The Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce has denied theatrical screening for movies released first on the over-the-top (OTT) platform.
The apex body of the film organisations in the Malayalam industry reiterated its position on Tuesday after reports emerged that actor Mohanlal, whose Drishyam 2 had opted for a direct-to-digital première’, was willing to release his movie on the big screen later.
“Superstars in Malayalam should take a leaf out of the stance taken by Tamil actor Vijay who had waited for nearly a year to release his Master in cinemas following the COVID-19 crisis. Actor Mohanlal could have opted for a similar position. But he chose to release his movie on the OTT platform,” said K. Vijayakumar, president, Kerala Film Chamber.
In crisis
Reminding lead actors in the industry that they climbed to the top league after screening movies on the big screen, Mr. Vijayakumar said the business model, where a movie was released first on the digital platform, would hit the prospects of the theatre owners hard. “The theatre industry is supporting thousands of workers. These superstars should not forget the reality that the industry will plunge into a crisis if movies continued to be released first on the OTT platform,” he said.
The chamber president flayed the current trend by lead actors of pushing the release date of their movies though cinemas resumed operations from the second week of January. “Why are they not even showing the patience and determination shown by a young filmmaker like Tharun Moorthy and his producer who had the courage to release their Operation Java movie in cinemas despite having the option to go for a direct-to-digital première?,” he asked.
