Enkilum Chandrike on OTT: Adithyan Chandrashekar says, ‘I knew doing a comedy came with its set of risks’

Debutant filmmaker Adithyan Chandrashekar’s Enkilum Chandrike is gearing up for its OTT release soon. The light-hearted comedy, which has Basil Joseph, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Saiju Kurup in the lead, was among the deluge of films that had hit theatres in Kerala in February, causing it to miss out on a wider audience and longer theatrical run.

In an exclusive chat with OTTplay, Adithyan shares the feedback he got from the audience who could watch the movie in theatres and also what he expects after the film’s OTT release on Manorama Max on April 1.

Also read: Enkilum Chandrike review: Suraj Venjaramoodu, Basil Joseph’s chaotic comedy entertainer will leave you in splits 

“The audience we had in mind while making the film has a lot of positive responses. They enjoyed the film and laughed their heart out in theatres. We got a lot of calls,” he says. “However, the film didn’t reach a wider audience and we are hoping that with the OTT release, more people will watch the movie.”

As the film entirely relied on its humour track and the hilarious equations of its quirky characters, did it ever occur to him that it came with its set of risks – especially if the audience didn’t connect with it? “There was always that risk element and more than anyone, I was aware of it as the maker,” he says.

The director points out that his previous ventures too have been fraught with risk. “When I did Average Ambili, there weren’t any drama series from Malayalam on YouTube; most of the projects had humour. So, that was a risk then. If it didn’t work, people would have just neglected it, but if it clicked, they would appreciate it. I didn’t expect a neutral response at all. It was the same for Enkilum Chandrike,” Adithyan explains.

Also read: Enkilum Chandrike's genre would’ve changed if it's told through its titular character: Adithyan Chandrashekar | Exclusive 

The filmmaker also says that the film depended entirely on humour and it was up to the team to ensure that they pulled it off. “From the scripts we pitched, the production house selected the one with humour and backed us for that,” he says.

With comedies, especially in Malayalam, getting a wider reach after its OTT release, does he expect that the film is appreciated better? “I honestly don’t know. Just like the theatrical release, we can only hope that the movie reaches more audiences and people talk about that. We don’t know if anything more would happen,” he concludes.

Enkilum Chandrike will be available to stream on Manorama Max and OTTplay Premium from April 1.