'Udal' director on why the film's OTT release got delayed and remake plans

Director Ratheesh Reghunandan whose film 'Udal' is finally out on OTT is overwhelmed by people's response to his film. The filmmaker made an impressive debut with 'Udal', which released in theatres in May, 2023. However, unlike most other Malayalam films, 'Udal' took longer to stream on an OTT platform.

The reason? “Soon after the film hit theatres, the production house, Sree Gokulam Movies, decided to remake the movie in Hindi. Naseeruddin Shah who heard the story was impressed with the film and expressed his interest in reprising the role played by Indrans in the movie. However, the actor was busy touring the country as part of his theatre workshop. I also became busy helming my next film 'Thankamani' featuring Dileep in the lead. One thing led to another and the project got delayed,” he said.

So, won't the OTT release affect the Hindi remake plans? “No. 'Udal' has only been released in Malayalam on Saina Play. Though a lot of major OTT platforms approached us post the film's theatre release, we decided to give away the digital streaming rights to a smaller platform because of the remake plans. We hope to go ahead with the project soon,” he said.

He added that he wanted 'Udal' to start streaming on OTT, before 'Thankamani' hit theatres next month. “Udal' was not my first film and I had begun pre-production work of another film. However, as Covid struck, I had to drop my first project and start working on 'Udal's script. We started shooting for the film soon after I completed my script. 'Udal' was initially planned as a direct-to-OTT release. However, we decided to release it in theatres after cinemas started functioning post the pandemic. Though I had anticipated a positive response to the film, I was touched by the good reviews. I wanted Udal to release on OTT before Dileep's film hit theatres, especially since people were constantly enquiring about its streaming date,” he said.

He said the film's unique concept and the performance of all the actors worked for the movie. “The movie is completely performance-driven,” he said. He also clarified that the film received an A certificate from the Censor Board owing to the violence in the movie and not for the sexual content.