In a rare move for a Malayalam film, the super-hit thriller 2018 will be released in Hindi dubbed version on May 12. This announcement was made by the film's actors Tovino Thomas, Asif Ali, Tanvi Ram, director Jude Anthany Joseph, and producer Venu Kunnapally during a post-screening conversation in Mumbai on May 9.
While speaking about the release, Tovino Thomas made an emotional appeal and shed light on the struggles faced by the Malayalam film industry in reaching a wider audience. “Have you ever thought how hard it is for us to bring a film to national attention? We work on constrained budgets. We don’t work in extravagant setups. When we are working on a movie, our salary is a very small percentage of the movie’s budget. We don’t work for money. We work with passion.”
He further added, “We are a small state in the southernmost corner of India. Our pioneers have been making very good movies. Our films, however, release in a very less number of theatres. I wish more distributors came to release Malayalam films. We don’t want them to distribute it for free or out of love for our cinema. Let them watch the film. If they like it and if they give it a proper release, it’ll be great. After releasing it on OTT or after people watch it on Telegram, we often get appreciation but it’s not worth it. It doesn’t do good to any of us. Hence, please understand how hard it is to bring a film to cinemas.”
Tovino then said, “We are trying our best but not many producers will spend a lot of money on promotions. Our film’s budget is less than the promotional budget of the biggest movie in Bollywood. These constraints make us work harder, and smarter. We work overtime and that’s how we are able to create these movies.”
The film 2018, which was released on May 5, is based on the backdrop of the Kerala floods that took place in the same year. It features Tovino Thomas, Asif Ali, and Tanvi Ram in the lead roles and has earned around Rs. 17 crores nett in Kerala with weekday collections being as strong as weekend ones. In U.A.E/G.C.C., the film reportedly earned Rs. 17 crores gross.
The release of the 2018 in Hindi dubbed version is a rare instance of a Malayalam film taking the Pan-India route. It is expected that the film will be well-received in the Hindi-speaking markets, given the increasing trend of South films gaining popularity among Hindi audiences.
