: The 1980s and 90s marked a "reformation" in film music, where composers like Raveendran and Johnson infused classical Carnatic and folk elements to create songs that captured the "soul of Kerala". A Mirror to Social Reform
"Long before there were film cameras," Ammamma began, "there were kathakali performers under the glow of oil lamps. There were theyyam dancers who became gods in the eyes of villagers. There were chakyar koothu artists who sat in temple courtyards and told stories from the Mahabharata with sharp wit and sharper observations about the society around them." : The 1980s and 90s marked a "reformation"