Producer Visakh Subramaniam has said that Pranav Mohanlal’s Heart, which has won the hearts of the audience, will start streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar from February 18 but will be available in theaters for those who want to see it on the big screen. Malayalam movies are usually withdrawn from the theaters once they are released. However, Visakh said that he and Vineeth Sreenivasan had decided to continue the show at Hridayam Theater and that the film was given to Hotstar under such an agreement. Visakh told Manorama Online that he hopes that Fiok will support their decision to release Hridayam in theaters as there are doubts as to whether the theaters will close again.
To the words of Visakh
‘Heart has been successfully showing in theaters for three weeks. It will be released on OTD in the fourth week. The Theatrical Release was released on February 14 with the intention of supporting the theaters in this time of crisis, despite the offer from an ODT platform that the release of Heart OTD would be huge if not theatrical. What I did with regard to the theatrical release was something that no producer did when it came to the possibility of a lockdown again. Despite announcing a lockdown for three Sundays, I released it in movie theaters. Soon after its release, Heart continued to perform in five districts, including Thiruvananthapuram, even when the theater closed in C category. It is because we have taken such a bold step that theatrical releases of big budget films, including Arat. As a theater owner I understand that theater owners are in crisis.
It’s up to Fioc to decide if our movie will be shown in theaters when the OTD release comes out. Their decision is very important. If we had gone for more profit the film would not have reached the theaters. It is my belief that at this juncture the theater owners will make the decision to let the show continue together in the heartbeat and in the theater. In the event of a theatrical closure, those who supported them withdrew from the theater on the grounds that the film had been released by ODT, and in the future the producers could not be blamed if they decided to release all the films on ODT itself. There was a huge offer for the release of Hridayam Direct OTD, just as the offer to release ODT came again when theaters were closed, including in Thiruvananthapuram. But I turned down these two offers and kept the film in the theater. If the film is not released by OTD for at least the fourth week then I will not get OTD offer. Hridayam is one of the top five films outside Kerala. Had the theaters not been closed, the film would have topped the collection in Kerala. Anyway, even if Heart OTD is released, those who want to see it in theaters can do so.
Mohanlal’s movie Arat is coming out in theaters. Visakh said he was happy to see his son Pranav’s heart playing together in the theater along with his father’s film. Lalettan’s Padavum is coming to the theaters shortly after the release of Heart at a time when the theaters were in crisis. Isn’t it a happy thing that father and son films are taking back the film industry? The next decision is up to Fiok. I think Fioc will make a favorable decision. ‘ Visakh said.