'Online release of films will become order of the day'

Thiruvananthapuram, June 14: Online release of films will become the order of the day in five years' time, according to leading Malayalam film producer G.Suresh Kumar. Kumar, who is known for his Malayalam film production house Revathi Kalamandir, launched two new films titled "Divider" and "Smell" here on Tuesday. Kumar said that both the films are being produced by him, while the entire cast and crew of the film are made up of the students from the 2014-16 batch from his Revathi Kalamandir Film Academy located here. "I predict that in five years' time, online releases will be the order of the day and these two films would be released online," said Kumar. "By now, a few commercial films have been released online and by eliminating these segments (distribution and exhibitors), filmmaking will be about 20 per cent cheaper. Another aspect that increases the cost of production is the print and publicity which will be a minimum of Rs 2.5 million for an average film. That can also be eliminated when online releases pick up," he added. Actor Mohanlal and ace filmmaker Priyadarshan, who were present at the launch of the two new films, also echoed similar sentiments about the giant strides that have taken place with the influx of technology that has come into filmmaking. "I am really happy. I am standing here at the very same place where my film career began 38 years back and I am witnessing the new era of filmmaking," said Mohanlal. Kumar also shared that the faster the online releases pick up, one will be able to see numerous new filmmakers who are "waiting in the wings to explore into filmmaking as the present market of Malayalam films is a bit narrow".