Kalyana Rathriyil, directed by yesteryear hit-maker M. Krishnan Nair, was the first ever Malayalam film to get the 'A' certificate from the censor board.
The film that was released on July 15, 1966, was censored with the 'A' certificate, but not for any raunchy scenes as one would expect but for scary visuals. The posters of the movie carried an advisory that said the movie has visuals which could frighten children.
Krishnan Nair's favorite actor Prem Nazir was the leading actor in the film. The movie, which was produced by Raju Mathachan under the banner of Thankam movies, had Vijaya Nirmala as the heroine.
Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair, Muthukulam Raghavan Pillai, Kaduvakkulam Antony, Muthayya and N. Saroja were the prominent actors in the film.
Kalyana Rathriyil was a trailblazer of sorts to legions of 'A' films that entertained millions of Malayalam movie buffs in the years followed – with skin show and with the horror tales. There was a time when 'A' films emerged as blockbusters, parallel to the mainstream cinema, raking in the moolah.
However, the wide reach of Internet coupled with severe crackdown by authorities led to a downward spiral of sensuous 'A' films in Malayalam industry.
