The climax to the crisis in Malayalam cinema seems quite some distance away. With neither the producers nor the exhibitors willing to concede an inch, and the government’s attempts to find a solution not yielding fruit, it could be a while before new Malayalam films are released.
The dispute is about revenue-sharing, with the cinema hall owners demanding it should be 50 per cent, 10 more than what they get now. “Running a theatre is tough and we feel it is only fair that we get a larger share, at least on a par with the multiplexes,” the Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation president P.V. Ahmed Basheer told The Hindu on Monday. “If the producers do not give us Malayalam films to screen, we would rather shut down our cinemas.”
Some cinemas have already shut down, following the withdrawal of films such as Pulimurugan and Kattappanayile Hrithik Roshan. The producer of Pulimurugan , the biggest hit ever in Malayalam cinema, Tomichan Mulakupadam, said he was willing to bear the potential cut in the box office collection.
“ Pulimurugan was also going to complete 100 days in 80 cinemas, which would have been another record in Malayalam cinema, but the issue is more important than my film,” Mr. Tomichan said. “It is the producer who is taking the biggest risk in the making of a film, so it is unfair to ask us to settle for lesser revenue,” he said.
The stalemate has also badly affected a few films that were planned as Christmas releases. Mohanlal-starrer Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol is one of them. Its director Jibu Jacob is naturally disappointed. “It is a big setback for me and everyone associated with the film,” he said. “Everything was ready and we were hoping that the issue would be resolved before Christmas.”
But, that, of course, was not to be; it was a rare occasion when there were no major films for a festival season in Kerala.
