Malayalam thriller ‘Meppadiyan’ to release on 14 January
Premium- The Malayalam film industry is seeing a slight recovery post reopening of cinemas late last year with titles such as Kurup starring Dulquer Salmaan
NEW DELHI : Malayalam thriller Meppadiyan will release in cinemas on 14 January, aiding recovery of the film exhibition sector in the state. The film has been directed by Vishnu Mohan and features Unni Mukundan, Aju Varghese, Anju Kurien, Shaiju Kurup and Kalabhavan Shajohn in lead roles.
The Malayalam film industry is seeing a slight recovery post reopening of cinemas late last year with titles such as Kurup starring Dulquer Salmaan, whose next project Salute has also been scheduled for 14 January. Kerala was the last film territory to reopen post the second covid wave and is still operating with 50% occupancies in cinemas.
The state is home to about 545 theatres, including single screens and multiplexes. The Malayalam film industry has been one of the worst affected by the covid-19 pandemic with revenue losses in the state estimated to be about ₹500 crore. crore. Kerala releases roughly 100-120 movies in theatres. While several stars of the region such as Fahadh Faasil have found a ready audience on OTT (over-the-top) streaming platforms, many other films remain stuck, unable to find buyers with no clarity on whether they will find space in theatres that may not be able to accommodate and play the backlog of films that has accumulated.
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Revival for the theatre industry seemed quite bleak with Malayalam cinema having developed a strong OTT streaming market during the pandemic even though it has always had a good theatrical presence, according to trade experts. While many audiences have discovered the charm of Malayalam cinema on video streaming platforms, trade experts say these titles were primarily being snapped up by three major players—Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar. A film starring Fahadh Faasil or Mohanlal may be paid even close to ₹20 crore today, depending on the appeal of the content and an average Malayalam film, too, will be picked up for ₹4 crore- ₹5 crore, making good money for the producer.
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