Thudarum OTT rights sold to Disney+ Hotstar, but makers of Mohanlal film still shopping for a better deal

A major reason cited by the makers of Mohanlal’s Thudarum, which was set to hit theatres by January end, was that its OTT rights were not sold. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case, according to sources from the film’s production team.

While Kerala Producers’ Association official K Suresh Kumar in a recent interview had said that the movie’s OTT rights were bought by a leading streaming platform, but the makers had to hold off the release in order to not break the contract, we hear that the film’s OTT rights were sold earlier this year itself – even before the film’s supposed theatrical release of January 30.

Also read: Mammootty, Mohanlal to shoot together for multiple schedules in Delhi and Hyderabad for Mahesh Narayanan film | Exclusive 

Will Thudarum release on Disney+ Hotstar after its theatrical run?

A source from the team tells OTTplay that the movie’s OTT rights were sold to Disney+ Hotstar in January itself. However, the makers didn’t get the kind of deal that they had expected for a Mohanlal-starrer. “This was because of two reasons. The officials from the streaming giant weren’t keen on releasing a Malayalam film in the final quarter of the year especially with the transition to JioStar happening,” the source says. “Also, Mohanlal’s Barroz, which had released in theatres in December, didn’t quite receive the response they were hoping for.”

Also read: Thudarum is an emotional film: Mohanlal on reuniting with Shobana in Tharun Moorthy movie 

The film’s producer M Renjith, meanwhile, is also backing the upcoming Hotstar Special Love Under Construction. The series, which is directed by Vishnu G Raghav, and has Neeraj Madhav, Aju Varghese and Gouri Kishan as part of the cast will drop on Disney+ Hotstar on February 28.

Mohanlal's Thudarum release date

The source also adds that the producers of Thudarum are also in discussions with other streaming platforms for the OTT rights, “hoping for a better deal than what is offered by Hotstar”. As of now, the Tharun Moorthy directorial, which also has Shobana as part of its cast, is expected to release in theatres only by April end or May.

Also read: Anto Joseph: 'Want Empuraan and MMMN to do what KGF and Kantara did for Kannada film industry' | Exclusive