OPINION: With Mohanlal starrer Thudarum and Naslen’s Alappuzha Gymkhana, is Malayalam cinema finding revenue stream in Telugu movies?

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The popularity of Malayalam cinema has been steadily increasing among viewers, as demonstrated by the success of its films in both dubbed versions and on OTT platforms. It appears that this industry is expanding into a new market and generating additional revenue streams.

Currently, the Mohanlal-led films Thudarum and Alappuzha Gymkhana are being prepared for Telugu viewers through dubbed versions. In contrast to their initial plan of launching on an OTT platform with a Telugu dub, the creators have opted instead for a theater release.

Why is Malayalam cinema debuting with dubbed versions among the Telugu audience?

In recent times, Malayalam films have gained significant recognition, particularly through their dubbed versions on streaming platforms. Notably, there aren’t many prominent Telugu releases in this area, which has made theater owners more receptive to showing content from different industries, such as Malayalam cinema.

In the early part of 2024, Naslen carved out a noteworthy space for himself with the release of his movie Premalu. This Malayalam romantic comedy resonated well with viewers, propelling Naslen to fame within the Telugu film industry.

Moving forward, having achieved success with their recent film titled Alappuzha Gymkhana for the Malayalee viewers, the producers are now aiming to expand its reach by releasing it in the Telugu language too.

Instead of only marketing their project within the Malayalee region, the team behind it was visibly promoting it to Tamil and Telugu viewers as well. This approach for the film “Manjummel Boys” appeared to be successful in creating a significant market for realistically themed productions.

See Alappuzha Gymkhana trailer:

Just like Mohanlal consistently maintains his status as a highly respected star, he is renowned among many. Primarily working in Malayalam films, he also expands his acting roles across different Indian languages, earning him significant recognition nationwide.

In simpler terms, L2E received a moderate response from the Telugu audience, despite having both positive and negative criticisms. However, it’s clear that the actor is currently finding favor with a growing fan base.

It appears that, given the positive response and clear impact, the creators behind Mohanlal’s new project, Thudarum, are planning to debut its dubbed version in Telugu cinemas. Given the initial buzz around the movie, it seems likely that Thudarum will enjoy a successful run at the box office.

The highly acclaimed actor experienced a period of inactivity until 2024, but with L2E and Thudarum, he’s made a strong comeback and has an exciting lineup of upcoming projects. It will be intriguing to observe if Malayalam cinema can maintain its popularity among Telugu audiences going forward.

Check out Thudarum trailer:

For quite some time, Telugu films have been dubbed and distributed in the Malayalam region. Since the 2000s, Allu Arjun has maintained a significant fanbase in Kerala due to his dubbed movies. It’ll be intriguing to observe if a reverse situation might lead to a similar outcome.

What does the future of Malayalam cinema look like?

If filmmakers from Malayalam cinema play their hand skillfully, it appears they might sustain their impact on non-Malayalee viewers in a natural, authentic way. This seems to be the logic behind the decision of Drishyam 3’s makers to extend their series with a nationwide release across India.

The film is reportedly produced exclusively in Malayalam and then translated into other languages, instead of being a multilingual project from the start. Before production officially starts, Drishyam 3 will be promoted as a Malayalam production to its target audience.

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I’m eagerly anticipating the creative approach the creators will take in devising a marketing strategy that appeals to all.

It’s said that several upcoming Malayalam films’ distribution rights have allegedly been purchased by Telugu distributors. Interestingly, these distributors are reported to have paid up to Rs 1 crore for the dubbed versions, which seems to be a low-risk investment for them due to its relatively inexpensive cost.

Investing in these films could potentially yield returns of 3 to 5 times the initial investment if the film succeeds, while a failure would only result in minimal losses. If this trend of dubbing Malayalam cinema continues to flourish, it undeniably promises a steady revenue stream for the Malayalam film industry.

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2025-04-25 13:52