During this period, mainstream Malayalam cinema faced a massive financial crunch. High-budget superstar films were failing at the box office, production costs were skyrocketing, and television was rapidly consuming the domestic family audience. Theater owners were desperate for content that could guarantee footfalls and keep their businesses afloat.
, which was the first to achieve significant commercial success with softcore nudity. The "Shakeela Wave": malayalam b grade movies
: The genre reached its zenith with the release of Kinnara Thumbikal During this period, mainstream Malayalam cinema faced a
: The most prominent figures associated with this era include Shakeela , Silk Smitha , Abhilasha , Reshma , and Maria . During this period
(1988) are cited as the pioneers of the trend, introducing softcore nudity to the regional screen [2].