Director Tharun Moorthy's forthcoming film featuring Mohanlal, titled Thudarum, was highly anticipated to be the superstar's inaugural release of 2025. Fans were optimistic that it would provide a positive beginning to the year, especially following the letdowns of 2024. However, the film, initially scheduled for release on January 30, will no longer debut in theaters on that date, as this slot has been claimed by Basil Joseph's Ponman and Vineeth Sreenivasan's Oru Jaathi Jathakam.

There has been considerable speculation regarding the reasons for the postponement of this film, which also stars Shobana in a prominent role. Factors discussed include a perceived lack of interest in acquiring OTT rights for a Mohanlal film, as well as the production team contemplating a direct release on an OTT platform.

Tharun Moorthy clarifies that the release of Mohanlal’s Thudarum has not been delayed

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Tharun states, “To be honest, we never officially announced a release date; therefore, the notion that it has been postponed is inaccurate. Aashirvad Cinemas, the film's distributor, had mentioned five films, including Thudarum, during an event, indicating a release on January 30. While we were optimistic about this date, by the first week of January, it became clear that it might not be feasible. However, fans and others interpreted this as a confirmed date, which has contributed to the current reports.” Notably, earlier this month, fans of Mohanlal had even initiated advance bookings for special screenings of Thudarum on January 30, despite the absence of finalized theatre arrangements.

When asked if the delay was related to the OTT rights of Thudarum not meeting the expected financial returns, the filmmaker remarked that he is not the appropriate person to address that question. “What I can affirm is that the film was never intended for a direct-to-OTT release. It has been crafted specifically for a theatrical experience, and that remains our plan,” he asserts.

Regarding rumors that Thudarum has been rescheduled for April or May 2025, Tharun responds, “At this moment, no release date has been established,” adding that the team has nearly completed the film's post-production. “Only the final mixing and certification remain, which we intend to conduct closer to the release date.”

Thudarum OTT rights, the reason for delay?

The delay in securing OTT rights for Thudarum has raised questions. A source familiar with the production, who wishes to remain anonymous, has indicated that the team was informed by various streaming platforms that they had approached that it was the final financial quarter for these companies. "They were reluctant to invest significantly not only in Thudarum but in any Malayalam film at this time. The platforms communicated their concerns along with their year-end strategies. They would be more receptive to negotiations at the beginning of the next financial year," the source stated.

As a result, Mohanlal's first release in 2025 will be the highly anticipated L2: Empuraan, which features Prithviraj Sukumaran, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, and Indrajith Sukumaran reprising their roles from Lucifer. The film is scheduled to be released in multiple languages worldwide on March 27, 2025. Additionally, Mohanlal's recent film Barroz has started streaming on Disney+ Hotstar as of January 22.

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