One of the most awaited films of Malayalam cinema, Drishyam 3, is all set to release on May 21. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, the enterprising father-son duo, Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak of Panorama Studios, spoke about releasing the Mohanlal-starrer in India (outside Kerala) and worldwide, the distribution strategy and a lot more.
How was the experience of attending the trailer launch of Drishyam 3 in Kochi?
Abhishek Pathak: It was great. We’ve been going to Kochi for the last 2-3 years now as we are trying to set up a base there. As for Drishyam 3, it's one of the biggest franchises in Malayalam cinema. The trailer launch was a memorable experience. They welcomed us very well.
It was lovely to see a star like Mohanlal draping a shawl around both of you…
Kumar Mangat Pathak: Yes, it was indeed heartwarming. Draping a shawl is considered a mark of respect there. Hence, we felt happy and honoured by the respect shown to us by Mr Mohanlal, producer Antony Perumbavoor and the entire team of Drishyam 3.
Mohanlal joked that he hopes to collaborate with you both on Drishyam 4 as well…
Abhishek Pathak: (Laughs) He said it in jest. When the first part was made, there were no plans to make Drishyam 2. When Drishyam 2 was made, there was no plan to make the third part either. Now, we both have made our versions of Drishyam 3. Let’s see how it goes. It’s the audience that’ll decide eventually.
How many screens are you looking at for the release of Drishyam 3 in India?
Kumar Mangat Pathak: Malayalam films usually release in a few screens. Hence, we have devised a strategy and are looking at releasing the film in 500+ screens Pan-India (outside Kerala). It can go up to 600 or even 800-900 screens. We are in talks with the exhibitors and will get a final idea by next week. No other Malayalam film has opened at this scale ever.
And what about overseas?
Kumar Mangat Pathak: Again, it’ll be at a maximum scale. We’ll break records in terms of screen count and the number of countries where it’ll release for a Malayalam film.
Drishyam 3 was to release on April 2 and now it’ll be out on May 21 due to the tensions in the Middle East. Do you feel the postponement has worked in the film’s favour? The scenario in the first week of April was a bit uncertain…
Abhishek Pathak: Even then, a film had been released and it performed decently. But since Drishyam 3 is a massive film, we need a certain kind of stability. Then, the market was unstable. Moreover, May 21 works well as it also happens to be Mohanlal sir’s birthday. That’s a cherry on the cake and double celebrations for the fans.
Kumar Mangat Pathak: It’ll be a holiday of sorts in the whole of Kerala on May 21 (smiles)!
The bookings for Drishyam 3 have opened with a bang in Kerala. When will it commence in the rest of the country?
Kumar Mangat Pathak: We’ll begin the booking this week itself, by Wednesday or Thursday, which is more than a week before release.
What are your expectations from the box office of Drishyam 3?
Kumar Mangat Pathak: It has the potential to be the biggest hit in Malayalam cinema!
Are there plans to make Malayalam films?
Abhishek Pathak: Yes, we have a couple of films in our kitty. TikiTaka, starring Asif Ali, will be released soon after Drishyam 3. We have signed several talents and creators. Shahi Kabir will be directing two films with us. One of them, Unmadham, will be released on August 7. We have also signed M C Jithin, who made Sookshmadarshini (2024), among others.
Kumar Mangat Pathak: This year, we’ll have 6-8 Malayalam releases and next year, we have lined up 12 films. For these 12 films, the actors and directors are on board, the budget is finalized, while the screenplay is almost locked.
Abhishek Pathak: We want to go big with Malayalam cinema.
Kumar Mangat Pathak: For nearly 1 ½ years, we did a lot of research. There won’t be any recent Malayalam, Tamil, or Telugu film that we both and our team haven’t watched. We wanted to understand what works there and the taste of the people. Accordingly, we have signed some of the finest actors and directors. In fact, we are working with almost all the prominent actors of that industry.
Abhishek Pathak: Malayalam cinema is making great content. But it doesn’t have a studio model which can help it fly further. We’ll be the first to create a structured model where one studio is participating in the funding, distributing and presenting the film. Right now, all three are done separately. It’s a little unstructured. We’ll bring it all under one umbrella and it’ll help the industry go further.
Kumar Mangat Pathak: We are blessed to have received a great reception from the Malayalam film industry. We thought it’ll be difficult, but every major actor has shown interest in collaborating with us. The moment they hear the name ‘Panorama Studios’, the meeting gets arranged immediately. Last week, we had a meeting with a top hero. We asked for a meeting and he met us the very next day. He heard the script and within two hours, he agreed to do the film! He said it’s a mind-blowing script.
Will the Malayalam films of Panorama be dubbed in Hindi?
Abhishek Pathak: Every film has a different journey. It’ll all depend on the film’s content. Not just dub, in some cases, we might also go the bi-lingual way. This will apply to universally appealing subjects. Certain Malayalam films are made for their audience, in terms of content and pacing. The Hindi audience might not be able to relate to it and we won’t dub such films in Hindi. But if the subject has a larger appeal, we can think about dubbing.
More Pages: Drishyam 3 Box Office Collection
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