Between the new wave that defined the 1970s, the subsequent golden era that extended well into the 1980s, and today, when the industry is celebrated for its diverse content and experimentation, there was a period when Malayalam cinema was plagued by creative and artistic stagnation. Although a flood of movies hit the screens during this period, too, most of them followed formulaic approaches and adhered to templates rooted in elitism and patriarchy, celebrating various shades of toxic masculinity.During this time, a woman entered the Malayalam film industry, broke through and shattered the norms and standards set by patriarchy, thus establishing a sort of gynarchy that revolutionised Malayalam cinema. Despite her movies receiving widespread criticism for their objectification and sexualisation of the female body, one cannot deny that she rattled thrones occupied by male superstars, establishing a new code. And the actor was none other than Shakeela!Don't Miss | Malayalam’s first action hero did over 100 movies in six years; died performing dangerous stunt hanging from a helicopterRise of Malayalam softcore adult filmsAlthough the Malayalam industry had been producing softcore adult content since the 1970s, many of these films featured highly resonant and hard-hitting stories. For the unversed, this can be defined as works (photos, movies, texts, or audio clips) “showing or describing sexual acts but not in an extremely open and shocking way.” While director KS Sethumadhavan’s Punarjanmam (1972), IV Sasi’s Avalude Ravukal (1978), and Bharathan’s Rathinirvedam (1978) explored sex and physical intimacy liberally, they were anchored by powerful stories and exceptional craftsmanship, even though many people reduced them to just “sex films.” Nonetheless, these movies found audiences for both the right and wrong reasons, opening doors to uncharted territories for the business-minded, who realised there was a market for softcore cinema or “adult films” in Malayalam.Also Read: Married to older abusive man, actress ran away at 14, worked as a maid; became India’s biggest sex symbolIn the years that followed, movies such as Ottayan, Pidikittapulli, and Karinagam saw filmmakers pushing the boundaries of how much was too much. According to industry analyst Sreedhar Pillai, the makers of such movies evaded Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) detection by submitting cleaner versions to the board and adding ‘bits’ (a colloquial term for adult scenes and nudity) later. Mentioning that projectionists often hid these ‘bits’ to avoid detection, he once told Film Companion, “A film’s reel could get confiscated, but these bits were more valuable because they could be used along with any film.” These movies soon began dominating markets outside urban areas, even posing a threat to mainstream films. According to India Today, in the first five months of 1986 alone, 14 out of 32 movies that hit the screens featured ‘bits.’ The massive success of Adipapam (1988) simply proved how popular such films were becoming. Shakeela with Silk Smitha in her debut movie, Play Girls. (Screenshot: YouTube/classicmovies8824)Although the 1990s saw a decline in these with the rise of a fresh batch of filmmakers like Siddique-Lal, who ushered in the comedy wave, this was merely a calm before the storm. While the comedies of Siddique-Lal, Priyadarshan, Sathyan Anthikad, and a few others did well, most films that followed similar storylines were of below-average quality. This was also the era when screenwriters Ranjith and Renji Panicker began churning out movies centred around hypermasculine men, further narrowing the scope for experimentation in the industry.Who is Shakeela?Born Shakeela C Begum near Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, she was one of her parents’ six children. Belonging to a lower-middle-class family, she reportedly had to drop out of school at an early age and become a breadwinner. She apparently tried her hand at modelling initially before transitioning to acting. Interestingly, Shakeela made her acting debut alongside her screen idol, the legendary Smitha (popularly known by her stage name Silk Smitha), in RD Sekar’s Tamil softcore film Play Girls (1994). In the movie, the 16-year-old Shakeela played Smitha’s younger sister. Since then, most films featuring her objectified her in one way or another. However, Shakeela never gave anyone the satisfaction of believing they could exploit her. Instead, she consistently proved that she was the master of her own decisions.Story continues below this ad Shakeela with Vetri in Rasaleela. (Express archive photo)Kinnarathumbikal and the Shakeela waveAlthough she received her initial acting jobs in Tamil cinema, Shakeela’s career took a turn with her foray into the Malayalam industry. The year 2000 saw a resurgence of softcore and the rise of a new star. Director RJ Prasad’s Kinnarathumbikal (2000) was not just a phenomenon that defined Malayalam cinema’s trajectory for the next few years, but it also sent shockwaves across the industry as it emerged as a massive blockbuster. Mounted on a meagre budget of Rs 12 lakh, according to Rediff, Kinnarathumbikal grossed a whopping Rs 4 crore, significantly more than most mediocre Malayalam movies could even imagine at the time. This also marked the beginning of the Shakeela tharangam (wave), during which numerous low-budget films, made at Rs 20-25 lakh, entered the market and raked in good revenue. Shakeela with Vikranth in Kameshwari. (Express archive photo)That same year, as per a Scroll report, RJ Prasad joined forces with her again to create Manjukaalappakshi. The filmmakers knew how to showcase her physical beauty in a way that drew men to theatres. Without the need for any promotional activities, her movies became successful. All that was required to ensure a large footfall was a few posters prominently featuring Shakeela. Nobody cared who the male actors in these movies were; what mattered to the masses was Shakeela. This was a significant blow to the male-dominated industry, but it was too weak to fight back. In fact, many small cinema halls were surviving solely because of Shakeela’s films. “I had stardom, I was equally spoken opposite of Lalettan (Mohanlal) and Mammookka (Mammootty). In my films, I was the hero, I was the story, I was the banner,” she once told Truecopy Think.Also Read | Shakeela opens up about facing exploitation in Malayalam industry: ‘They used to make me shoot scenes for another film without informing me’The decline of Shakeela waveThis era also saw the rise of actors like Reshma and Maria, who predominantly appeared in similar films. However, the Shakeela tharangam did not last long. With mainstream Malayalam cinema slowly bouncing back following the arrival of new directors and the internet boom, the demand for her films began to decline. Although she started receiving roles in commercial movies across various Southern languages, she could never escape the sex symbol image. Most recently, she was seen in the Tamil film Madharas Mafia Company.In her memoir, Shakeela: Autobiography, she wrote in detail about her formative days and the hurdles she faced to reach where she eventually did. Revealing that she was raped as a teenager by a man whom her mother said would financially help the family, Scroll quoted her as saying, “I have no good memories of my mother. I never experienced love and care from her. It was my mother who spoiled my life.”Story continues below this ad‘Pride and shame are words meant for the affluent’She once told Silverscreen India, “My mother knew that I was struggling with studies. I had siblings to care for. One day, mummy told me that we did not have any money and asked me to go meet a man. I obeyed. This went on for a few years. Exploitation is a fancy word. Words and terms like this do not belong in the world of those who have not eaten properly for months. Pride and shame are words meant for the affluent. What pride is there in telling people that I didn’t sell my body, even if it meant my family died? With that pride, comes guilt. I have nothing of that sort. I did what I had to do.”She added, “They (family) never appreciated what I did for them. Even when I visited them, I was always the black sheep. The one who took a different path and was, therefore, untouchable. I was with them, yet I was not with them. The choices I made gave them a good life, but what about mine?”Director Indrajit Lankesh’s 2020 movie, titled Shakeela, featuring Richa Chadda in the titular role, was based on her life. The movie also starred Pankaj Tripathi and Rajeev Pillai in key roles.