Mammootty’s ‘The Priest’, Manju Warrier’s ‘Lalitham Sundharam and others: Malayalam films that have been put on hold amidst Coronavirus outbreak

After Coronavirus being declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation, an imbalance of life has occurred in every sector. The same applies to the entertainment industry. The Coronavirus outbreak is affecting Mollywood as well. From events and promotions being canceled to filmmakers putting a temporary halt on releases and even shooting schedules, the industry is at a standstill. From some big-budget movies like Mammootty-starrer ‘The Priest’ to Manju Warrier’s ‘Lalitham Sundharam’, here’s taking a look at some of the upcoming Mollywood films that have postponed their shooting schedules amidst the Coronavirus outbreak.

The Coronavirus outbreak has disrupted the schedules of the Mammootty-starrer 'The Priest' and it also means a rearrangement of his dates for further movies. Makers of ‘The Priest’ which is produced under the banner of Anto Joseph Film Company and RD Illuminations have decided to halt the shoot for a while due to the Coronavirus scare. Starring Mammootty, the movie also has Manju Warrier essaying a pivotal character. Directed by debutant Jofin T Chacko, the film has some other stars like Nikhil Vimal, Sreenath Bhasi, Baby Monica and Saniya Iyappan in supporting cast. The unfortunate temporary cancellation of the shoot is going to affect the team for sure.

Lal Jr.'s 'Tsunami' has gone on a hiatus after the Coronavirus outbreak. The team was shooting its initial schedule in and around Irinjalikuda. Jean Paul Lal is collaborating with his father Lal, who is a veteran actor and scenarist for the movie. Lal is scripting for ‘Tsunami’ and the father-son duo was on a work mode. The movie has Balu Varghese essaying the lead. The movie will be crucial for Balu Varghese as the actor is getting to pay the lead. Also, as Jean Paul Lal’s recent movie ‘Licence’ was a huge hit, the anticipation for the upcoming movie is huge.

The Lady Superstar Manju Warrier is expected to be seen portraying multiple roles for ‘Lalitham Sundharam’. The movie is the maiden directorial venture of Madhu Warrier, Manju’s brother and so the actress would be supporting her brother’s vision. Also, Manju happens to be the producer of the movie. Last but not the least, the actress is essaying the lead opposite Biju Menon. Also, Biju Menon and Manju are collaborating after two decades. ‘Lalitham Sudharam’ was in the process of shooting, however, the makers had to call off the filming due to the spread of Coronavirus. The movie is a breakthrough for many including Manju as a producer and the team has announced that they will resume the shoot once everything comes back to normal.

Sidharth Bharathan’s directorial ‘Djinn’ was filming its final schedule in Kerala. Fortunately, when most of other upcoming Mollywood projects had to call off the shoot, ‘Djinn’ team called for a wrap! The team successfully completed the production process and had a happy pack up. Starring Soubin Shahir, ‘Djinn’ also has ‘Jallikattu’ fame Santhy Balachandran essaying the female lead. The movie has headed into the post-production stage and is expected to hit the screens in a couple of months. Girish Gangadharan has cranked the lens for the movie and Deepu Joseph is handling the edits.

Meanwhile, a few new projects have been announced this week including ‘Aaravam’, ‘Pathonpatham Noottandu’ and ‘The Ghost Writer’ among others, which will begin shooting once the Coronavirus outbreak is tackled successfully.

And just like the filming schedules, the pandemic has affected Mollywood releases that were slated for March as well. Many movies including Mohanlal’s huge release ‘Marakkar-Arabikkadalinte Simham’ have been postponed as theatres in Kerala will remain shut till March 31.