From 100-crore budgets to casting: Prithviraj contrasts Malayalam films with Bollywood

Prithviraj Sukumaran at the 16th edition of Expresso. (Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

Prithviraj Sukumaran has weighed in on what Bollywood could stand to learn from the Malayalam film industry, pointing to its informality and directness as its biggest strengths, even as its films have grown considerably in scale. The actor-filmmaker made the remarks at the 16th edition of Expresso, held at Taj Lands End in Mumbai.

When Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, asked Prithviraj what Bollywood could take away from Malayalam cinema, the actor said the industry’s culture of working without excess process was central to its identity. “I think it’s how informal we are as an industry. Our bag is light compared to Bollywood,” he said.

The actor then pushed back on the perception that Malayalam cinema is still defined by small, quick productions. “Contrary to popular belief, Malayalam films aren’t made in 15 days on a five-crore budget anymore. These days, we make big films, films shot over 150 days with 100-crore budgets.”

Meghna Gulzar, Kareena Kapoor and Prithviraj Sukumaran at the 16th edition of Expresso. (Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

‘There’s an informal way Malayalam films are made’

Even so, Prithviraj said that scale hasn’t changed the industry’s fundamentally informal way of working, which he believes keeps the filmmaking process grounded. “Even while attempting these big films, there’s an informal way Malayalam films are made. That approach brings a tangible, humane element to the cinema we make,” he said.

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To illustrate the difference, Prithviraj described how casting typically works in Malayalam cinema versus Bollywood. “If I wanted to make a film with Kareena, as a director, I’d just call her and say, ‘Hi, I’d like to make a film with you; I can narrate the script.’ And she might say, ‘Oh, I’m travelling next month; we can meet some day,’ and so on.”

He contrasted that with what he described as a far more layered process in Bollywood. “I’ve learnt that you have to call the agency, the agency will then speak to the manager assigned to you, and the manager will convince you to take the meeting with the director. If it’s someone like Meghna Gulzar, it doesn’t take too much convincing,” the actor-filmmaker said. Only once the actor and director agree to work together, he explained, do the production house and the agency begin negotiating. “The agency will quote a fee, the production will quote half of that, and the negotiation begins.”

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Summing up the contrast, Prithviraj said, “So it’s all very corporate. I guess it works. But I think there’s an easier way to do things.”

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Prithviraj Sukumaran was joined by his Daayra co-star Kareena Kapoor and the film’s director, Meghna Gulzar, for the Expresso session. The conversation was moderated by Priyanka Sinha Jha, Chief Operating Officer, Screen Academy.

This 16th edition of Expresso will premiere on September 16 at 4 pm on The Indian Express and SCREEN’s YouTube channels.