Author Description

The experience of development and democracy in the South Indian state of Kerala has been a matter of interest for international social theorists as it showed very positive indices of welfare despite relative stagnation in production sector and low growth rate. The book takes another look into the Kerala Model which, since the 1990s, have come under censure, and crumbled under pressures from several dimensions. Though much has been said about Kerala, with reference to its economic and welfare models, an analysis of the statecraft through the lens of the popular cinema, angling on melodramatic devices, has not happened before. This special lens allows the reader to understand how the register of popular culture records the frictions and slippages that escape official histories and statistics. The book is a must read for researchers in Kerala Studies, and enthusiasts in aesthetics, popular culture and governmentality.