The Semiotic Power of Cinematic Costume: Identity and the Re-design of the Hero and Heroine in New-Generation Malayalam Cinema

Abstract

This article argues that in the new-generation phase of Malayalam cinema, from the early 2010s onwards, costume became the first system through which a character was built. The way a character was dressed influenced how audiences understood and interpreted the character's identity, personality, social status, lifestyle, profession, etc. Dialogue, theme, and setting were then arranged to follow from it. The claim is limited to this historical period. We can consider this in two ways: first, costumes help create and develop a character. Second, the way a character was dressed helped us understand other things like their dialogues, surroundings, and personality. The idea that we see a character’s clothes before they speak is not included here, as this happens in all films, and not just in New Generation Malayalam cinema. The argument is tested by a first-appearance protocol applied to a core set of four films: Narasimham (2000) as a pre-new-generation control, Charlie (2015), Kumbalangi Nights (2019), and Aavesham (2024). Six further films are also examined in support. The reading is placed against Jane Gaines on costume as subordinate to narratives. The fact that people began to wear the costumes shown in film may seem like evidence initially, but when we take a closer look, it is not as strong as it initially appears. What began as the deliberate redesign of the hero and heroine had become ordinary practice by the middle of the next decade.