Amidst the rise in Covid-19 cases in Kerala, many Malayalam films, including the biggies like Salute and Thuramukham, which were slated for theatrical releases, have been postponed indefinitely.
Theatres in Kerala reopened on October 25 post the second wave of the pandemic. Since then, they have been functioning at only a 50% seating capacity. And now, due to the new wave of Covid-19, cinema halls in five districts – Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, and Kollam – have been shut down.
Following this, the makers of several films have decided to hold their releases. Here is a list of Malayalam films that have been postponed thus far.
Veyil
This Shane Nigam-starrer, which was scheduled to release on January 28, has been postponed. Directed by Sarath Menon, Veyil is produced by Joby George under the Goodwill Entertainments banner. The film also features Shine Tom Chacko and James Elia. The makers announced that the release has been postponed taking into consideration the requests of film exhibitors and the health of cinema lovers.
This action thriller, featuring Dulquer Salmaan in the lead and directed by Rosshan Andrrews, was set to release on January 14. However, the production house, Wayfarer Films, decided to defer the film’s opening due to the spike in Covid-19 cases. Their statement said, “We at Wayfarer films are bound to show social responsibility ahead of our personal interests. Owing to recent developments and the spike in Covid-19 and Omicron cases, we have taken the difficult decision to postpone the release of Salute. We apologise if we’ve disappointed you. But in times like this, we must prioritise health and safety.”
Salmaan essays the role of a police officer named Aravind Karunakaran in the film, which also features actors Diana Penty, Manoj K Jayan, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, and Ganapathi, among several others. The film’s music is composed by Jakes Bejoy.
The makers of this period drama film announced its postponement a couple of days ahead of the planned release on January 20. They wrote, “Thuramukham is an attempt to address forgotten sacrifices and heroic struggles of a past generation, where a commitment to more significant causes was more important than the successes and failures of individuals. The current times too warrant actions for the larger cause. Considering the surge in Covid cases, we have decided to postpone the theatrical release of Thuramukham.”
Directed and shot by Rajeev Ravi, Thuramukham is led by actors Nivin Pauly and Nimisha Sajayan. Poornima Indrajith, Indrajith Sukumaran, Arjun Ashokan, Sudev Nair, and several others will be seen in supporting roles in film that is set in the era between 1923 and 1957. It revolves around the events that took place in Cochin harbour at the time, mainly the imposition of the Chappa system.
This political thriller, starring Tovino Thomas and directed by Aashiq Abu, was set to premiere on January 27. However, the makers decided to push its release even though the film was cleared by the CBFC with a U/A certification. Naaradhan is jointly produced by Santhosh Kuruvila, Rima Kallingal, and Aashiq Abu. Thomas plays the role of a news anchor named Chandraprakash in the film that also features actors Anna Ben, Indrans, Renji Panicker, and Sharaf U Dheen, among several others.
This comedy-drama film, starring Soubin Shahir, Dileesh Pothan, Surabhi Lakshmi and Hareesh Kanaran, deferred its opening from January 27. The film’s director Jithu K Jayan said in a social media post that the safety of the audience is important in light of the pandemic.
Kallan D’Souza is produced by Ramshi Ahamed in association with Sandra Thomas and Thomas Joseph Pattathanam. In an earlier conversation with Silverscreen India, Jithu said that Soubin plays the titular role, inspired by the eponymous character played by the actor in the 2015 Malayalam film Charlie, while Dileesh essays a police officer.
This family entertainer comedy featuring Shaiju Kurup and Siju Wilson in the lead roles, was earlier scheduled to hit the screens on January 28. The film’s production house Wayfarer Films cited the increasing Covid-19 cases as the reason for postponing its release.
In an earlier conversation with Silverscreen India, film’s director Arun Vaiga said, “Upacharapoorvam Gunda Jayan follows the happenings at a marriage house over one day. This is Shaiju Kurup’s 100th film and he plays the role of a former gunda who is now a changed, family man. Siju plays the bride’s friend.” The supporting cast includes actors Shabareesh, Johny Antony, Sudhir Karamana, Hareesh Kanaran, and Jaffer Idukki.
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Even as many films have thus been postponed, the makers of Hridayam went ahead with its release on January 21. The Pranav Mohanlal-starrer garnered positive reviews from audiences and has entered its second week in theatres.
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Further, films like Super Sharanya and the Unni Mukundan-starrer Meppadiyan, which were released in early January, have entered their third week in cinemas.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Kerala reported as many as 51, 570 new Covid-19 cases and the state’s test positivity rate stands at 49.89%.