By Arun Lakshman

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 30 (IANS): Malayalam movies had been in the limelight through the works of acclaimed moviemakers such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan, who was one of the most known faces of the Malayalam film industry to a global audience. He is a respected figure in the international film festival circuits, winning acclaim as a filmmaker as well as being on a jury in major film festivals.

Shaji N. Karun, cinematographer-turned-movie maker, is another name that gained respect in international film circuits. Late directors Aravindan and Pavithran had also raised the flag of Malayalam films high in the world.

However, a new generation of Malayalam directors has come up who have been accepted both in the international art film circuits as well as in the commercial sphere, with the producers laughing all the way to the banks, thanks to the crowd that throng to the theatres for their movies.

Lijo Jose Palliseery is one name which has hit it big in one of the best film festivals of the world, Cannes, where his movies 'Jallikattu' and 'Churuli' got exhibited.

Both the movies were commercial hits and the demarcation line between art and commercial become thin.

Lijo told IANS, "The movies should primarily have a human element and must not be an exaggerated one. I draw my movies from the society and that makes them endeared to the public as each and every character in the movie is hand-picked by our team and the filmgoer finds a resonance with the character to someone known to him or someone dear to him."

Other movies of Lijo like 'Ee Maa Yu' and 'Angamali Diaries' were also big hits and the superstar of Malayalam movie, Mammotty, stars in the new film directed by Lijo, 'Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam', which has also got an entry to Cannes.

The movie, 'Hridayam', directed by noted young director Vineeth Sreenivasan, son of actor, writer, and director, Sreenivasan, has been a runaway success. The movie has Pranav Mohanlal, son of Mohanlal, playing a pivotal role, accompanied by Kalyani Priyadarshan, daughter of acclaimed director Priyadarshan.