: This literary influence steered the industry toward a naturalistic style of storytelling and performance, setting it apart from the larger-than-life "masala" films often found in other Indian regions. Reflecting Social Reform and Pluralism

(2017) changed the game. Based on the 2014 Iraqi crisis of Malayali nurses, it turned the Gulf dream into a claustrophobic nightmare. Virus (2019) touched upon the Nipah epidemic but used the Gulf returnee as a potential carrier—a metaphor for how the outside world infects the insular village. Nna Thaan Case Kodu (2022) features a protagonist who returns from the Gulf to fight a ridiculous legal battle, highlighting the Gulf money as a means to afford justice.

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