One of the most unexpected decisions that the Malayalam film industry had witnessed earlier in 2021 is Mohanlal’s move to let Drishyam 2 premiere on OTT. At a time when theatres in Kerala desperately needed a big film to spring life into their business, a very widely anticipated film across the country had opted for a direct OTT release. Though the producer did it to safeguard his pockets ahead of his big-budget extravaganza Marakkar – Arabikadalinte Simham, it sent a wrong signal in an industry that was trying to inch back to normalcy. The film premieres on Amazon Prime a little later today.
A big development earlier today was the official announcement surrounding the Tamil and Telugu remakes of Drishyam 2, both to be directed by Jeethu Joseph, featuring Kamal Haasan and Venkatesh in primary roles. The Telugu remake is expected to go on floors very soon and the director is already scouting for locations in the Telugu states. The shoot is expected to wrap up in quick time (very much like the Malayalam version). But the most important question is – will a spectator buy a ticket in theatres for a remake of a film that is premiering across the world with subtitles at the comfort of their homes?
Moreover, Telugu audiences have increasingly gravitated towards Malayalam cinema in the recent months and would, very likely, have watched Malayalam version of Drishyam 2 by the time Venkatesh’s version releases. Additionally, the key ingredient of the two parts of Drishyam is also the suspense element. It’ll be interesting to see the response of Drishyam 2 and look at the possible changes in the Telugu remake in the times to come. The remake is certainly a risk in the times of OTT space where the language barrier is increasingly diminishing by the day. However, everyone knows Venkatesh’s success rate with remakes. Will this turn out to be his golden goose again?