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Malayalam cinema’s re-release trend reaches its saturation point? Find out

Malayalam cinema has been busy re-releasing some of its most iconic films, lately. However, after Devadoothan and Manichitrathazhu, none of the re-releases managed to make a mark.

Akhila Menon

Oct 21, 2024

A still from Devadoothan 4K; Manichitrathazhu re-release poster,

Malayalam cinema is well-known for producing some iconic, content-driven, and entertaining films, for many decades. While the cinephiles always celebrated those films at the time of repeated telecasts, those who missed witnessing the magic in theatres remained disappointed. However, the film industry members kickstarted the trend of re-releasing long-forgotten iconic films in remastered 4K format, later. This trend strengthened in the Malayalam film industry with the massive success of Devadoothan 4K which was followed by Manichitrathazhu 4K.

Did Malayalam cinema’s re-release trend reach its saturation point?

Devadoothan, the iconic Mohanlal-Sibi Malayil film that was released in 2000, was originally a massive flop. However, the makers re-released the film in July 2024 and it emerged as a major success. Devadoothan 4K performed exceedingly well at the box office and garnered much-deserved love from the audiences. It was followed by the re-release of Malayalam cinema’s one of the most iconic films, Manichitrathazhu. The Fazil directorial, which stars Mohanlal, Shobana, and Suresh Gopi in the lead roles, was also highly celebrated by the audiences.

Also Read: Thenmavin Kombath re-release date: Mohanlal’s iconic film to hit the theatres on this day?

Later, it was confirmed that many other yesteryear classics, including Mohanlal’s Devasuram and Thenmavin Kombathu, Mammootty films Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha and Aavanazhi, Sibi Malayil’s Summer In Bethlehem, Prithviraj Sukumaran starrer Anwar and others are gearing up for grand re-releases. While the cine-goers are eagerly awaiting to revisit these popular films, the fate of some of the recent re-releases suggests that the trend has indeed reached its saturation point. A couple of remastered films hit the theatres again and vanished in a couple of traces.

Also Read: Mohanlal and Shobana to reunite for L360 - Best 3 films of the star pair to watch on Sun NXT

The failing re-release trend

The best example of the same is Paleri Manikyam 4K, the acclaimed Mammootty starrer directed by Ranjith, which was re-released recently. The re-release of the 2009 film, which is not a mass audience favourite, was indeed a bizarre creative choice. Also, the mystery film hit the theatres with absolutely no buzz, and strangely the makers even refrained from marketing it effectively. Notably, leading man Mammootty himself refrained from promoting the film, and the re-released ended up as a disaster.

While Devasuram, Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, Thenmavin Kombathu, and Summer In Bethlehem re-releases might recreate the magic of Devadoothan and Manichitrathazhu, the others in the list clearly lack potential. While Aavanazhi was a much-loved film in 1986, it is not a film that aged well, and has less chances to connect well with the audiences. Anwar, the 2010-released Amal Neerad directorial, is available for an OTT watch on Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar in Malayalam, on Sun NXT in Tamil, and on Zee5 in Telugu. The movie is clearly not old enough to be re-released in 4K.

Well, re-releasing classics in 4K format without a proper promotional campaign definitely seems a bad idea. It is also back-to-back re-releases without proper planning or marketing is just a waste of opportunity – for both the makers and the cinephiles who wish to revisit the films in theatres. Instead of choosing cult classic, content-driven films, picking films that aged well will make more sense. Otherwise, this re-release trend will die down soon.