The success of had several immediate and long-term effects on the Malayalam film industry:

"Indeed," she sighed, adjusting her white mundu. "When the film released, the queues outside the theatres stretched longer than the river in our village. Men in mufflers hiding their faces, college students bunking classes. It was the first time the Malayali audience openly embraced what was hidden behind closed doors. It broke the hypocrisy of our society. Before Adipapam , cinema was gods and virtue. After it, the mask fell."