Why Mammootty’s Bramayugam worked but Mohanlal’s Malaikottai Vaaliban didn’t | Trade speak

Mammootty’s ‘Bramayugam’ has emerged as a massive commercial success and received rave reviews for its haunting screenplay. The period horror drama, shot on a modest budget of Rs 27 crore, has grossed nearly Rs 50 crore globally to emerge as Megastar’s first blockbuster of the year.

According to tracker Ramesh Bala, Mammootty’s keenness to experiment with his reel image is responsible for the film’s success

“Commercial actors often do the same type of roles and repeat themselves but this doesn’t apply to Mammootty. He did Kaathal, an emotional drama, before Bramayugam. So there is variety in his roles. He follows the genre and gives the best in that space. Then, of course, the content is well-written,” he told The Daily Guardian.

‘Bramayugam’, directed by Rahul Sadasivan, centres on the events that transpire when a folk singer discovers an ancient custom that changes his destiny. Besides Mammootty, it stars Arjun Ashokan and Sidharth Bharathan.

Interestingly, ‘Bramayugam’ released in theatres shortly after ‘Malaikottai Vaaliban’, which hit screens on January 25. The Mohanlal-led film created a buzz among fans with its visually-appealing trailer but flopped at the box office.  According to Bala, the epic action drama failed to attract the audience as the content wasn’t upto the mark.

“The content needs to be exciting, especially for a film of this scale. Malaikottai Vaaliban’s screenplay was slow. Mohanlal is a big star but the content matters,” he said.

‘Malaikottai Vaaliban’, directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, revolved around a fearless warrior who triumphs over his foes across geographies. The pan-India film featured Mohanlal in two distinct roles and marked his first collaboration with Pellissery. Its cast included Sonalee Kulkarni, Hareesh Peradi, and Danish Sait.

Coming back to Mammootty, he is going through a busy phase on the work front and will soon be seen in ‘Turbo’. He also has ‘Bazooka’ in his kitty. Meanwhile, Lalettan is working on ‘Vrushabha’ and ‘Kanappa’. Additionally, he is set to make his debut as a director with ‘Barroz’.