Low-key Christmas for Malayalam film industry

With not many big films coming up for release this season, it seems Malayalam movie buffs might just have to settle down for Hindi releases like Tees Maar Khan or Toonpur Ka Superrhero.

Not very long ago, Malayalam cinema's big releases were marked for traditional festive seasons like Onam.

That tradition, it seems, has now changed.

This year, both Mammootty's and Mohanlal's films are already in theatres. 

While Mammootty's Best Actor is proving to be a box office hit, Mohanlal's Kandahar has opened to a mixed response.

Films vying for the box office's attention this season include Shafi's Marykkundoru Kunjaadu and Lal's Tournament. 

Depending on the availability of screens, films like Electra, Karayilekku Oru Kadal Dooram, Kayam and Puthumughangal are expected to release in the near future.

Director Rajesh Pillai's thriller, Traffic, is scheduled to release early next month.

Marykkundoru Kunjaadu has Dileep and Bhavana playing the lead. Directed by Shafi and scripted by Benny P Nayarambalam, the film is about a timid man called Solomon who lives in a remote village and dreams of becoming a director some day.

After the Harihar Nagar sequels, Lal has made Tournament with newcomers in the lead.

It tells the story of six youngsters who are heading to Bangalore for a cricket match. When they miss the flight, the group decides to go take the road and have an eventful journey.

Praveen, Fahadh, John, Manu, Aryan, Prajan and Roopamanjari play the main characters in the film.

Vinod Mankara has directed Karayilekku Oru Kadal Dooram. Indrajith and Mamta Mohandas play the lead in it. 

Kayam, directed by Anil with Swetha Menon in the lead, has run into trouble with the heroine filing a complaint against using her pictures from the film for a sex enhancer drug.

Traffic, directed by Rajesh Pillai, has Sreenivasan, Kunchacko Boban, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Rahman and Asif Ali playing the lead roles. Scripted by Bobby and Sanjay, the film talks about how certain lives intertwine, after an accident at a traffic junction.

Best Actor, directed by Martin Prakkat, has Mammootty playing a schoolteacher desperate to become a film actor. It is going strong in the theatres and is expected to continue its run during this season.

Major Ravi's Kandahar is having a rollercoaster ride, with a weak script affecting things in a big way. The film marks the return of Mohanlal's character Major Mahadevan on yet another key mission. Amitabh Bachchan has become part of Malayalam films for the first time with the film.

With not many big films coming up for the race this season, it will be a rather low-key affair for Malayalam movie buffs. As of now, Kamal Haasan's Manmadhan Ambu and the much-awaited Hindi movie Tees Maar Khan could easily turn out to be the main attractions in Kerala during this season.