Malayalam movies are known for their captivating storytelling, often portraying simple yet deeply emotional narratives that resonate with audiences. The recent blockbusters Premalu, Manjummel Boys, and Bramayugam are a testimony to this fact.
Despite their modest budgets, these films frequently achieve blockbuster success and also garner praise from viewers across different languages, especially through OTTs. The COVID-19 pandemic further boosted the exposure of Malayalam cinema to non-Malayalam speaking audiences, as many turned to diverse content during lockdowns.
However, it’s strange that an industry that should have exploited OTT platforms with web series stayed away from this scenario for quite a long time. Finally, Hotstar released their first-ever Malayalam original series, ‘Kerala Crime Files,‘ last year which turned out to be decent.
Now, the collaboration between acclaimed director Jeethu Joseph and Disney+ Hotstar for the web series Secret Stories: Roslin signals a new era.
Hotstar’s commitment to original Malayalam content is further evidenced by their announcement of ‘Anali’ by Midhun Manuel Thomas and the upcoming second season of ‘Kerala Crime Files’.
The web series scenario has almost dried up in the Telugu industry. There are no significant original series coming up from Tollywood. Tamil industry produced some good web series initially but of late even they have given up.
Some OTT platforms, especially in Telugu, failed because they couldn’t create a library of their own and depended only on buying films and outside content. As they couldn’t compete with national and international players in that department, they had to fail at some point in time.
Disney+ Hotstar investing in original Malayalam content is a big boost for Malayalam industry. If they can come up with strong content, like they are usually famous for, then Malayalam might rule the OTT space also.
