Tovino Thomas’ Naaradhan to postpone release date for wide release of Mammootty’s Bheeshma Parvam?

At a time when the Malayalam film industry is slowly recovering from the pandemic lockdown and shutdown of theatres, the last thing that film exhibitors want is for two highly-anticipated movies to release on the same date. But that’s the scenario now with both Mammootty’s Bheeshmaparvam and Tovino Thomas’ Naaradhan set for a March 3 release.

However, with the hype for the Mammootty-Amal Neerad thriller sky high, the makers of Naaradhan have pushed the release date of the Tovino-starrer, according to unofficial reports. Mammootty’s movie is reportedly set to release in 450+ theatres on March 3, leaving very little room for the Tovino-starrer, directed by Aashiq Abu.

What could have also prompted the decision was that director B Unnikrishnan had approached Federation of Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK) to guarantee that his Mohanlal-starrer Aaraattu would be allowed to play in theatres without a two-week holdover. If Aaraattu, which is set to release in theatres on February 18, turns out to be a decent entertainer, it would have a minimum number of screens on March 3 too.

However, another aspect that would spread cheer among the film industry is that the government is mulling allowing theatres to operate at 100% capacity from March. This would mean that films won’t have to run for more days to recover their revenue. Kerala theatres have operated at 50% occupancy since the pandemic.

Mammootty’s Bheeshma Parvam is a gangster-thriller set in the 1980s. The film revolves around Mammootty’s character Michael – a former gangster – who is forced to return to his old way after his family receives death threats.

Meanwhile, Naaradhan, which marks Tovino’s next film after the hugely successful Netflix release Minnal Murali, is set against the backdrop of contemporary media. The actor plays a journalist named Jayaprakash, who is forced to question his ethics and principles after he is asked to sensationalise stories and falsify information for TRP ratings.

Also read: Mohanlal’s Aaraattu trumps Alia’s Gangubai Kathiawadi and RRR to become most anticipated Indian movie on IMDB