Malayalam web series see a boom with young directors making a mark with leading stars in cinema Premium

The entertainment industry in Malayalam is seeing a boom in the format with several young directors making their debut in the space with diverse themes

The success of Kerala Crime Files, the first Malayalam web series on Disney+Hotstar, has opened the floodgates to a plethora of web series in the language. Comedies, thrillers, social dramas, romance, dramedies and more are slated for streaming. The entertainment industry in Malayalam is seeing a boom in the format with several young directors making their debut in the space with diverse themes.

Ahammed Khabeer’s Kerala Crime Files, an investigative thriller headlined by Aju Varghese and Lal, which streamed on Disney+ Hotstar, is all set for a second season. Next up on Disney+Hotstar is Masterpeace, a dramedy helmed by Oru Thekkan Thallu Case director Sreejith N, starring Nithya Menen, Sharafudheen, Ashokan, Shanthi Krishna, Renji Panicker and Maala Parvathi. The series drops on October 25.

The channel has taken the lead by commissioning several web series directed by up-and-coming directors in Malayalam cinema. SonyLIV, Zee and other channels are amping up the scene by lending their support to web series in the making.

Nithin Renji Panicker, Manu Ashokan, Vishnu Raghav and Najeem Koya are some of the directors working on web series. Puzhu director Ratheena PT will be coming out with her web series with Rima Kallingal in the lead while KumbalangiNights director, Madhu C Narayanan, is also reportedly working on a web series. PR Arun, director of Finals, just announced his web series, Pharma, with Nivin Pauly, Narain, Rajit Kapur and Shruti Ramachandran.

An office-bearer of the Association of Malayalam Movies Artists had said the organisation was planning a web series with A-listers in the industry.

Srikanth Mohan, who is helming Jai Mahendran with six episodes of 30 minutes each, considers it an honour to make his debut as a director with the first web series in Malayalam for SonyLIV.

Director-scenarist Rahul Riji Nair, who produced Kerala Crime Files, is also the show runner of Jai Mahendran. He says, ”This is a trend that took its time to mature in the entertainment industry in Kerala. But it was in the making since the lockdown when OTT platforms became the prime source of entertainment.”