Tovino Out Of Dragon, Is Kerala Model Better?

The other day, Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas shared that he didn't take on the Telugu film Dragon because he couldn't fit in the schedule.

He explained, "In Malayalam, we finish a movie in one go, unlike in Telugu where we do 4 to 5 films in a year.

 If we take on Dragon, it would mess up the schedule for all those films."  

This brings up a bigger question: which film-making style is better?

 Malayalam cinema is a small industry with limited budgets, so finishing films quickly and releasing them fast helps avoid financial and scheduling problems.

It's hard to follow that model in Telugu because apart from the hero and director, everyone usually works on multiple projects.

 That makes it hard to stick to strict schedules.

But it's time for medium-budget films to think about this kind of approach.

 Right now, they're struggling because of the weak non-theatrical market and poor box office results.

Making fewer films in a shorter time and releasing them quickly can help reduce the financial burden on producers.

 Actor Ram has decided to work on two projects at the same time, and that's a positive step.

Also, big stars are slowing down.

 Except for Prabhas, none of them are making at least one film a year. There's too much focus on pan-India films, which are expensive, but the Hindi market isn't always reliable.

Stars should aim to make at least two films in three years.

 That way, audiences will continue to go to theaters. Not all pan-India films have to be big action blockbusters with huge budgets.

We've seen the non-theatrical market shrink even for top stars.

 For example, Chiranjeevi's Vishwambhara is struggling, and Prabhas's Fauji isn't getting the offers producers want.

Even Rajinikanth's film Rajasaab didn't get big non-theatrical deals and didn't do well in the Hindi market.

 At the end, scale didn't matter. It's also important for stars to watch their budgets.

If they can't lower their pay, they should at least be partners in the production.

The next two years will be tough for the entire industry.

 Everyone needs to be careful. It's definitely okay to be inspired by the Kerala model.