Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation (KFRF) has announced its decision to indefinitely shut down as many as 350 A class theatres in Kerala from Thursday, January 12, after association's general body meeting failed to yield any result.
Since December, the ongoing tiff between the KFRF and Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA) has affected the Mollywood industry with no Malayalam releases during Christmas holidays.
Ilayathalapathy Vijay's action thriller Bairavaa is set to hit the screens on January 12. However, with the latest announcement made it evident that the film would not be released in A class theatres in the state. It was earlier scheduled to hit as many as 75 screens in Kerala. Keerthy Suresh, daughter of producer Suresh Kumar, plays the female lead in the movie.
Behind the scenes
As of now, 40 percent of the profit share is earmarked for theatre owners, while 60 percent of the collection goes to the producers. On the other hand, multiplexes in the state get a 50 percent share. Now, the owners of A class theatres are also demanding the same which did not go down well with the producers association leading to a major crisis in Mollywood.
Celebrities react
Through a recent Facebook post, filmmaker Sathyan Anthikad has reacted to the issue plaguing the Malayalam entertainment industry. The director, who had to postpone the release of the family entertainer, Jomonte Suviseshangal, due to the theatre strike in Kerala, has criticised the "business attitude" of few people, who do not value the efforts put in by the film crew. 'People will lose interest in watching movies,' warned Sathyan Anthikad
