Movies have always been a great tool for marketing destinations. They introduce a new land elsewhere, where things are much different than the ordinary. When Octopussy, the James Bond movie was released in 1983, it opened up a completely new image about India for a whole new audience. India might be known to a lot of them, but the visual treat is altogether a different experience, develops an inspiration to travel there.
Kumbalangi nights is a movie that was released in 2019, a very beautiful heartwarming and emotionally engaging film that has received critical acclaim for its performances, storytelling, and cinematography. It presents a nuanced and realistic portrayal of family, love, and personal growth in the context of a unique and picturesque backwater village setting in Kerala. Here is the trailer of the movie - Kumbalangi Nights
About the Kumbalangi nights Movie location
Kumbalangi nights movie location is a little island in Kumbalangi. This place is actually an integrated tourism village, long before the movie got released. This tourism initiative aimed to provide travelers with an authentic and immersive experience of the local culture and environment while promoting responsible and eco-friendly tourism. Over time things got a little touristy, but still it works. And there is enough and more things to do for a Kumbalangi Nights movie tour in Kerala.
Kumbalangi Nights movie tour can be incorporated in any of your kerala tour Program that has an overnight stay in Kochi. It can be organised as a half day or a full day program
But why talk about this now? Kumbalangi Nights does have an international audience and the movie is gaining traction among a wider international audience. There are a lot of people who keep this movie to their favourite list. Essentially the movie is getting an international audience, and Kumbalangi or Kerala is getting promoted indirectly. It builds an inspiration to visit the place. Probably this works with books as well, the backwater hamlet of Aymanam got popular with Arundhati Roy's "God of small things" and Kerala itself is getting popular with "The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese.
Coming back to the movie, it is the story of four brothers, children to the same father and two mothers. Their father and his first wife passes away and his second wife had to leave home for unknown reasons, to join a christian religious worship group. They are essentially fishermen clan, and live in an unfinished home, in a little island in Kumbalangi. I am not going into the details of the movie, but it is worth a watch if you have not yet watched it. It is available on Amazon Prime Video - Kumbalangi nights
It is probably because the characters of the movie are depicted so much in detail, you feel so close to them. The whole movie team has done an incredible job in put the movie to life. There are a lot of Malayalee elements that has depicted in the movie.
The whole setting of the movie is in the backwaters of Kumbalangi, not far from Kochi. A backwater is a geographical feature commonly found in coastal and low-lying areas, characterized by slow-moving or stagnant water, often in the form of a lagoon, estuary, river delta, or wetland. You see some beautiful cinematography happening in the movie, amazing twilights, and carefully crafted scenes. Kerala is a blessed land with the Western Ghats on the east, and the Arabian sea on the west.
Some facets in the movie that connect a Malayalee
Malayalees are clannish, though there are difference between everyone, when in times of a general crisis, they stand together, you might have see a lot of instances during the Kerala floods of 2018. Anywhere in the world, away from the homeland, Malayalees find it exciting to finding other malayalees and they organise get togethers frequently. Some scenes towards the end of the movie showcase the unity among the brothers.
Malayalees are very much rooted into tradition and it is more like a male dominated society and it is more like a patriarchy system. One could find Matriarchy followed in some in certain communities in the previous generations. Shamy, villain stays at his wife's household, at the same time possess an idea of being the head of the family.
Keralites take celebrations very seriously, specially during marriages, you can see grand percussions, music and banquet at a wedding home in the movie. During Onam - the state festival of Kerala, you see the whole state in their traditional attire, and time of homecoming for a lot of expats. We take celebrations very seriously.
Onam tour video organised for a group in 2019.
It is a great movie, amazing cast and a potpourri of emotions like love, drama, affection, care, in the most unassuming patterns. As Keralites we are proud about what we are and of course our movies are also super amazing, and does have a lot of evergreen movies. If you have not watched Kumbalangi Nights yet, go watch, it. would be a great treat and an inspiration to visit Kerala.
Last but not the least, I would not be showing justice if I do not mentioned about the fantabulous music direction from Sushin Shyam. There are romantic tracks and lullabies, and all gels with the movie sequences. Thanks for reading so far, getting it touch with us for your Kumbalangi nights movie tour, before we see you in Kerala!
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