KOCHI: Mollywood, which is in a trance following the controversy over the assault of an actor and the arrest of one of its biggest stars, is anxiously looking towards Onam - this time coupled with Bakrid (Eid al-Adha) - to shrug off its debility.
Four films with a total investment of Rs 50 crore are reaching nearly 500 screens in the state to test the waters. The veterans in the industry are hopeful the four films will save the industry from its lethargy making the cash registers ring.
“As in every field, the bad times are over. It is true the last 50-60 days were bad for the industry,” M C Boby, Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK), told Express. “It is mainly due to the constant bashing in the television channels. People had an aversion to step into theatres. Also, no films with big stars were released.”
Films from the two big Ms Mammootty and Mohanlal - Pullikkaran Staraa and Velipadinte Pusthakam - and two movies from the next big stars: Adam Joan by Prithviraj and Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela by Nivin Pauly are in the fray.
“All the four films have stars and content which can bring the audience to the theatres. We expect these films will do a minimum business of Rs 80 crore during the season starting from Thursday. The reservation status for the Mohanlal film shows a positive trend,” said Siyad Koker, president of Kerala Film Distributors Association.
“For every film maker who takes his job seriously, the release of his movie is equivalent to 100 heart attacks. However, with expectations running high on my film, my pressure is ten fold,” said Lal Jose, whose Velipadinte Pusthakam will hit nearly 200 screens on Thursday as the first film in this season. “Somehow the film got much hype than I expected. I wanted to play down one of the two appearances of Lalettan to make it a surprise. However, we could not as it is a Mohanlal film,” said the director.
For Mollywood, the first four months of the year had a smooth flow in the current created by the blockbuster Pulimurugan in 2016, opening new vistas with half a dozen hits, including Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol, Great Father, Jomonte Suvisesham, Ezra and Take Off. However, the pace slowed down after the arrest of actor Dileep casting a shadow over the industry as more skeletons tumbled out of its cupboards.