The Kerala Film Chamber has announced that films which have been sold directly to OTT platforms without a theatrical release would not be allowed to play in Kerala’s cinemas. Several Malayalam films that have released on online platforms during the lockdown such as Sufiyum Sujatayum (Amazon Prime Video), Maniyarayile Ashokan (Netflix) and C U Soon (Amazon Prime Video) will now not get a chance to play in theatres – the same rule applies to Drishyam 2 as well. According to members of the Chamber, this is a decision that has been taken keeping in mind the long term interests of the film industry.
Kaimal Nanda Kumar an exhibitor from Kerala, who is also a member of the Kerala Film Chamber said that the rule to bar direct-to-OTT films from releasing in theatres should not be seen as targeting any single actor or film. “It’s not a decision taken by one particular set of people in the industry, a Chamber has producers, distributors, and exhibitors they are all part of the body that…