Malayalam film Sufiyum Sujatayum will be the first direct OTT release from Mollywood. The film is releasing on Amazon Prime Video on July 3. The film is of the romance genre and has been made under Vijay Babu's production banner Friday Film House. It has been directed by Naranipuzha Shanavas.
The musical love story stars Jayasurya and Aditi Rao Hydari. The film sees Aditi making a return to the Malayalam industry after 14 years. The actor had made her debut in 2006 with Prajapathi but had not acted in another Malayalam film after that. The film will release on the OTT platform in over 200 territories.
The film has been shot by cinematographer Anu Moothedath and edited by Deepu Joseph. The music has been composed by M Jayachandran with lyrics penned by Hari Narayan and songs sung by Sudeep Palanad. The film is brought together by executive producer Vinay Babu.
Due to the restrictions in place to curtail the spread of coronavirus, quite a few films are looking to release directly on OTT platforms. Theatres have been closed since March this year and while businesses have been allowed to reopen slowly, theatres are not expected to open anytime soon considering that a cure is yet to be found for COVID-19 and physical distancing is necessary. Theatres are trying to get around this by introducing innovations in seating and payment for snacks and tickets. However, it's doubtful that crowds will throng theatres in the next few months.
Following this, films like Ponmagal Vandhal, Penguin and Gulabo Sitabo released directly on Amazon Prime Video. Sufiyum Sujatayum is the first Malayalam film to take the direct OTT release and many producers might consider going the same route to cut their losses. Theatre associations are unhappy with direct OTT releases but considering there's little choice, producers are trying to stay afloat.