In the year 2023, streaming platform Amazon Prime Video has given us terrific original web series like ‘Farzi’ and ‘Jubilee’. But when it comes to acquiring licensed films titles from the Malayalam film industry, it’s a totally different ball game.
Because if we consider some of the Malayalam language movies which recently started streaming on the Amazon Prime Video OTT platform, the selection of the titles by the streaming giant has perplexed and disappointed some ardent fans of Malayalam cinema.
Barring some recently released films like ‘Thankam’ and ‘Ela Veezha Poonchira’, most of the Malayalam film titles acquired by Prime Video this year so far are not as exciting as some other Malayalam movies released on OTT in 2023.
Some examples of rather below par Malayalam films which have recently started streaming on Amazon Prime Video include ‘Ennalum Ente Aliya’, the Malayalam-Tamil bilingual film ‘Adrishyam’, action drama ‘Varayan’, rom-com ‘Maheshum Marutiyum’, revenge flick ‘Chattambi’, political satire ‘Vellari Pattanam’, the romantic comedy ‘Oh My Darling’, and the fantasy comedy film ‘Enthada Saji’, amongst others.
The aforementioned Malayalam movies either received mixed to negative reviews from critics or got insipid feedback from the audiences. In case you are wondering why a reputed and major OTT platform like Amazon Prime Video has been getting hold of such unexciting and mediocre films from Malayalam cinema, then we are rowing the same boat. And it’s not that there is a dearth of quality films and content in Malayalam cinema. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Take the example of a recent film like the Malayalam-Tamil bilingual drama ‘Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam’ starring veteran actor Mammootty. The movie received widespread critical acclaim to the extent that it was also included in Letterboxd’s top 50 international films list. And it was a brilliant decision by Netflix to pick it up. Similarly, the hard-hitting thriller ‘Iratta’ is another worthy Malayalam title which was acquired by Netflix.
So, for the future, Amazon Prime Video should focus on picking up Malayalam films like ‘Iratta’ and ‘Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam’ for building a better and a revamped version of its Malayalam film portfolio. It can also start acquiring some good original Malayalam film titles for a direct-to-digital release on its OTT platform. The move should help the OTT giant in creating a loyal fan base which likes to consume Malayalam content on OTT.