Onam is round the corner and it’s that time of the year when everyone is in a mood to rejoice. Malayalees are all set to welcome Mahabali with colourful pookalams, sadya and payasam. To add an extra punch to the festivities, Mollywood is also ready with Onam releases to provide a visual treat to the public.
Five releases have been lined up for this Onam – Priyadarshan’s Mohanlal starrer Oppam, Kunchacko Boban’s Kochavva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho, Jeethu Joseph’s Oozham with Prithviraj in the lead, Sundar Das’s Welcome to Central Jail starring Dileep, and Jude Anthany Joseph’s Oru Muthassi Gadha.
Director Priyadarshan has experimented with a different subject this time and has come up with a thriller. The audience can expect something more than the usual Priyadarshan movies from Oppam. However, this time also the director has cast his lucky star Mohanlal, who appears as a visually challenged lift operator in the movie.
After directing a blockbuster movie Drishyam – that gained national attention and has been remade in various languages including Tamil with Kamal Hassan in the lead role, expectations from a Jithu Joseph movie are high. His next movie Life of Josekutty, however, had a completely different plot. He is of the opinion that experimenting with new ideas is what a director is supposed to do and assures that Oozham is not a thriller. It is a revenge drama and will create a sort of eagerness right from the beginning. The Prithviraj starrer is expected to bring in huge crowds to the theatres.
Om Shanthi Oshana was one of the movies that received wide acclamation in 2014, when it was released. Despite being the directorial debut of Jude Anthany, the movie received many awards including Kerala state award for best popular film, best actress, and best editor. His next flick Oru Muthassi Gadha is a simple story, presented in a unique manner. The movie is about the differences between the generations and does not have superstars in the lead. The trailer of the movie has already been able to capture the crowd and probably the director’s confidence will pay off. Jude is directing his second film after a gap of two years.
Superstar Dileep always makes it a point that his films are released during festival time and this Onam, Welcome to Central jail is all set to rock the screens. The plot of the movie is not something very different and is more or less similar to usual Dileep movies. However, it will surely attract Dileep fans, who look forward to humour in his movies, to the theatres.
The average Malayalee’s favourite chocolate boy Kunchacko Boban is also ready with an Onam gift for the public. Apart from appearing in the lead role in Kochavva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho, the actor has also produced the movie under the banner of Udaya Pictures. Owned by his family, Udaya Pictures used to be one of the most successful production houses.
Apart from all these movies, the Kerala audience is also eagerly waiting for Chiyaan Vikram starrer Tamil movie Iru Mugan. The Vikram-Nayantara starrer is expected to drive the youth in large numbers to the theatres. The trailer of the movie has already gone viral and the fans are looking forward to see Vikram’s double role.
This Onam, the Malayalam film industry has come up with a variety of movies that will add to the celebrations of every section of society. However, only time will decide the destiny of the movies – whether they perform extraordinarily, moderately or are flops at the box office.