Malayalam industry gears up for festive releases

The next fortnight will see a flurry of films hitting the theatres

The festive season is here in Kerala and a line-up of much-awaited movies will greet film lovers over the coming fortnight.
Flagging off the excitement is this week's release of Kali, starring Dulquer Salman and Sai Pallavi, directed by Sameer Thahir. The film has generated good buzz already what with Dulquer's newfound status as award-winning actor and the credentials of Sameer as a filmmaker who pushes the boundaries. The story of an 'angry young man' gets its perfect foil in the coolness quotient of Sai Pallavi, appearing on big screen after the stupendous success of Premam.
There is a good chunk of 'Dubai connection' too in the subsequent line-up. Vineeth Sreenivasan's Nivin Pauly starrer Jacobinte Swargarajyam has been shot extensively in the city, with the Dubai song earning its rightful place in the hit chart. The film also stars Renji Panicker and Sreenath Bhasi.
Also flaunting its Dubai locale is Dileep's King Liar, directed by Lal for the script by Siddique, marking the return of the hit-maker pair. Also starring Madonna Sebastian, another Premam-find, the film is about a compulsive liar, and is said to be loosely-inspired by the French comedy Supercondriaque.
Mammootty's White, shot extensively in the UK, and starring Huma Qureshi, who makes her Malayalam debut, is directed by debutant Uday Ananthan.  A love story with a difference, the film will be vying in the 'mega-star' battle with Mohanlal's magnum opus Pulimurugan, directed by Vysakh, and is scripted by Uday Krishna. The highlight of the film is the action scenes including Mohanlal's tussle with a tiger. Completing the festival line-up is Jayaram's horror-comedy Aadupuliyattam, also starring Om Puri.
But the real competition could come from across the border with Vijay's Theri that reportedly has the actor playing three roles, including that of a Malayali, Joseph Kuruvila. That is one cracker of a film season, indeed!

• South Stars