If the content of the film is good, the audience will accept it regardless of the star value, director B.C. Naufal. Naufal says that the reason his new film My Name is Azhakan failed at the theaters was because of the failure of its marketing. Even before coming to the theatre, the film was liked and bought on the online platform Sea Five. When the movie, which was not noticed by many people in the theater, came out in OTT, the audience who saw it shared a positive opinion. B.C. said that he is grateful to the online platform that shows its heart to support small films and the audience that accepts good content. Naufal told Manorama Online.
“My name is Azhakan, the reason why not many people listened to it in theaters is because the audience did not know that there was such a film. It is not enough to make a movie now, you have to know how to market it well. That’s why our marketing strategy didn’t work. After the film was finished, a theater owner said, “Only big films like Ponniyan Selvan, Bhishmaparvam, Roshak and Vikram do well in theatres.”
But following that talk, the biggest hit of last year came. It was “Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hai” directed by Vipin Dass. Even with the combo of Basil and Darshana, it was a small picture. But it became a huge hit. Vineeth Srinivasan said in an interview that “films should have some way for people to celebrate” and only then will people come to theatres. People will go to see the movie because of the star value. But its reflection will be in the theater only for the first two days. If the content is not good, people will not join from the third day. It was not like that in the past, even if the film of the favorite actor did not do well, it would not run for at least 25 days in theaters. Today that all changed.
My Name is Azhakan had seen and liked Sea Five before its theatrical release. Binu Thrikakkara, the hero and screenwriter of Azhakan, is the person who was with me in the script writing of Emandan Premakatha. When the film came out in OTT, many viewers have seen it and are sharing positive comments. A lot of social media posts were seen appreciating the picture. Now you get a feeling that the movie is released. If the content is good, the audience will accept the film. Earlier my friends asked me if I want to do such a small film as my second film
But I am happy when they call me and congratulate me following seeing the picture. A comparison was seen on social media the other day that Divya in Azhkan is not Jayabharati in Jaya Jaya Hai. I’m not saying it’s valid, but there should be discussions like this. It’s nice to see such discussions regarding a director. My Name is Azhakan is a film made from many limitations. It reached the audience because the OTT platform bought the film. “It’s an advantage for cinema that OTT platforms support small films with good content regardless of star value,” said B.C. Naufal says.
