Actor Mohanlal’s most awaited film Drishyam 2, directed by celebrated filmmaker Jeethu Joseph, is all set for an OTT release on February 19. Speculation about the film’s theatrical release has been going on since December. However, when the makers announced the release of the film on the OTT platform Amazon Prime, there was a lot of criticism. The Kerala Film Chamber has now said that Drishyam 2, like other Malayalam films which released on OTT, will not be allowed a theatrical release.
“Drishyam 2, like any other Malayalam film that released first on an OTT platform, will not be allowed to have a theatrical release. The films that register with the film chamber sign an affidavit that they will release their films on OTT only at least 42 days after a theatrical release. All films that fail to do so will not be allowed a theatrical release. Just because Drishyam 2 is a superstar film, the rules cannot be bent,” Vijayakumar, President of the Kerala Film Chamber, told TNM.
The producer of Drishyam 2 – Antony Perumbaboor – too had registered with the chamber but the affidavit was not signed, he said.
Other films which released on OTT platforms in the past year, during most of which theatres were closed after the breakout of COVID-19, will also not have theatrical release. This includes films like Sufiyum Sujathayum, Maniyarayile Ashokan and C U Soon among others.
This news comes at a time when Mohanlal confirmed that there is a possibility for Drishyam 2 to have a theatrical release. The actor said this while responding to a question posed by one of his followers in an ‘Ask me Anything’ session on Twitter on Monday. When the fan asked whether there is a chance for Drishyam 2 to release on the big screen, the actor responded saying it’s “Possible”.
possible https://t.co/RD7InwGd0q
— Mohanlal (@Mohanlal) February 15, 2021
When Mohanlal announced that Drishyam 2 would have an OTT release, not only various film associations – such as distributors and producers – were critical but the fans too were surprised.
Drishyam 2 is a sequel to the 2013 thriller Drishyam, which was critically acclaimed and was also hugely successful at the box-office. The sequel is produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the label of Aashirvad Cinemas. Mohanlal plays the film-obsessed Georgekutty while Meena, Esther Anil and Ansiba play his family, all of them reprising their roles in Drishyam.
Watch: Trailer of Drishyam 2
The sequel also features Asha Sharath, Siddique, Murali Gopy, KB Ganesh Kumar, Krishna and many others in supporting roles. Anil Johnson has composed the music and background score for the film while Satheesh Kurup is the cinematographer for the project.