The last two years, when the OTT platforms in India have really come to their own, it is Malayalam cinema which has been at the forefront of this major churn. Not just that, Malayalam actors like Fahadh Faasil, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Kunchacko Boban, Jayasurya and Tovino Thomas have all become big names across India.
Among the list, the name of one contemporary star in Malayalam cinema is missing. And that happens to be the vivacious Nivin Pauly. The previous decade saw him rise up the charts in Malayalam cinema with blockbuster hits like Neram (2013), 1983 (2014), Ohm Shanthi Oshaana (2014), Bangalore Days (2014), Vadakkan Selfie (2015), Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela (2017), Love Action Drama (2019), Moothon (2019) and Premam (2015). The last named is among the top-10 highest grossing Malayalam movies ever.
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Nivin Pauly plays an acting teacher
Nivin Pauly did not have any release in 2020, and this year till now. Which means that he has appeared thus far on any OTT platform and as against some of his more famous contemporaries Malayalam cinema.
But Pauly's Kanakam Kaamini Kalaham may change all that. This quirky Malayalam comic caper is his home production, and is being premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on November 12.
Kanakam Kaamini Kalaham also happens to be the first direct-to-digital Malayalam release for Disney+ Hotstar. Among the OTTs with a pan-India viewership, Amazon Prime saw the most releases from Malayalam cinema. Netflix financed "Nayattu", which went on to garner critical acclaim and was followed by SonyLIV which premiered "Kaanekaane" recently.
The film's trailer dropped two weeks ago, and going by it, one gets the feeling that the viewers are in for a fun ride as the film is peopled by a caboodle of zany folks. Pauly is said to play an acting teacher in the film.
Balakrishnan Poduval, who caught everyone's eye with his Android Kunjappan, has directed the film. His earlier movie was about a robot giving company to an elderly person in a house where the humans got busy with their daily chores.
Apart from Pauly, others in the cast are: Grace Antony, Vinay Forrt, Vincy Aloshious, Jaffer Idukki, and Joy Mathew.
Kanakam Kamini Kalaham is produced by Pauly’s home banner Pauly Jr Pictures.
Disney+ Hotstar too jumps into the Malayalam bandwagon
As we said, Malayalam movies are a huge draw on the OTT circuit in India. Thanks to the subtitles, the language barriers have been adroitly crossed, and these well-made, crisply done Malayalam flicks are being lapped up by audience looking for quality content across the country.
Little wonder then that the OTT platforms that had been Bollywood-centric for long are slowly turning their gaze towards South, with particular attention towards Malayalam.
Recently we had SonyLIV make its first move towards Malayalam cinema with the direct-on-OTT release Kaanekkaane. The Tovino Thomas and Suraj Venjaramoodu slow-burn thriller got rave reviews from the critics and good response from the general fans.
Now Disney+ Hotstar, which has a good slate of Malayalam content already, is upping the ante and having a Malayalam film that is a straight-on-OTT release for the first time.
Amazon Prime Video, which is the frontrunner for movies from Kerala, will have good competition now.
