Unlike the studio-bound productions of other Indian film industries, Malayalam cinema is obsessed with place . Kerala is not just a backdrop; it is a silent protagonist. From the misty high ranges of Idukki in Kumblangi Nights to the claustrophobic, politically charged alleyways of Malappuram in Kumbalangi Nights (2019) and the haunting backwaters of Mayaanadhi (2017), the geography dictates the mood.

Similarly, the city of Kozhikode (Calicut) has its own cinematic personality—gritty, intellectual, and deeply tied to its Malabar cuisine and political history. Films like Sudani from Nigeria use the city's love for football and its coastal, communal ethos as the very heart of a story about xenophobia and friendship. In Mollywood, you cannot separate the story from the soil.