Mohanlal’s Alone runtime increased by 25 minutes after its OTT-to-theatrical release U-turn?

The makers of Mohanlal’s Alone seem to have had more freedom in terms of the content to incorporate after they took the decision to release the movie in theatres first, as opposed to their initial plan of a direct-to-OTT release.

As per reports, the film’s runtime is now 2h 30 mins. When the Mohanlal-starrer was initially cut for an OTT release, this was set at 2h 5 mins as per the instructions of streaming services. This will allow space for a music track in the movie, which most OTT platforms prefer not to include to keep the content streaming short on streaming services.

The movie, which is helmed by Shaji Kailas, has Mohanlal reportedly essaying the role of an UN personnel who gets stranded in Kerala during his journey to Coimbatore due to the nationwide pandemic lockdown. The film marks the first collaboration of Shaji and Mohanlal in over a dozen years.

The film is a single-actor movie with only Mohanlal on screen. However, the film’s voice cast features some of the most prominent names in the Malayalam film industry including Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manju Warrier, Siddique and others.

Alone was one of the four movies that Mohanlal and Antony Perumbavoor’s Aashirvad Cinemas had collaborated on during the pandemic for exclusive OTT releases. The other movies were Bro Daddy, 12th Man and Monster, which also took the theatrical route.

In an earlier interview with OTTPlay, Mohanlal said, “When I heard the story of Alone, I found it very interesting. It doesn’t have too many actors. It’s just me and so, we thought we could take the risk ourselves and produce the film. The way it’s made and its purpose is intriguing; it’s a great thriller. A lot of other characters come through phone calls.”

Alone is set to hit theatres in December. The makers are expected to announce its release date soon after its censoring is complete.