KOCHI: The Covid pandemic and then the onslaught of the over-the-top (OTT) platforms saw film exhibitors incurring a huge loss. From the time when the films set the cash registers at the theatres ringing, things changed to surviving becoming hard for them. However, things seem to be turning around with the producers and exhibitors joining hands to attract the audience back to the theatres. It has been decided to produce big-budget films.
“The films that are being produced of late aren’t suited for a theatre. They are based on a single thread and have no side plots or stories to tell. They are more suited for viewing on the television,” said Sumesh Joseph Manarkattu, general secretary, Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK). According to him, post Covid, it is seen that only big budget movies are able to attract the audience, especially families, back to theatres.
“Films like RRR, KGF and Pushpa saw people pouring into theatres. However, in Kerala, a single producer alone doesn’t have the capacity to fund such huge projects. It is at this juncture that producers like Anto Joseph, Listin Stephen along with another producer have come together to produce a big-budget film. The shooting of the movie has gone on the floor and has an impressive line-up of young actors like Asif Ali,” he said. As per the decision made by the producers, more such movies will be made to bring people back to theatres, he added.
Sumesh said, “The matter was discussed in the executive meeting of the producers’ organisation. In the meeting, producer M Renjith put forth the need to make films that have a wide plot with twists and turns including a lot of characters like that in the past instead of one that hangs on a single thread from the start to the finish.”