Six low-cost films soon
G. Suresh Kumar, president of the Producers Association, announced in a press meet at Kochi on Friday that Malayalam film directors and producers have unanimously reached a decision to make six low-budget films, each costing 1.50 crores in 2009 and 2010, casting only artistes from the film industry.
The movies are planned as an answer to ever-increasing budget of Malayalam films (mostly featuring superstars) which fail to become box office successes.
Among the six films, literary gaint M.T. Vasudevan Nair will pen the script for one film to be directed and produced by Lal Jose and Suresh Kumar. Director Kamal will script and direct the second project while A.K. Sajan will once again script for action director Shaji Kailas for the third venture. Scriptwriter-director Renjith will be the director of the fourth movie while the fifth one will be directed by Rafi-Mecartin for MHM Productions. Producer Sabu Cherian and director B. Unnikrishnan will unite for the final project of the series.
Meanwhile, directors Lal Jose and B. Unnikrishnan said that this move is not against superstars. To bring down the production cost, the directors, scriptwriters and cameramen who have agreed to do the projects, will also reduce their remuneration, they said. All Malayalam Cinema Associations including the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) and�theatre-owners have welcomed the decision.
Notably, Pazhassi Raja, a historical venture starring Mammootty, is being made at a budget of Rs. 500 million, while the latest Mohanlal starrer Kurukshetra was a Rs. 200-million movie. Mammootty’s last film Mayabazar had a budget of Rs. 210 million. Superstars Mammootty and Mohanlal command a price of Rs. 15 million and allocate a maximum shooting period of 60 days per film.
