OTTplay was the first to break that Netflix had opted out of streaming the Malayalam anthology Manorathangal, in June 2023. The project, which is based on MT Vasudevan Nair’s short stories and has stalwarts such as Mohanlal and Mammootty as part of the cast, initially had Netflix attached as its streaming partner. But in July 2024, the makers announced that the anthology will drop on ZEE5 instead.

Industry insiders weren’t surprised by the development as the project had gone on floors before the second pandemic lockdown in 2020 but took another three years to lock an OTT platform and a release date . So, why did Netflix, which could have guaranteed a wider release due to its presence in over 150 countries, decide to drop Manorathangal, which featured some of the best talents of the Malayalam industry including Fahadh Faasil, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Asif Ali and filmmakers such as Mahesh Narayanan, Priyadarshan and Santosh Sivan?

Netflix drops Manorathangal due to delay in Mammootty, Mohanlal segments?

There are several reasons, tells a senior filmmaker, who had helmed a segment in the anthology, to OTTplay. “The main reason is that the producers weren’t able to complete the project in the time that was stipulated in their deal with Netflix because projects featuring Mammootty and Mohanlal were delayed,” says the director, on condition of anonymity.

This was because when the project was first greenlit, stars such as Mohanlal and Mammootty weren’t part of the anthology. In fact, it was decided much later that Mohanlal will be part of Manorathangal and that’s why Priyadarshan was given one more segment to complete, Olavum Theeravum. All other filmmakers had directed only one feature in the anthology, while Priyadarshan helmed Shilalikthingal, featuring Biju Menon, and Olavum Theeravum.

Similarly, neither Mammootty nor Ranjith were the first choice of the megastar’s segment Kadugannawa Oru Yathra. Mammootty, we hear, was approached for another senior director’s segment but he didn’t give the nod. Similarly, another superstar was considered for Kadugannawa Oru Yathra, which is the most autobiographical of the nine short stories.

But after that casting didn’t work out, the source says, it was decided to rope in Mammootty. Lijo Jose Pellissery, who was collaborating with the star for Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam during that time, was also asked to direct this segment. The delay of Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam also pushed the project further. And by the time Lijo had completed the work of the film, he had expressed intentions to move on to Mohanlal’s Malaikottai Vaaliban.

Mammootty was set to be replaced by Joju George in Manorathangal?

There were also discussions to replace Mammootty with Joju George because of the delay, but the makers eventually decided to go ahead with Ranjith-Mammootty combo.

By this time, the stipulated release date of Manorathangal on Netflix had already passed, says the filmmaker. “But this wasn’t the final nail in the coffin,” explains another director. “There were also reports that the producers were pitching the project to another platform because with the superstars now joining the fray, the budget had also increased. This was why Netflix decided to pull out.”

In an earlier interview, director Santosh Sivan, who helmed Siddique’s Abhayam Thedi in the anthology, told us that Netflix representatives were actively involved in greenlighting each segment. “I had initially decided to do Odiyan, but that didn’t happen because they misunderstood the themes and thought it dealt too much with black magic and superstitions,” he said. A few other filmmakers too expressed the same concern, of creative differences with the platform.

That said, the team are quite happy that they can now release the anthology after almost three years of its shoot. Manorathangal will begin streaming on ZEE5 and OTTplay Premium in Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi and Tamil.

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