw the emergence of a new wave of filmmakers, including Adoor Gopalakrishnan, K. S. Sethumadhavan, and P. Padmarajan, who revolutionized Malayalam cinema with their innovative and socially conscious films.