PVR Tiff: ‘Aadujeevitham’ To Be Affected Drastically (image- instagram/blessyofficial)The recent decision taken by PVR INOX to ban the screening of Malayalam films across the state is seen as a huge blow to the recent Malayalam releases. The Mollywood industry was currently brimming with success with several back-to-back hits. The move has come amidst the release of the new Mollywood movies ‘Avesham’ and ‘Varshangalkku Shesham’.
The critically acclaimed Prithviraj starrer ‘Aadujeevitham’ will be affected the most. The movie which was released earlier has been running successfully in the theatres expecting to crash box office records after Eid. Renowned Indian film director and screenwriter Blessy is set to stage a protest in front of PVR Lulu, Kochi against the ban.
According to the Kerala Film Producers, the tiff began after PVR INOX refused to accept their service provider PDC, which was started two years ago. PVR and INOX’s drastic decision stems from the ongoing dispute between Malayalam filmmakers and theatre owners over the Virtual Print Fee (VPF). This fee is paid to service providers such as QUBE for screening films in multiplexes. The Kerala producers have opposed these fees arguing that they significantly diminish the profits.
The PVR has confirmed that they will not play any of the new Malayalam releases. ‘Manjummel Boys’, ‘Aadujeevidam’ and ‘Premalu’ are completely removed from the theaters. Manjummel Boys which was released last month has already completed its collection. Premalu too has completed its shows and was released on the OTT platform on Friday.
The sudden withdrawal of the Malayalam cinemas from the theatres is expected to affect the collection of new releases too. While speaking about the ban, Director Blessy has commented that they have almost one and a half crore per day loss as of now. He further added that if they had known about the strike earlier, they would have not released the film now.
The Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA) has initiated a new content-providing company, urging theatres in Kerala to procure films through this newly established venture.
Several rounds of discussions with the concerned parties were held including today in Kochi, but no positive results were yielded and PVR-INOX hasn’t scheduled Malayalam releases for the rest of the week.