The Kerala Government has decided to take matters into its own hands regarding the unreleased status of scores of small Malayalam films. The government will launch its own, dedicated OTT platform, which will exclusively stream Malayalam films. The focus will be especially on smaller films that find no takers among the streaming giants.
What is even more heartening about the proposed government-run OTT platform is that the Kerala Government is not doing it as a means to earn revenue or cashing in on the current craze for OTT content. It is more of a “cultural intervention”, as per Shaji.N.Karun, Chairman of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC). Just as governments across the world are pitching in with “economic interventions” to boost their pandemic-spooked economies, similarly, the Kerala Government has planned this cultural intervention to safeguard the interests of smaller Malayalam filmmakers.
The Malayalam film industry has been the worst hit in the pandemic after the Bollywood film industry. Theatres have been shut down for the longest time in Kerala. Malayalam films were stuck without release, even as several Tamil and Telugu films did brisk business in theatres.
What’s more, Malayalam films don’t find much favour with the bigger streamers who have the deep pockets to pay good money for OTT releases of films on their platforms. Until Drishyam 2 and The Great Indian Kitchen’s success, OTT giants did not even consider Malayalam content for release on their platforms. It is only now that they’ve started showing interest in acquiring Malayalam films. Even then, they only pick up films starring big Malayalam actors such as Fahadh Faasil, Mammootty, Mohanlal, Nivin Pauly and Joju George.
Smaller films with smaller actors only get a release on platforms such as Neestream, Roots TV etc, which are not that well known, and can’t pay good sums to acquire films. Even SonyLIV, which is going regional with a vengeance, is only interested in picking up Tamil and Telugu content. Malayalam content traditionally doesn’t find too many takers among mainstream streaming platforms.
A dedicated OTT platform run by the government will be a shot in the arm of Malayalam films, big and small both. Malayalam filmmakers will have a readymade avenue to stream their creations. However, Shaji.N.Karun is firm that the new platform will stream films only after their theatrical releases, and on a revenue-sharing basis. That way, filmmakers will get the option of earning revenue from both theatrical and digital platforms.
The Kerala Government’s OTT platform is planned to be launched on 1st November. Let’s hope that it is a super success!