Krishand: Masthishka Maranam is my first box office movie | Exclusive

A special dance number in a Krishand movie and that too with actress Rajisha Vijayan, with some scintillating moves, had literally taken the Malayalam cinema space by storm. Despite the widespread and even negative reception, Krishand followed it up with all-out promotions, which included college visits with the cast and video interviews weeks in advance of Masthishka Maranam's release. Krishand has taken a completely different yet calculated approach to his upcoming movie Masthishka Maranam, which he terms his first box office film. In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Krishand breaks down why he incorporated the dance number in his movie, what viewers can expect from Masthishka Maranam (A Frankenbiting of Simon's Memories) and the impact of AI on films.

Krishand interview excerpts

Q. You have said Masthishka Maranam is a cyberpunk movie. But could you elaborate on what viewers can expect from Masthishka Maranam?

A. Masthishka Maranam is a fast-paced comedy film. Consumerism and capitalism would be at its peak in 2046 in Kochi. So it is the story of a youth, around 32 or 34 years of age, who lives in a vertical slum-like area. His connection with his child and also how a superstar also enters the picture are explored in the film. It also speaks about the eco-system in 2047 with a superstar actress and her fans.

Q. So how did you create this world for Masthishka Maranam with vertical slums?

A. We went to Hong Kong and shot those monster buildings to create the exterior of vertical slums. It is a core place for cyber punk films and we shot there. It is a small portion of the film that we shot, like the exterior, while the interior we created here.

Q. Why did you pick Rajisha for the role? And how was it collaborating with Rajisha Vijayan, Divya Prabha and rest of the female cast?

Rajisha’s name was suggested by Niranj Maniyanpilla Raju. I had seen her movies, Madhura Manohara Moham and Love. I understood she could perform complicated characters with comedy. Then I saw other films like Kolla. She is delightful on the edit table. On the set, she is an obsessed artist. I wrote her a backstory and we discussed further. She suggested a lot of looks and design suggestions. She prepared character costume sheets and look charts. Divya and I were supposed to collaborate on another film. I want her to play humour.

Q. Your response to Rajisha Vijayan’s dance number Komala Thaamara and the criticism that it drew?

A. So, the film exploits the eyeball culture. The special dance was to start a conversation around this film or about the people who have opinions about actresses. All the promotional materials released from the film have a relation to the eyeball culture. All this needs to be considered as a performance act. This is not a criticism of such dance numbers. There is a dance number in this movie, only that. It is part of capitalism, where a woman has certain aesthetic responsibilities like she is expected to wear makeup, certain kinds of clothes. For an actress, this would be at peak and people treat them like ‘own property’. More than their choice, it is the morality of people that comes into play. So in a movie that talks about these aspects, it needs to be there. Like what (French director) Truffaut said, ‘you cannot make an antiwar film, without showing war’. The special dance number is just a part of the material.

Also read: Move over Geetu Mohandas, it’s Rajisha Vijayan’s turn to get trolled for Masthishka Maranam special number 

Q. What is your take on including special dance numbers in movies generally to grab viewers’ attention?

We have done it for years, from selling soft drinks to selling vehicles, we use sexualised women to woo male consumers. The special dance number is a glorified version of that. It is problematic, but there are consumers for it. If only capitalism ends, then things like such dance numbers will also stop.

Q. Can Masthishka Maranam be then termed as an anti-capitalism movie?

Cyberpunk movies all deal with high tech and low life. Technology is really high, but living conditions are really bad and mental health conditions are bad. The film is a bigger version of what we are living now. It is just showing how things are or what might be, we are looking at through a retro-futuristic lens. It is not possible to do a film on anti-capitalism. It is a film, we need to sell this. If we make a movie on anti-capitalism and market it in theatres, wouldn’t it be funny?

Q. You have been the writer of most of your projects, but since this also is more female-oriented, did you consider a female writer onboard?

This is not just a female-oriented subject. One gaze of it is female-oriented. It is talking about the ecosystem of the Malayalam film industry in 2046, where there are AI actors, and there are people making traditional cinema.

Q. You have all gone out promoting this film with campus visits, video interviews and such. This varies from your usual approach. Why?

This is a lot more digestible comedy film, and more people will like it. That’s one side of it. Also, this promotion is part of the film. If you look at the film as a bigger art installation, it is about artistes’ performing, eyeball economy, and we are getting into algorithms. When people see a bit of sexualised content, they will reach Masthishka Maranam (brain dead)! So we are marketing it like that.

Q. Your films generally target a niche audience and Masthishka Maranam is already in news. So, do you think this would have a positive impact on the film’s box office performance?

Masthishka Maranam is my first box office movie. Before that, only Sangarsha Ghadana was released in theatres, but that only had a limited release with no promotions. It was released secretly! Masthishka Maranam deserves to be watched in theatres, as a collective experience. All my prior films, including the National Award-winning Aavasavyuham and Purusha Pretham, were released on OTT.

Q. On the impact of AI in filmmaking?

AI is going to change the whole way we make cinema. In reality, within 5-6 years, the mid-stream film industry won’t make money and will die down. Then it will be all big creators and small studios, and customisable films will happen. The entire industry will change. The big-budget ones with fancy budgets and fantastical stories will still remain. For 3-4 years, I have been using AI. I use AI for preproduction, storyboards and such. Where I used to take 3 years for research, now it is only taking 4 months with technology. With Grok and all, we can summarise books. We don’t need to read 25 books; we only need 2-3 strong points from them. Altogether, I see it as a positive change.

Also read: Masthishka Maranam 2026: Release date, OTT partner, plot and all about Krishand-Rajisha Vijayan's sci-fi fantasy film 

Krishand movie FAQs

Q. What is Masthishka Maranam?

A. Masthishka Maranam is an upcoming Malayalam movie, slated to hit theatres on February 27, 2026.

Q. Who is the director of Masthishka Maranam?

A. Noted Malayalam director Krishand has helmed the movie Masthishka Maranam.

Q. What is the next movie of Rajisha Vijayan?

A. The next movie of Rajisha Vijayan is Masthishka Maranam.