Malik, the Fahadh Faasil-starring Malayalam crime drama film, will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on July 15, the streaming platform announced on Thursday.
Produced by Anto Joseph, and written and directed by Mahesh Narayanan, Malik also features actors Nimisha Sajayan, Joju George, Vinay Fort, Dileesh Pothan, Jalaja, Salim Kumar, Indrans, Sanal Aman, Dinesh Prabhakar, Divya Prabha and Parvathy Krishna in pivotal roles.
According to the official synopsis from Amazon Prime Video, the film chronicles the journey of Sulaiman Malik (Fahadh Faasil), a charismatic leader bestowed with unconditional love and loyalty by the people of his community, who leads a revolution against authoritative forces that try to encroach on the lives of his people.
The streaming platform noted that the film is set in different time periods and is a “compelling story of a past ridden with crime, death and pain that is recounted to Freddy, a juvenile criminal, who has been assigned to eliminate his estranged uncle, Sulaiman, while behind bars.”
Director Mahesh Narayan, in a statement, said that Malik is a story rooted in the Indian ethos with multiple nuances in its characters as well as the emotions they portray. “I hope it resonates with the audience,” he added.
It may be noted that the film’s producer Anto Joseph had earlier written to the Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation and the Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala stating that he was trying to get a direct-to-OTT release for Malik and Prithviraj Sukumaran-starrer-Cold Case.
In the letter dated June 8, Joseph said that he was initially planning to release Malik alongside Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham on May 13, this year, when the government permitted theatres to reopen. But, due to the surge in Covid-19 cases, theatres were shut down again.
“These films will be able to recover the production costs only if 100% occupancy is allowed. However, since there is no clarity on reopening of theatres and given the existing financial strains, I’m trying for an OTT release for these films,” added Joseph.
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On June 16, Fahadh released a statement on his social media page about the decision to opt for a direct-to-OTT release for Malik. He wrote, “With a heavy heart, the director, the producer, all the technicians, and the rest of us have opted for an OTT release for our very ambitious project, Malik. Unlike my recent OTT releases, which were planned for home viewing right from the beginning, Malik was designed for a theatrical experience.”
Malik will be Fahadh’s fourth film, after C U Soon, Irul and Joji, to release on an OTT platform.