It has been a phenomenal year for Malayalam cinema so far. The Malayalam film industry was never known for producing high-grossing films and typically was popular for great content over box-office numbers. Year 2024, however, has been an exception, with the industry already doing about 80 per cent of total business of last year in just four months. In the last three-and-a-half months, Malayalam cinema has absolutely trumped every other Indian film industry with over ₹500 crore in theatrical revenue, with films such as Premalu, Manjummel Boys, Bramayugam, Aadujeevitham — The Goat Life, Aavesham and Varshangalkku Shesham scoring big. Interestingly, all these films have performed extremely well at the ticket window even outside Kerala, in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and the twin Telugu states.

PURPLE PATCH

Commenting on the current trend and if 2024 is indeed the golden year for Malayalam cinema, independent producer Sethumadhavan Napan said that qualitatively as well as business-wise, this has been the best phase for the industry. “The golden age of Malayalam cinema would be the ’90s. However, if you were to compare Malayalam cinema in 2024, especially in the last three-and-a-half months vis-a-vis the last few years, this has probably been the best time.”

“By the end of March 2024, Malayalam cinema has apparently covered three-fourth business of 2023. As we reach the end of April and with the successful run of Aavesham and Varshangalkku Shesham in cinemas presently, it is safe to say about 80 per cent of last year’s business has already been covered. We still have a long way to go in the year, and I am sure new records will be set,” he added.

Manjummel Boys, a survival thriller based on true events, is the first Malayalam film to collect over ₹200 crore. Directed by Chidambaram, it is also the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time. A large chunk of the film’s earnings came from Tamil Nadu, where it became the highest-grossing Malayalam film with over ₹50 crore in gross earnings.

ACROSS BORDERS

“Earlier, most of the business was happening via two sources — Kerala and overseas, with the bulk of it coming from the Gulf countries. It is heartening to note that the rest of India is also contributing to the overall business, especially with respect to Manjummel Boys, which earned a good chunk of its business from Tamil Nadu. We will soon see more films doing such business in other parts of India as well, like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and even the Telugu states,” Sethumadhavan said.

Along with veterans Mammootty and Mohanlal, Fahadh Faasil is one of the most dependable and versatile actors in Malayalam cinema today

In Tamil Nadu, both Manjummel Boys and Premalu had a dream run for many weeks. A theatre owner said that these films helped theatres thrive in the state as Tamil films weren’t doing respectable business. “This year has been terrible for Tamil cinema with the lone exception of one or two films doing decent business. It was Manjummel Boys and Premalu which drew audiences in hordes for four to five weeks. Unlike Premalu, Manjummel Boys wasn’t even dubbed into Tamil but it still managed to do excellent business, running to packed houses across the state.”

Despite the start of the IPL season, both the films continued to do well in theatres across Tamil Nadu. Premalu also grossed over ₹15 crore from the Telugu states. The Telugu dubbed version of the film was released by S.S. Rajamouli’s son, S.S. Karthikeya. In a post on X recently, Karthikeya thanked Telugu audiences for the phenomenal response to the film.

Why are Malayalam films suddenly doing so well outside Kerala? “The trend was set, knowingly or unknowingly, four years ago when the pandemic started. One of the biggest gainers during this phase was Malayalam cinema. People all over started watching films of Fahadh Faasil, Prithviraj and Dulquer Salmaan. And even filmmakers like Dileesh Pothan and Mahesh Narayanan became much more popular, not just among cinephiles but also with the common people. Thanks to this phase, now when a Malayalam film comes out, the excitement is palpable. It is not just limited to Malayalis across India. In fact, a fair chunk of non-Malayali audiences are also keenly looking forward to Malayalam cinema,” Sethumadhavan explained.

Most of these films continue to do well even after their theatrical run, once they make it to OTT platforms. Premalu, one of the biggest Malayalam grossers of the year, is currently being watched a lot on Disney+Hotstar. Aattam, a modestly budgeted film which didn’t do well theatrically, has been winning audiences over upon its OTT release.

A GRADUAL PROGRESSION

Another theatre owner said that this isn’t a sudden phenomenon. “Well-made Malayalam films have been doing good business in Tamil Nadu over the years. The likes of Premam, Pulimurugan and 2018 are some of the best examples. Of course, the kind of success Manjummel Boys and Premalu saw is going to be tough to match. It all boils down to engaging content. Manjummel Boys resonated strongly with audiences here because it is a story about friendship and one that stars only boys. Traditionally, friendship-themed films have done quite well in Tamil Nadu and that’s why this one was lapped up,” said the theatre owner.

Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran recently opened up on Malayalam cinema’s phenomenal run in a media interaction while promoting his latest release, Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life, which also collected over ₹100 crore globally. Talking about the current phase, he said: “We are evolved enough to understand that anybody’s success is everybody’s success. When Manjummel Boys, Premalu and Bramayugam did really well — I am not just referring to their box-office numbers but also the conversations around these films — I, for one, know that I am also benefitting from them. Why is there a sudden spike in interest in The Goat Life? I owe that to Manjummel Boys, Premalu and Bramayugam. I know their success could potentially pave the way for my success.”

“We know that if a team gets together and makes a cracking film, everyone will benefit from it. So, we pull a lot of favours while making a film, which is why all our movies have five-minute-long thank-you cards. It is partly ingrained in our film culture because we started off as a very small industry where everyone knew everyone and that work culture still exists today, although now we are much bigger,” he added.

Meanwhile, following the ground-breaking success of Premalu, its makers have announced a sequel which will hit the screens next year. Speaking about the sequel, director Girish AD said: “I can’t say much about Premalu 2 but I can confirm that it will be more fun and energetic than the first part.”