In a recent social media post, Mollywood actor-producer Vijay Babu voiced concerns over the impact of the pan-Indian film trend on Malayalam cinema. Expressing the challenges faced by small-scale films, he highlighted the struggle faced by his upcoming release, ‘Qalb,’ slated for January 12.
Vijay Babu pointed out that major distributors are flooding Kerala theatres with unknown Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films, creating pressure on cinemas. He lamented that theatres, succumbing to this pressure, often prioritize screening big films from other languages, sidelining content-driven Malayalam films.
In his statement, Vijay Babu warned about the potential loss of identity for Malayalam cinema if this trend continues, with only pan-Indian, pan-South, Bollywood, Hollywood, and a few big Malayalam films dominating releases. He urged film associations to take notice of the situation, describing it as a “panic situation.”
Addressing the specific challenges faced by ‘Qalb,’ he mentioned the film managing to release but emphasized the need for collective action to address the broader issue. Vijay Babu’s note concluded with a plea for film associations to recognize the gravity of the situation, citing a historic low where only a single Malayalam original film was released last Christmas.
In the midst of the pan-Indian film wave, Vijay Babu’s concerns shed light on the potential threat to the diversity and identity of Malayalam cinema, urging industry stakeholders to take proactive measures.
