Because Malayalis are among the most literate and internet-penetrated demographics in the world, Malayalam cinema was the quickest Indian industry to ditch the "masala" formula for OTT platforms. Today, a film like Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (2022)—a slow, experimental, Tamil-Malayalam bilingual about a man who wakes up thinking he is someone else—finds its audience on Netflix. High culture and high art are not niche in Kerala; they are the mainstream.