Theatres in Kerala have finally opened up, so you know what that means – new Malayalam releases. Kerala theatres opened yesterday, on 27th October 2021, but the first Malayalam feature film hasn’t premiered in theatres yet. Well, that is about to change with the upcoming Prithviraj starrer, ‘Star‘. This Malayalam film will premier tomorrow, on Friday, on 29th October 2021 and the film is expected to get an unobstructed run in theatres around the state for at least a week. So here are three things you need to know before you watch the film:
Breaking out of the “Jayasurya Milestone-mold”
Jayasurya‘s ‘Sufiyum Sujathayum’ was the first Malayalam film to release directly for streaming. Jayasurya’s ‘Vellam’ is the first Malayalam film to release in Kerala theatres after they reopened for the first time after the nationwide lockdown was lifted. However, ‘Star’, the first Malayalam film to premier in Kerala theatres since the lockdown was lifted for a second time, does not feature the actor, Jayasurya, or at least he doesn’t according to the film’s final billing – which is breaking away from the milestone mold set by the actor.
Horror Thriller Attraction
Even if theatres are open within the state, there is a good chance that Keralites will not come flocking to cinema halls, especially since the number of Covid-19 cases hasn’t completely stabilized for now. So as to attract people back to theatres, cinema hall owners are currently only releasing films that can make use of the theatre set-up. Superhero flicks and the James Bond film makes sense and joining them is the aforementioned ‘Star’ – a supernatural horror thriller that can only deliver its full-scale epicness through theatres.
Test Run
As mentioned earlier, ‘Star’ will likely get an unobstructed run in theatres, with other Malayalam films likely waiting for one or two weeks before they premiere in theatres. ‘Star’, while an attractive option, is a film that has been chosen for “test run purposes” so as to know how the Kerala population will react to the reopening of theatres around the state.