Y-xploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation cinema that emerged in Kerala in the past years viz. ‘Angamaly Diaries’, ‘Kammatipadam’, ‘Oru Mexican Aparatha’ etc. The films are among the first in which the angst, violence and vulnerability of the youth evolve in to characters and communities and turn the heroes of the film rather than sidekicks or victims of brutality. The genre's inception coincides with the larger than life imagery of the country’s developing polity.
AIVAR talks about the youth’s perception of a casteless and classless world and how their loyalty, love, happiness, angst, innocence and vulnerabilities are challenged by the political laboratories working with devious designs to convert this human resource in to an army of predators warring for their masters. What is most riveting to explore is; how would the youth surpass these challenges and shed away these allopathic affiliations to stand for what they believe in. The challenge for me of course is to say the story of such stark and real characters and events with a tinge of humor so that the hurt is an enjoyable experience.
Y-xploitation films were originally aimed at an urban youth audience, but the genre's audience appeal soon broadened across rural and ethnic lines.