Comments on: Review roundup: Alibhai

By: tom

tom — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 02:04:29 +0000

How about Mammootty?

does he get into this sort of business as well?

By: vk

vk — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 13:55:48 +0000

In other states movies like Paruthiveeran, Chithiram Pesudhadi, Khosla ka Ghosla, Bheja Fry etc are also running to packed houses. Of course, movies like Sivaji and Pokiri rake more moolah due to the star power, but I think the audience there are willing to see well made off-beat films also. So it has nothing to do with literacy.

By: Karthyani

Karthyani — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 12:21:40 +0000

A high literacy rate may explain the varied interests. In other states, only the Pokkiris and Dhooms are accepted. In Kerala, the Ore Kadals, Thanmatras, Kazhchas, Arabikkathas etc are also accepted. I also read that we have one of the largest film festival audiences in the world. I LOVED “Ore Kadal”. I also enjoyed (not without some guilt) “Pokkiri”.

Mindless entertainment, whether made in Hollywood or Kollywood, can be valuable at times. The numbing effect is very soothing. Who wants to be thinking after a hard day at work?

By: Jibs

Jibs — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 23:45:18 +0000

We cannot pin it down to high literacy rate for then you cannot explain the long queues for Dhoom and Pokiri, movies are insults to intelligence.

People seem to be looking for well packaged entertainment and do not seem to care about the story. Movies like Thommanum Makkalum, Mayavi etc. had a decent run and there is nothing new in those stories. One thing is for sure, people don’t want to see highly emotional and depressing movies like Karuthapakshikal anymore.

By: Karthyani

Karthyani — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 13:56:46 +0000

The problem just may be our high literacy rate. The audience in Kerala are varied. Some like art house movies. Some like Hollywood special effects bonanzas. Some like Hong Kong martial arts movies. And so on.. And these are not small pockets like in other states, but significant proportions of the population. It’s hard to come up with a script that will please everyone. Only “Classmates” has done that in recent history. But you can’t keep making movies that look back at the good old days.

With the high cost of production for movies now, it’s not surprising that producers are hesitant to take chances. So, a good script is not necessarily what we need. Of course, when you have an audience with such varied interests, it’s hard to agree on what makes a good script. What we probably need is a better business model.

In Tamil cinema, you see product placement in the middle of a movie. This can be a way to raise money. In the Vijay movie, “Aathi”, he hands a packet of biscuit to a little girl and says the product’s tag line. That particular example looked rather corny, but if it can be done creatively, it could work. Hollywood does it all the time. In fact Hollywood now raises most of the money for the production before shooting ever begins. So they don’t risk going bankrupt if a movie bombs.

Another solution is government subsidies. It doesn’t help the state if Malayalam movies are being shot in Tamil Nadu and Andhra. Governments all over the world have realized the importance of the movie industry to the local economy and are doing their best to promote it.

I don’t know what will or will not work in Kerala. But, betting the farm on a single movie is not sustainable.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 03:53:33 +0000

Ummn…are you forgetting that Mohanlal starred in Udayananu Thaaram? If he can laugh at himself and the sorry state of affairs that’s a good sign. And if he’s admitting his “vices” publicly that the first step to rehabilitation. AA anyone?
Seriously though, why should the blame for these dreadful movies rest on Mammooty & Mohanlal’s shoulders? How can a state that boasts 91% literacy not have sufficient resources to produce great scripts & films?

By: Raphel

Raphel — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 15:42:16 +0000

Antony forced Lal to do the movie and now he is paying heavily to some theaters to run it to save Lal. But the viewers who go there can see 80% seats were empty from 3rd week onwards. Second week itself the movie fell flat to 60%. lal is doing too many mistakes as what he did in 2000-2002, where he nearly made an exit. He is the best one but he has to select roles that do good for Industry and Public.