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The Hindu
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Kerala government's OTT platform ‘CSpace' yet to go the next level
Over a year after its launch, the Kerala government's over-the-top (OTT) platform 'CSpace' is yet to be counted among the sought-after OTT platforms in the State. Till July 21, 2025, the platform which follows a pay-per-view model has netted close to 6,000 purchases and a total of 30,000 views, according to sources from the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC), which runs CSpace. A first-of-its-kind initiative by a State government, the platform was aimed at ensuring space as well as revenue share for low-budget, independent films. It has fulfilled this objective to an extent as quite a few such films are part of the offerings. Significant among them are the films produced by the State government under the initiative to promote filmmakers from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes category as well as women directors. Among the top 10 most viewed films are B 32 Muthal 44 Varedirected by Shruthi Sharanyam and Nishiddho directed by Tara Ramanujan. But CSpace has not really hit the mark which the government aimed for when it launched the initiative in March 2024. Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian admitted as much during a media interaction last week in the capital to announce the Film Policy Conclave. 'Needs to be better' 'The platform has to be better, but it's only the beginning. We are competing with big giants. There are some difficulties which we should resolve. But, we don't plan to turn back from this initiative. It will run well,' said Mr. Cherian. The lack of popular commercial films has been one of the impediments to CSpace's growth. The KSFDC does not have the permission to go for outright purchase of any film. Under the pay-per-view model that the platform works, the producers get a 50% share of the amount collected from viewers. Feature films as well as short films and documentaries above 40 minutes' duration are available for viewing at ₹75, while short films less than 10 minutes duration are available for ₹10. A film once purchased will remain in the account for 30 days and for a week after one has started watching it. It can be viewed any number of times during this period. Improving content library According to KSFDC officials, there has been some internal stock taking on the performance of CSpace. Discussions are ongoing on the possibilities of improving the content library and including films from other languages. The State government has viewed the platform as a cultural intervention, rather than something prompted by the market or revenues, but without a few popular films also in the library, it will be a challenge to attract the attention of the masses.
New Indian Express
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Multiplexes, declining footfall turn villains for small cinemas
KOCHI: The quality of films made in Kerala and the acceptance for other language films among Malayali audiences have prompted multiplex companies to expand their footprint in the state. While they offer cinemagoers a better audiovisual experience, the development is posing a threat to small cinema halls, according to industry experts. Rising business costs, decline in viewership, and fewer hit films have affected single-screen cinemas, especially in cities. To put things in perspective, PVR INOX, the largest multiplex chain in India, has 42 screens across Kerala. Mexico-based international cinema chain Cinepolis has 11 screens in Kochi, including three VIP screens. According to Liberty Basheer, film producer and chairman of the Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation, these multiplexes are now focusing on Kerala because the state has better films compared to other states. 'People in Kerala accept and watch movies of all languages. Also, these multiplexes can collect a larger amount as ticket fare as there is no limit on ticket prices in the state,' Basheer tells TNIE. The Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) also has as many as 17 screens in six districts. 'Work is on to launch nine more screens, three in Kayalam (Kozhikode) and two each in Payyannur (Kannur), Alakappa Nagar (Thrissur), and Vaikom (Kottayam). The new screens will be opened in six to seven months,' says an official with KSFDC. K Vijayakumar, president of the Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK), points out that the number of screens is increasing but the number of cinemagoers is not. 'The growth of multiplexes has been affecting single-screen cinemas. People go to a cinema only if the film is good. In the case of multiplexes, more often than not, people watch a film while visiting a mall for shopping or other purposes. Small cinemas don't have such an option to offer,' he says, adding that the trend has affected cinemas in Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram more.
The Hindu
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Kairali-Sree theatre reopens on July 1 with a modern makeover
Kairali-Sree Theatre complex is reopening after a stunning renovation. The revamped twin theatre complex, under the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC), will be officially inaugurated on July 1 by Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian. The modernised facility now boasts world-class features including RGB 4K Laser Projection, Hugo Silver Screens, 36-channel Dolby Atmos sound system, pushback and platinum sofa seats, along with a fully accessible and inclusive design. Kairali Theatre now seats 519 viewers, including 33 platinum sofa balcony seats, while Sree Theatre accommodates 327, including 36 platinum sofa seats, taking the total seating capacity to over 800. The venue also includes air-conditioned baby feeding rooms, lifts, cafeteria, waiting areas, guest rooms, modern restrooms, and vehicle parking facilities. The inaugural ceremony will be presided over by Minister for Revenue K. Rajan, with Minister for Higher Education R. Bindu delivering the keynote address. With a glorious legacy and cutting-edge upgrades, the Kairali-Sree Theatre is set to reclaim its role as a cultural hub and a favourite destination for cinephiles in Thrissur.
The Hindu
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Director Sivaranjini J on ‘Victoria' entering the 2025 Shanghai International Film Festival and more
'There was a phase when I accepted that our movie, Victoria, might not be an entry at any international festival, get a limited release in Kerala, and that would be it for the movie,' says filmmaker Sivaranjini J. However, the director is now thrilled that her debut movie has emerged as the sole entry from India to the Shanghai International Film Festival 2025, on from today till June 22. The film will be screened in the Asian New Talent category. The film is about Victoria (Meenakshi Jayan), a young beautician from Angamaly in Ernakulam district of Kerala, who is forcibly entrusted a sacrificial rooster as she heads for work. She, however, has other plans. She was plotting to elope with her Hindu boyfriend after her Catholic parents come to know about their relationship. Victoria oscillates between maintaining her composure at work and breaking down owing to her relationship troubles. The rooster's antics at the beauty parlour filled with women adds to the chaos. The makings of Victoria 'I had this idea when I went to a beauty parlour in my town. There was a rooster at the parlour, intended as an offering by one of the employees to St George Forane Church at Edappally [in Kochi] for the annual church festival. I got a spark for the script here. The image of a rooster in a parlour with only women was interesting,' says Sivaranjini, who is from Manjapra, a few kilometres away from Angamaly. 'A lot of people from our part of the town attend this ritual. People offer a rooster to Saint George, especially when they see snakes in their vicinity seeing it a reminder from the saint,' explains Sivaranjini, pointing to a leitmotif in the movie. However, Sivaranjini only got around to Victoria's script later; when it was approved by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) for the Woman Empowerment Grant. 'While it took a year to finish the approval process, I completed the script in two weeks,' says Sivaranjini. The team received funding from KSFDC in 2023 and had its premiere at the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala in 2024, where it won the FIPRESCI award for the best Malayalam film by a debut director. The film boasts an almost all-female cast, delving into issues including but not limited to gender. 'I wanted new faces who could speak in the Angamaly dialect. I like working with new actors as they would not have been typecast and it is fun to work with them. We found Meenakshi, Sreeshma Chandran, Steeja Mary, and Darsana Vikas through auditions. I had Jolly (Chirayath) chechi in my mind when I was writing the character of the middle-aged woman,' says Sivaranjini. 'Meenakshi worked at a parlour to prepare for her role,' adds the director about the newcomer who has delivered a convincing performance as a cheerful young woman, secretly burdened by her family and partner, seamlessly transitioning between the two moods. She won the Best Performance award at the Independent and Experimental Film Festival of Kerala 2025 for her portrayal. The change in protagonist's psyche is portrayed through light — its absence and temperature — constantly fluctuating between bright, warm frames and cold, dark frames. 'When you are limited to one space, you can only play around with elements like light. I wanted to show that she is someone who hides her emotions very well and when she is alone, she shows her true self.' Set in the women-dominated space of a beauty parlour, women are portrayed as being free. Existing disparities Victoria also raises questions about caste and class disparities still prevalent in society. 'I wanted to address caste because we live in a society where this exists and I couldn't avoid it from the scope of the film. It was inspired by the experiences of my friends who are in interfaith marriages. The first question others ask them is 'What is your partner's caste?'' Myths and faiths What did the rooster with its legs tied represent? The director says, 'For me, it is a spiritual presence. The central figure has a spiritual moment in the beginning when she touches the rooster for the first time. You also see her pick up a card from a box of Bible verses. On that day, the rooster becomes a source of spiritual support which helps her get through that day, to get out of the central conflict in the movie.' The 33-year-old says that since she had to correctly represent the myth about the saint and the ritual, visuals from the real festival have been used. 'It is like a found footage sequence. It was a document about an event which couldn't be replaced. People may be familiar with sacrificing roosters in a Hindu context, but a lot of people are not aware of it in the Christian context. I wanted them to see that,' she says. The beginnings Sivaranjini, an engineering graduate, developed an affinity towards movies as a child. 'My father was part of a film society in Angamaly, and I used to watch a lot of films early on. However, after Class 12, I could not convince my parents to let me join a visual communication or mass communication course.' She studied film and video communication at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, and made two short films, Ritham (2016) and Kalyani (2014). She joined the PhD programme at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, after a two-year stint as an editor. 'When I began, I wanted to bring in the people I have known for years to my crew. All of them were my friends for years — my DOP (Anand Ravi), music director (Abhaydev Praful), people handling the sound and so on. I wanted it to be their debut as well,' says Sivaranjini. Currently, in a rush to finish her doctoral thesis, Sivaranjini says, 'As a filmmaker, I want to work with the movie medium and its form and as a woman, I want to continue to make movies with a lot of women in them, to present them in roles we have never seen them in.'
News18
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Jeo Baby's Malayalam Film Victoria Selected For Shanghai International Film Festival
The Malayalam film Victoria, directed by Sivaranjini J, is the only Indian film selected for the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival. Indian cinema is shining bright again. The Malayalam film Victoria, directed by first-time filmmaker Sivaranjini J, has been officially selected for the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF). And guess what? It's the only Indian film at the festival this year! The film will be shown in the Asian New Talent section, which highlights new and exciting voices in cinema. The festival will take place from June 13 to June 22, 2025, and will also feature films from countries like Iran, Japan, China, Sri Lanka, and Turkey. Popular director Jeo Baby, known for Kaathal, shared the happy news online. He posted, 'Proud moments for Indian cinema. The one and only Indian movie @ 27th Shanghai international film festival. Congrts @ 🙌🏼 this movie produced by KSFDC." Victoria follows the story of a young woman named Victoria, a beautician working in a small town. Her quiet life takes a dramatic turn when she decides to run away with her Hindu boyfriend, going against her strict Catholic family. Things get even more confusing when a neighbour leaves a rooster with her for a religious offering! It's a story full of emotions, challenges, and unexpected moments. The movie stars Meenakshi Jayan, Sreeshma Chandran, Jolly Chirayath, Steeja Mary, Darsana Vikas, Jeena Rajeev, and Remadevi. It deals with important topics like religious pressure, women's freedom, and cultural identity. Victoria is backed by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) and was funded through the Women Empowerment Grant, a special initiative to support women directors. The film had its world premiere at the International Film Festival of Kerala in 2024, where it won the FIPRESCI Award for Best Malayalam Film. That's not all, even Kiran Rao will also be part of the festival as a jury member. The main jury is headed by Giuseppe Tornatore, the famous director of Cinema Paradiso. The Shanghai International Film Festival is the largest film festival in Asia and China's longest-running international cinema event. The first festival was established in October 1993. It is the only Chinese festival accredited by the FIAPF. The festival is held over a ten-day period every June. SIFF is organized by China Film Administration, China Media Group, and the Shanghai government. First Published:
