Malayalam cinema has had a significant impact on Kerala's culture, contributing to:

Kerala has one of the largest diaspora populations per capita in the world—the Malayali Non-Resident Indian (NRI). Malayalam cinema has become their emotional umbilical cord. For a family in Dubai or New Jersey, a new Mohanlal or Mammootty film is a direct line to naadu (home). Films like Ustad Hotel (2012) beautifully capture the immigrant’s dilemma: the pull of global finance versus the irreplaceable taste of grandmother’s biryani. The industry’s massive reliance on overseas box office revenue has, in turn, influenced content, leading to more stories about return, nostalgia, and the alienating experience of coming home to a Kerala that has moved on without you.