Even as actor Dileep continues cooling his heels in prison in the actor assault case, his movie Ramaleela hit cinemas across the country on Thursday after the release was postponed several times.
Fans of the actor thronged theatres since morning to ensure the much-awaited multi-crore film had a grand opening. Social media was abuzz since the last few days on whether the movie was worth watching as the hero was arrested in real life.
The film industry had been anxiously waiting with fingers crossed for the film’s release as nobody knew how the public would respond to the Dileep-starrer, which normally is a big hit among women and children.
Though its makers had recently moved the court seeking protection for theatres screening Ramaleela, they failed to get any relief.
Touted to be one of the most expensive films made in Malayalam, Ramaleela is directed by debutant Arun Gopi and produced by high profile producer Tomichan Mulakupadam.
As per reports, it’s approximate budget was ₹15 crore.
In the film, Dileep plays the role of protagonist Ramanunni, a local politician.
Prayaga Martin, Renji Panicker, Mukesh, and Vijayaraghavan are among the other prominent actors to feature in the movie.
Interestingly Dileep’s former wife Manju Warrier’s latest movie Udaharanam Sujatha, a remake of Tamil film Amma Kanakku, was also released on Thursday.
When there was a campaign on the social media and outside calling for a boycott of Ramaleela, Manju had come out in support of the movie and said in a Facebook post that personal likes and dislikes should not affect a film that involves many lives and careers.