The huge success of the movies of star kids are encouraging the producers to invest more in movies by them. Combo image of Pranav Mohanlal, Dulquer Salmaan, Kalidas Jayaram, Gokul Suresh, Arjun Ashokan.
Aadhi, directed by Jeethu Joseph starring super star Mohanlal’s son Pranav Mohanlal has reportedly earned its producer a whopping one and a half crore rupees as his initial share on the first day of release. The movie, which has collected more than four and half crore rupees on the first day itself, registered the biggest collection ever for a film starring a newcomer.
These figures depict how the reins of the Malayalam cinema are being passed on to the next generation of the mega stars of Malayalam film industry. The Malayali audience has apparently given a special place in their hearts for the star kids as well.
Previously, wherever the Malayali movie lovers gathered, it was customary that their discussions centered around their onscreen idols, Mammootty, Mohanlal, Jayaram and so on. Interestingly, it has now shifted to Dulquer, Pranav and Kalidas. The main point of debate among the fans of Mammootty and Mohanlal is the obvious difference in the kind of movies that their sons chose to make an entry into the filmdom.
Dulquer Salman had a rather low-key debut through Sreenath Rajendran’s gangster movie Second Show. It seemed as if Mammootty was particular that his stardom shouldn’t overshadow his son’s entry into movies.
Meanwhile, Dulquer clearly has come out of the shadow of his father and even managed to carve a unique niche for himself in the Malayalam film industry. The Ustad Hotel actor is one of most bankable stars in Malayalam cinema today, with a number of super hit movies like Kali, Bangalore Days, Charlie and the critically acclaimed Kammattipadam to his credit.
Pranav Mohanlal, meanwhile, had an amazing launch backed by a huge banner, successful director and wide promotion, exploiting all the marketing techniques and commercial scopes of film making.
All these factors played major role in bringing back huge amount of money as box office collections on the first day of release itself. The super star’s son clearly had a ‘super’ entry into the silver screen. But the Malayali cine goers vouch for Pranav’s dedication coupled with his excellent performance onscreen as the biggest strength of Aadhi.
Scriptwriter Sindhuraj says, “The star kids enjoy prominence as they have always been within the focus of the audience. But to grow beyond the debut movie, every actor should be immensely talented. It is true that their fame would help them secure a good launch, but whether they would go further in their careers would solely depend on their talent and hard work.”
Many critics too echo Sindhuraj’s opinion that stardom would never help an actor beyond the first show of their movie. Superstars can definitely draw crowds for their first shows but their stardom will only be one of the many factors which may prompt the movie enthusiasts to turn up to watch the movie in the following days.
However, Dulquer and Pranav are not the only star kids who set the screens on fire. Jayaram’s son Kalidas is awaiting the release of his Malayalam debut, Poomaram, directed by Abrid Shine and Suresh Gopi’s son Gokul is all set to thrill the audience with his second outing Era. Actor turned politician Mukesh’s son Shravan too will soon join the league with Kalyanam.
Shane Nigam, actor and mimicry artist Abi’s son, has already won the hearts of the audience and critics alike with his incredible acting skills. His latest movie Eeda was a hit and the youngster’s performance garnered positive reviews from all corners.
Siddhique’s son Shaheen, Sainudeen’s son Sinil, Harisree Ashokan’s son Arjun Ashokan, all form part of generation next of prominent actors in Malayalam movies.
The huge success of the movies of these star kids are encouraging the producers to invest in movies with newcomers and unique themes. Malayalam cinema is clearly becoming young.
