Director Jomon claims he was not informed about 'Samrajyam' re-release

Even as hardcore Mammootty fans eagerly await the re-release of the iconic blockbuster ‘Samrajyam,’ its director, Jomon, has revealed that he was not contacted by the production team regarding the decision to bring the film back to theatres. The remastered version, upgraded to 4K with Dolby Atmos sound, is now scheduled to hit screens in October.

To promote the re-release, the production team recently unveiled the trailer of the remastered version on YouTube. However, fans criticised the teaser fr the lack of visual clarity in several sequences. Reacting to the backlash, Jomon issued a statement clarifying that he had no involvement in the remastering process and that Arifa Productions, the original producers of the film, did not consult him at any stage of the re-release. He added that many people have been reaching out to him with complaints about the trailer's poor visual quality.

Originally released in 1990, 'Samrajyam' features Mammootty in one of his most stylish roles as Alexander, a gangster who went on to become a cult figure in Malayalam cinema. The film was a massive commercial success and is considered the biggest hit of Mammootty’s career during the 1990s. Made on a then-whopping budget of ₹75 lakh to ₹1 crore, ‘Samrajyam’ set new standards in Mollywood with its unique theme and high production values.

Interestingly, this is not the first time Jomon has been left out of decisions related to the ‘Samrajyam’ franchise. His consent was reportedly not sought during the making of ‘Samrajyam 2’, a sequel starring Unni Mukundan and directed by Tamil filmmaker Perarasu. It was a box-office failure, and Jomon said that he had to endure criticism for the film's poor reception, as many mistakenly believed he had directed it.

The re-release of the remastered version was initially slated for September 19 but has been postponed to October due to delays in completing the remastering work. The film, produced by Ajmal Hassan under the banner of Arifa Productions, was made on a screenplay by Shibu Chakravarthy. Arifa Release will handle the distribution.

The trailer of the remastered ‘Samrajyam’ was released on YouTube on September 7, coinciding with Mammootty's birthday. Despite the criticism, fans are still eager to revisit the film on the big screen. Notably, ‘Samrajyam’ had no songs, relying entirely on a powerful background score composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

The film's cinematography was handled by Jayanan Vincent, with editing by KP Hariharaputhran. It boasted an ensemble cast, including Madhu, Captain Raju, Ashokan, Vijayaraghavan, Sreevidya, Sonia, Sathar, Jagannatha Varma, Sadiq, CI Paul, Balan K Nair, Prathapa Chandran, Jagannathan, Bheeman Raghu, Ponnambalam, Vishnukant and Tapasya.