Rajinikanth blockbuster Sivaji was a huge hit in Kerala! Kamal Hassan's magnum opus Dasavathaaram, released in at least 50 theatres across the state, is running to packed houses with tickets being sold in black for a minimum of Rs. 500! Four dubbed Telugu films -- Rya, Happy be Happy, Bunny and Hero, all starring Allu Arjun, were super hits in Kerala this year. Hindi films are also well-received in the state.
But in stark contrast, of the 33 Malayalam films released since January this year, only four turned out to be hits! Kerala, which earlier used to witness about 150 film releases every year, now has only about 50 new films per annum! A total of 64 films were released in Kerala during 2007, but only five films were hits, thus causing huge loss to the industry. Does the Malayalam film industry seem to be losing the battle?
The fact is that Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films are technically far superior to Malayalam films and with peppy song sequences; they attract the younger cinema-going crowd. That is the one reason why other language movies are doing better business in the state.
Unfortunately, most theatres in the state are still unable to compete with new-age theatres having the latest sound systems and big parking spaces. About 200 theatres have been closed down in recent years due to the huge electricity cost alone, sources said. The easy availability of pirated CDs of new films, rising production costs and high remuneration of actors are all affecting the profitability of Malayalam films.
Johny Antony's Cycle with Vineeth Sreenivasan, Sathyan Anthikad's Innathe Chinta Vishayam starring Mohanlal and Meera Jasmine and two Mammootty-starrers -- Annan Thambi by Anwar Rasheed and Rowdram by Ranji Panicker -- are the few movies that tasted success at the box office this year. The production cost of each film works out to about Rs 1.5 crore; if it does not do well in the box office, huge losses are suffered by the makers and distributors.
Reports say that with the present standoff between actor Dileep and Malayalam Cine Technicians Association (MACTA) that has caused a split in the industry between the members in the organization, film production work could be affected in future, adding more damage to the already sick industry.
