Anup Chandrashekaran, COO – Regional , IN10 Media Network.
The decision this week of Netflix globally to embrace low budgeted films as a shift in its strategy is a welcome decision for many genuine creators The recent success of the Mollywood film industry in India is a testimony to that. This year has been a great start for the Mollywood industry in terms of box office performance. The industry is on a record-breaking spree with four of their films entering the Rs.100 crore club in the last few months, Manjummel Boys, Premaalu, Aadujeevitham, Aavesham are in that list. Two other films Bramyugam and Varshangallu Sesham have also done more than Rs.50 crores in box office collections world wide.
The fact that the Malayalam film industry is demonstrating its soft power with unconventional themes and relatable narrative is not just a simple truth but a welcome change in the tinsel industry. The stories are mostly about middle class families and are very close to real life scenarios , it is also from our hinterland and each of these films have a topography which is a character by itself and all these films have distinct identity and themes. These films are not about masculinity, nor toxicity or larger than life entries of hero. They are next door men and women who have simple ambitions, pain or happiness. The stories are largely about you and me or something around us and it resonates so effortlessly.
The winning formula is in its writing – with so much depth and intensity reflecting life and makes the characters real. The viewer is no longer an alien to the world he or she watches,they are one among them for a few hours. The character and story arc are so well nuanced and etched out that it is distinct, leaving the audience wanting for more. The mood and character setting is so genuine and native that it is not cliched. All the six Malayalam films quoted in the beginning of this article are just unparalleled blockbusters of this year with unbelievably different themes,settings and the gratification is immense and immersive.
Manjummel Boys -This survival thriller has done a worldwide gross collection of Rs.230 crores and with overseas revenue itself contributing to Rs..72 crores.This film done at a cost of less than Rs.20 crores has collected almost Rs.54 crores from Tamil Nadu alone. This real-life incident drama has a treatment which is raw, rustic and the main unlikeness is that it has no template.The theme is around friendship, and it has everyone at the edge of the seat when one of the friends from the group on an adventure trip falls into a deep cave pit (this scene looks so natural) -what happens to that friend trapped in that pit is rest of the narrative. The cave is so natural, and it doesn’t look like a set created for the film. The placement of an old iconic song when the friend gets rescued is a masterstroke from the Director. The tug of war with the rope shown initially makes a reappearance in the end when it comes in handy to help their friend. The film is so natural and organic that it is a honest storytelling experience and a great theatrical experience that makes you spell bound and it is a masterpiece. This film has no big stars, no popular heroine, no song and dance sequence, no massy fights or dialogues but has one quotient high and that is high on – Emotions and it gives you the adrenaline rush for the friends to succeed in their mission, this film is a true ode to friendship.
Premalu – The title of the film Premalu sounds like a Telugu one . Also the fact that large portions of this film is shot in Hyderabad and it is a character by itself gives it a Telugatarian canvas. But this simple love story stands tall because of its screenplay, dialogues and casting. We have seen such films including Idhayam ( Tamil film) before but what makes it fresh is the genuinity of the visual canvas. All the characters are relatable for their simplicity and candidness exhibited. . The heroine who comes from an upper middle-class family does not wear expensive clothes and drinks with her friends in their terrace and not in pubs which makes the film more relatable and mass.The film rewinds us to our college days with the mask of introverted behavior that we have all tried to impress a girl with. The boy meeting the girl first scene in a freak hit and run car incident and the last scene of car chase with the bad boys getting overpowered by spraying pepper spray is hilarious. The film has no big names, no big scale action sequences but only high on innocent love that looked real. This movie has done a worldwide gross box office collection of more than Rs.130 crores with an overseas contribution of more than Rs.40 crores and the budget of this film is less than Rs.5 crores. This in particular has to be speculated. Norms are broken- small films don’t make money and films with not so popular artists don’t fill the pockets but finally victory lauds simple creative products as well.
Aadujeevitham – This film also has done a worldwide gross box office collection of more than Rs.150 crores and with an overseas contribution of more than Rs.60 crores. This true story is told in its purest form and it is unimaginable the resilience, persistence the makers and talent have taken (sixteen years) to make this vision a reality. The physical and emotional transformation of the main character and his friend is the greatest sacrifice for this creation.The Music, BGM, Costumes are characters by themselves. The Cinematography with its lighting is comparable to that of any Hollywood film.The Expressions and body language by Prithviraj in the film is a champion performance. My Dad equated his performance to better than Robert De NIro’s performance in ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’. As a viewer did watch this film travelling with the protagonist and his emotions, keeping me intrigued whether he would survive death like situations. A big salute to the makers for taking us through this journey with limited budgets and logistical nightmare. This film that must have been enduring for the makers to create but it will remain enduring in the annals of Indian cinema , truly Greatest of all Time (GOAT) film made.
Aavesham – This is an all Fahad Faasil film (Fafa) which has already grossed more than Rs.100 crores in worldwide box office collections and is the latest from Mollywood industry to join this club for this year. A few minutes into this film was all about cliched treatment of college boys getting ragged, thuggery but in walks Fafa and the magic gets created.His introductory scene in a toilet urinating and lighting a cigarette is one of the best hero introductions one has ever seen. This film is all about Fahad – India’s biggest and best actor. His body language, dialogue delivery and crankiness exhibited is out of the box, with his white shirt,gold chain all over his body, moustache and glasses. He transports us to the world of craziness and we are confused, is he a cold- blooded gangster or a caricature.Fahad’s weird laugh and and walk is a unique style quotient that only he can display.This new age film is over the top in terms of treatment but yet realistic especially with its unconventional ending that bad boys can also be good, bad boys need not be necessarily cunning and scheming, but they also need genuine companionship and love. The film is set in Bangalore and the city is also a character. While walking out of the theatre, Fahad’s towel dance, slow motion walks which only he can pull out was etched in my memory. This film is truly an Aavesham (Excitement)
Bramayugam – This dark horror film of Mammooty has done a worldwide gross collection of Rs.60 crores and with an overseas collection of more than Rs.27 crores. This film with only three characters in the frame stands out. The Black and White color treatment is a disruptor, and the entire film happens in one house and each room in that house is different and is a character by itself and so is rain in the film a character. Our respect for this legendary Super Star, Mammooty goes up for picking up such roles. His body language of arrogance and boldness so effortlessly played is another gem in his filmography. The choice of roles that he decides to do is unbelievable. His possessive and menacing looks, prosthetic teeth ,unkept beard, dirty and wicked face , sitting on a chair only wearing a dhoti sends shivers down the spine. The film set in the 17th century transports us to that era. A horror film told subtly and uniquely, the film is about a character wanting to run away from that house, but we don’t want to run away from watching the film but stay invested in it.
Varshangalkku Sesham – This film that has done a worldwide Gross collection of Rs.75 crores, with an overseas contribution of more than Rs.35 crores, is a simple film but very relatable, warm and lovable. The theme of this film is about friendship, two aspiring talented friends struggling in the initial days of career moving away in their prime, reunite together to create a magic. A Superstar’s son. Pranav Mohan Lal deciding not to do an Action film but a realistic and honest film, about the emotion of friendship is indeed noteworthy. The film set in Chennai is also a character by itself. The cameos played by various stars from the same industry is noteworthy especially Navin Pauly who played himself as a character will not be dared by any other actor. The film also had a bizarre ending when one thought Pranav is dead .He resurfaces to watch the film premiere . The message that age is no barrier for success saw me resonate with this film personally.
Tracing the history of the Mollywood industry, it has always been associated with the tales of life. The space under the blue sky is replete with unbounded, untold stories – which are raw, curious, exotic, impressive and fascinating. The shedding off egoes by legendary heroes of Malayalam cinema to perform as actors has to be mentioned with awe and respect. The magic of believable, untold stories spun in a fearless manner separates them from rest and they are all set to capture worlds creative imagination. As the Mollywood industry strives and thrives to enter global stage, it is my sincere hope that purity and innocence of this industry remains and does not get polluted by others storming into the Ecosystem luring the creators with material benefits for others greed.It’s also time for the producers of other languages and the streaming platforms to take a breath and now decide – how they want to design the industry going forward…..
( The Views expressed are personal)
