The producer of the Fahadh Faasil-starrer ‘Malik’, Anto Joseph, wrote a letter to Film Exhibitors United Organization of Kerala (FEUOK) and Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation (KFEF) informing them of his plan to release the previously mentioned film directly on an OTT platform and asked them for their blessing while doing so. So this confirmed the film’s direct-to-OTT release plans, now we only have to wait for the official release date as well as the streaming platform. And when ‘Malik’ releases on an OTT platform, Fahadh Faasil will become the first Malayalam male superstar to have starred in 4 direct-to-OTT released Malayalam movies. He could very likely be the only pan-Indian Superstar to do so also, but we haven’t done our research for that part yet.
Mollywood has been going through a revolution recently, due to the coronavirus pandemic. With major OTTs like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video favoring Tamil and Telugu films over other South-Indian films for their digital platforms, the Malayalam film industry struggled to get their movies even through their doors for viewing, just a year ago. With the mixed-to-negative reviews ‘Sufiyum Sujathayum’ received last year, which was the first Malayalam movie to release directly on to an OTT platform, the Malayalam Film Industry went further down the pecking order.
Fast forward to June 2021 and these streaming platforms can’t wait to buy up the digital rights for the upcoming Malayalam films; with many of them going on to pressure (and plead with) Malayalam film makers and producers to release their films on OTT due to the current lockdown in the state of Kerala. This huge turnabout in attitude can be attributed to the first hit Malayalam film to release directly on an OTT – Fahadh Faasil’s ‘C U Soon’. Of course films like ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’ and ‘Drishyam 2’ also helped, but the movie which started the positive feedback for Malayalam direct-to-OTT releases was ‘C U Soon’ and it was the one of the few good Indian movies to release directly on an OTT platform. With this, Fahadh Faasil has become the closest actor to join the “Megastar status” in the Malayalam film industry.
Mohanlal and Mammootty, two pan-Indian icons, have been carrying the Malayalam film industry for the past four decades to greater heights. Actors Jayan and Prem Nazir did so before them. With Fahadh Faasil being one of the main actors to help bring in the OTT revolution to Mollywood, in just one year, this man’s on-screen performances have been key to its success. This man now has “Megastar” influence over OTTs currently, and it shows. His next three films after ‘C U Soon’ – ‘Irul’, ‘Joji’ and ‘Malik’ have all been released on OTTs (‘Malik’ will release on an OTT, not released yet).
‘Malik’ is also expected to be released on Amazon Prime Video, according to multiple recent reports. If this actually turns out to be true, then he will also be the first Malayalam male actor to have three direct-to-OTT releases on Amazon Prime Video. For now, we will have to wait for the official announcement.
We’re hiring!
We are hiring two full-time junior to mid-level writers with the option to work remotely. You need to work a 5-hour shift and be available to write. Interested candidates should email their sample articles to [email protected]. Applications without a sample article will not be considered.
