Kerala is the world’s first democratically elected communist government. You cannot separate Kerala culture from the red flags, the Pothu Veedu (common houses), the library movements, and the class consciousness. Unlike the rest of India, where poverty is often aestheticized for pity, in Malayalam cinema, poverty is often politicized for anger.
In most Indian films, food is just a prop. In Malayalam cinema, food is a language. The iconic breakfast of Kappa (tapioca) and Meen Curry (fish curry) signifies working-class struggle. The elaborate Sadhya (feast served on a banana leaf) signifies upper-caste Nair or Menon opulence. In Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s masterpieces like Elippathayam (The Rat Trap), the decaying feudal lord is obsessed with his traditional meals, using them as a futile fortress against the changing world.