The movies of Mollywood megastar Mammootty are always among the much-awaited list, and the first film of the actor released in 2016 was AK Sajan's Puthiya Niyamam. He had three more releases this year, out of which one turned out to be a flop.
The thriller, which urges women to speak out against social evils, opened to a positive response from the audience. Mammootty played advocate Louis Pothen in the movie, which also featured Nayantara in a strong character of Kathakali artist Vasuki Iyer. Puthiya Niyamam earned approximately Rs 8.12 crore within a month of its release after completing over 7,000 shows in Kerala.
After Puthiya Niyamam, Mammootty was back on the big screen in a police avatar, a role that he has shined in many movies. He was seen as Rajan Zachariah, a tough as well a carefree police officer, who is posted to a remote village near Kerala-Karnataka border. He is there to find the mystery behind the death of a couple. Though Nithin Renji Panicker's debut directorial venture opened to good response from megastar's fans, it garnered negative reviews from others. It was unacceptable for having many one-liners with double meaning. Kasaba crew also received a notice from Kerala Women's Commission over misogyny controversy in the film. It is estimated to have made a collection of Rs 14.37 crore within a month of its release in Kerala.
White
The romantic entertainer White, completely shot in the UK, starring Mammootty and Huma Qureshi, opened to below average response though expectations were high. Huma, who made her acting debut in Malayalam, also failed to impress the audience with her performance in the Uday Ananthan directorial. The movie failed to make a mark and collected a gross amount of only Rs 1.28 crore within 10 days from Kerala.
After the disastrous White, Mammootty made a comeback with Thoppil Joppan, which was released along with Mohanlal's action thriller Pulimurugan. Director Johny Antony's comedy entertainer garnered good response from the movie-goers for its fresh humour and notable performance of the megastar. According to trade analysts, the movie made approximately Rs 22 crore with a gross collection of Rs 15.50 crore from Kerala.
Upcoming movies
Mammootty's fans are waiting for the release of Haneef Adeni's The Great Father and Ranjith's Puthan Panam. He has also been signed for Lijo Jose Pellissery's next, 7th Day director Shyamdhar's upcoming movie and Ajai Vasudevan's yet-to-be-titled directorial venture.
