Malayalam cinema has evolved over the years. From catering to locals to reaching international audiences, it has come a long way. Now, marking a change in long-format storytelling, Disney+ Hotstar’s 1000 Babies is pushing the boundaries with its storytelling and visual appeal.
Avatar vs Vietnam Colony
In an exclusive interview with Zoom, Rahman, who plays a cop in 1000 Babies, spoke about the progress made by the Malayalam industry. The veteran actor went on to also say that Hollywood also watches Malayalam cinema.
Citing an example and drawing similarities between Mohanlal’s Vietnam Colony and James Cameron’s Avatar. Rahman told us, “You’ve seen Avatar, right? It came much later. It has similarities to our Malayalam film titled Vietnam Colony. Of course, Avatar is a larger-than-life and fantastically made movie. Did the idea come from that, we don’t know. (smiles)”
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He further added, “In Avatar, the hero goes to another land but becomes one among them. Similarly, in Vietnam Colony, a group of builders send Mohanlal to a place to occupy the land. Eventually, he becomes one of them and fights his bosses. Malayalam movies are being watched in Hollywood also.”
During the interview, Sanju Sivram also noted how Malayalam films are remade in multiple languages. Manichitrathazhu, a 1993 horror-comedy, was made in Hindi asBhool Bhulaiyaa. The Tamil version was titled Chandramukhi. In Kannada, it was Apthamitra whereas the Bengali remake was titled Rajmohol.
About 1000 Babies
1000 Babies also stars Neena Gupta. It is directed by Najeem Koya. It is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from October 18. The show’s story revolves around Sarah Ouseph (Neena Gupta), an elderly woman, who lives in Kottayam’s Mundakayam village with her son, Bibin Ouseph (Sanju Sivram). It takes an investigative turn with the arrival of Kalamassery Circle Inspector Aji Kurian (Rahman).