South Indian superstar Mohanlal’s award-winning film ‘Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea’, is all set to dazzle fans in the UAE this National Day.
Coming to UAE cinemas on December 1, the Malayalam film — directed by Priyadarshan — has had a tumultuous journey to the big screen.
Earlier reports had stated that after many rounds of discussion with theatres owners in India, the makers of the film had to settle by striking a deal with streaming platform Amazon Prime Video.
Reports attributed to the producer of the movie, Antony Perumbavoor, stating that this was one of the most costly purchases made by Amazon in India.
Perumbavoor earlier said that he had tried his level best to show the movie on the big screen but even after several rounds of meetings with theatre owners, a final decision could not be reached and hence he and his team had decided to sell the movie on a streaming platform.
However, on November 11, it was again announced by Kerala Minister for Culture Saji Cherian that the film will be screened in theatres in India, starting December 2.
The announcement was made after the minister held talks with representatives of the film producers association and the movie’s producer Perumbavoor.
The movie, according to industry sources, is one of the costliest productions ever in Malayalam cinema, made at a budget of Rs1 billion.
The historical film is set in the 16th century and recounts the adventures of Kunjali Marakkar IV, naval commander of the then ruler of Kozhikode, known to the world as the Zamorin. Marakkar and his men defended the Malabar coast against Portuguese forces who had followed in the wake of Vasco Da Gama.
