Mollywood produces films portraying Christians as a normal part of the South Indian landscape

Clearly, what we are watching is a cinematic epic about heroic early Christians and evil Romans, and the biblical settings and costumes look familiar enough. But what is that unfamiliar language they are speaking? Simple guessing will never reach the truth: this is the South Indian tongue of Malayalam, a major language of commerce and culture. It is also the medium for a booming industry of Christian films.

Malayalam is spoken by some 40 million people worldwide, and it is the dominant tongue in the province of Kerala, population 35 million. Economically, Kerala is one of India’s more prosperous states, with a literacy rate approaching 100 percent. It also has an ancient Christian tradition. Besides its Syriac-speaking nasrani or Nazarenes, there are multiple other denominations. Together, those Christians make up around a fifth of the population. A sizable Kerala Christian diaspora has its heart in the Arab Gulf states.

Kerala is the center of a long-established and now booming Malayalam-language film industry, on a scale that has caused observers to speak of “Molly­wood.” This is a serious moviegoing culture. Reflecting the audience, films often feature Christian characters in purely secular settings, but sometimes religious themes become explicit.