As the Belgian film director Chantal Akerman said, “By embracing slowness, you give the audience the chance to truly see and feel, rather than just consume,” the majority of the Malayalam films follow this style of narrative which is indeed intense and more engaging. Compared to other industries that are filled with majorly fast-paced commercial films, Mollywood follows a pattern that makes the audiences invest more in the characters and the storyline.
Not only ‘Kumbalangi Nights’
No matter the language, any story is effective only if it takes some time to convey the real essence to the audience. Although the Malayalam film ‘Kumbalangi Nights’ gets much adulation and recognition from other language audiences, there are several other Malayalam slow-intense drama movies like ‘Kammattipaadam’, ‘Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum’, ‘Nayattu’, and others that take it’s time to delve into the characters and storyline. Only when the characters or the plot is well inserted in the minds and the hearts of the audiences, then it is effective. Malayalam cinema would be the best study material if you want to learn how to combine a slow-paced narrative with elements that can entertain mass audiences.
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So fast-paced movies are not effective? A big NO!
Just because a story is told in a slow pace and intense manner, it doesn’t mean that it would be effective, and also just because a story is told in a fast pace manner, it doesn’t mean that the audiences would not be invested in it. One such example is Sathyan Anthikad’s directorial film ‘Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu’. The Sreenivasan starrer is an intense comedy-drama movie that effectively conveys its message to the audiences and also is told in a fast-paced narrative. Did the movie fail to impress the audience? No.
Fast forward to today, films like Drishyam, Premalu, Anjaam Pathira, and many others follow a fast-paced storyline and have been effective. In short, it’s not just about editing multiple shots back-to-back with the assumption that audiences will be engaged—it’s about how a story is conveyed and in what way.
“Sandesham remains relevant even today “ – Sathyan Anthikad
In an interview with Mathrubhumi, the veteran director Sathyan Anthikad said that the relevant stories to the audiences matter. He said, “The truth is that every film is created for its own time. Some people often say that films like Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu, ThalayanaManthram, and Appunni should have been released today. But I disagree. The social conditions we live in inspire films. ‘Sandesham’ is the only exception to this. The reason Sandesham remains relevant even today is that our politics have not progressed even an inch from what they were back then.”
He further said, “Even today, when a political front loses an election, ideological evaluations take place. There are still discussions analyzing how there were undercurrents between opposing parties. Leaders continue to make calls to action, party workers engage in clashes, and water cannons are used on protesters. Without any change, the Sandesham era continues.”
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‘Kumbalangi Nights’ is not a slow pace movie for me – editor Saiju Sreedharan
Even though many consider ‘Kumbalangi Nights’ pacing to be slow, the editor Saiju Sreedharan considers its narrative to be quite ‘Fast’. Talking to Cinema Express, he said, “I’ve come across a few who thought the pace was slow. For me, this film is actually quite fast. In fact, we had initially thought of making a much slower film, but this being a debutant’s film, we didn’t want to take that risk. “ He further said that some people wait for an opportunity to find a flaw, especially when it’s a debutant filmmaker. “Now that the majority response has been overwhelmingly positive, we are not worried at all,” said Saiju in the interview.
Investing more time to convey important things in the narrative
For any movie, the most important factor is its connection with the audience. Let’s take a good example which is Mohanlal and Jeethu Joseph’s ‘Drishyam’.
The majority of the audience feels that the first half of the movie plays out like a slow-paced family drama, while the second half transforms into a high-voltage thriller. In fact, the slowness in the first half helps build the characters and setting, effectively preparing the audience for the thrilling ride that awaits in the latter half. The deliberate pacing and detailed storytelling in the first half set the stage for the intense second half, which is why dedicating time to key details in a movie is so important.
What ‘Lucifer’ did right and the Telugu remake failed
In a press conference, the Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi who acted in the Telugu remake of ‘Lucifer’, said that he was not completely satisfied after watching the Prithviraj Sukumaran’s directorial. He also said that the Telugu remake won’t have any dull moments like in ‘Lucifer’ and will be a complete entertainer.
This is where ‘the Telugu remake ‘Godfather’ failed as it didn’t have the required detailing and character definition that Prithviraj Sukumaran’s directorial had. Right from the start till the end, Murali Gopi perfects crafts a slow and intense narrative which is perfectly executed by Prithviraj Sukumaran. At one glance, ‘Lucifer’ is just another political action drama movie, but the slow pacing and the required detailing are what makes it completely different.
“Make sure that there are no repetiitions while composing a scene” – Rahul Sadasivan
Repetitions are always boring, no matter the pacing of a movie or even a story. In an exclusive interview with the ‘Bhoothakaalam’ director Rahul Sadasivan, he explained how he created a sense of fear among the audiences through the movie.
“Utilizing the limited space for the benefit of the story, and making sure that there are no repetitions while composing a scene, were some of the major challenges, but having a solid story board helped. The camera is mostly static, which helped us in making the audience experience the claustrophobia. Rarely have we shown the exterior of the house in the first half, and it is only unveiled once the mystery starts to unfold, which aided us in transforming the house into a character. You start to see the house in a different aspect, after that. The lighting changes as per the characters’ moods. We have focused on a visual storytelling pattern. In most of the scenes, there are only minimal dialogues, yet, they are not dramatic,” said Rahul Sadasivan.
So pacing matters?
The pacing of a movie matters, but it ultimately depends on the nature of the story being conveyed to the audience. A film like KGF benefits from a fast-paced narrative, yet certain moments—such as the bun and mother scene—require time and detailing to ensure emotional depth and audience investment. Regardless of the chosen pace, every film must have key elements presented effectively to keep the audience engaged until the end. In this regard, Malayalam cinema has successfully mastered the art of balanced storytelling.