KOCHI: Nine months ago, a post by one Vimal Kumar and his friends became a pet subject for the online trolling community: "Opening show of Pulimurugan houseful in Alappuzha," they had posted. It triggered 'trollstincts' because the movie was still in production then.
Vimal Kumar and his friends, who booked the show at Pankaj theatre, replied with the receipt. For the record, 952-seater Pankaj is one of the biggest theatres in Kerala.
Now the enthusiasm of the Mohanlal fans has been vindicated. Thirty days after its release, Pulimurugan has made a grand entry into the Rs 100 crore collection club -- a first in the history of Malayalam cinema.
"Several people doubted us when we booked tickets because many films which hit the screen with great expectations had to bite the dust. However, Pulimurugan exceeded our expectations," said Vimal Kumar, secretary of the Mohanlal Fans Association, Alappuzha. He has seen the film 25 times till date.
Mohanlal fans in Alappuzha celebrated in a unique way by taking 40 special kids of the Santhwanam Trust to see the film. "It's a historic event reaching the Rs 100 crore mark. It will definitely boost the Malayalam film industry. The state has accepted the film uniformly. Repeat audiences have made the film such a big success," said Liberty Basheer, president of the Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation.
Basheer said only Narasimham [2000] and Drishyam [2013] have seen a similar rush in the past. "However, it was the hike in ticket rates and the increase in the number of theatres that pushed this film into the Rs 100 crore club. I think the rush was bigger for Narasimham, which was released in only 48 centres and Drishyam took only four days to connect with the masses," he said.
Mohanlal thanked everyone on Facebook. "I am happy to share with you all that Pulimurugan has become the first Malayalam movie to enter the Rs 100 crore club. Thanks to director Vysakh, producer Tomichan Mulakupadam, stunt choreographer Peter Hein, scriptwriter Udayakrishna and cinematographer Shaji and the entire crew for their seamless effort in making Pulimurugan a big success," he posted.
There has been no dip in rush even after five weeks, leaving the entire film industry chuffed.
"If the police act tough against those who spread pirated copies of the movie, the rush is expected to last till Christmas," said Basheer.
Records for Pulimurugan
Maximum number of release across India for a Malayalam Film- 325 screens on Oct 7
Biggest initial collection for a Malayalam Film till date Rs 4.06 crore
First film with Rs 4 crore in first three days
Fastest Rs 10 crore Malayalam Film (Rs 12.91 crore in three days)
Fastest Rs 25 crore Malayalam Film (25.43 crores in seven days)
Fastest Rs 50 crore Malayalam Film
Highest grosser from Multiplexes (Kochi) Rs 3 crore
Records for Mohanlal
Only Malayalam actor with a year-long run film with regular shows (Chitram 1988)
First Malayalam actor to have a Rs 50 crore film
Only Malayalam actor with three films in 50 crore club
Drisyam (2013), Oppam (2016) and Pulimurugan (2016)
Two films in Rs 100 crore club in a year
Janatha Garage (2016 Telugu) and Pulimurugan
Three bumper releases in six weeks
Janatha Garage (September 1 Rs 130 crore) Oppam (September Rs 56 crore) and Pulimurugan (October 7 Rs 105 crore)