Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham is helmed by Priyadarshan. Kerala’s Minister for Film Development Corporation and Chalachitra Academy Saji Cherian on Monday confirmed that superstar Mohanlal’s upcoming period film Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham will first release in theatres before it will be made available on an OTT platform. He said that the decision was made during his meeting with producer Antony Perumbavoor.
“Mohanlal’s film Marakkar: Arabikkadalinte Simham will release in theatres. The decision was taken after a meeting with stakeholders in my office. The movie will hit screens on December 2. Producer Antony Perumbavoor has made a big sacrifice in this matter. I congratulate him,” Saji wrote on his Facebook page.
The latest development comes days after Antony Perumbavoor openly told the media on the sidelines of the 67th National Film Awards that he was considering a direct-to-OTT release for Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham to protect his financial interests.
“Some films may benefit from releasing in theatres with 50 per cent occupancy. But, releasing Marakkar in theatres along with other films, with 50 per cent occupancy and hoping to make profits is not easy,” Antony had said earlier.
Antony Perumbavoor’s statement had caused a lot of distress to theatre exhibitors in Kerala, who had pinned high hopes on Marakkar to revive the public’s interest in cinemas after several months of lockdown.
“Antony has been paying huge amount of money as monthly interests for the last two years. Had one of us been adamant about releasing the movie in theatres, it would have pushed Antony into great financial trouble. However, we wouldn’t do that,” Priyadarshan, who has helmed Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham, said earlier standing by Antony’s decision.
It is worth noting that Saji Cherian has also underlined the fact that Antony Perumbavoor was making a “big sacrifice” by sticking to the theatrical release. It is also not clear whether the Kerala government will remove restrictions on theatre exhibition, including the 50 per cent cap on occupancy by the film’s release, allowing makers to run early morning fan shows and late-night shows to recover the investment quickly.
Saji Cherian has assured filmmakers that the state government will consider allowing theatres to fill up 75 per cent of their total seating capacity as opposed to just 50 per cent.
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