Following the release of the massive hit Kinnara Thumbikal (2000), her films became so popular in Kerala that they reportedly rivaled the box office collections of mainstream superstars.
Shakeela was one of the few actresses who could sell a movie entirely on her own name, a rarity in the male-dominated industry of that era. shakeela mallu hot old movie 2 verified
Kerala is famously the "first Communist state in the world" (elected in 1957). It has the highest literacy rate in India, yet it also has a deep history of caste oppression and religious communalism. Malayalam cinema is the arena where these contradictions explode. Following the release of the massive hit Kinnara