Mammootty, Mohanlal prop up Malayalam films

Thiruvananthapuram, July 17 (IANS) Mammootty and Mohanlal, the reigning superstars of Malayalam films, continue to keep the flag flying for the Malayalam film industry during the first half of the current year.

Of the 31 films released in this period, Mammootty had three and Mohanlal two.

And if reports are to be believed, these films were the only ones that brought in viewers and recouped the investments made by producers.

Of the five films, only one each from both superstars - Mammootty's "Rapakal" and Mohanlal's "Udayananu Tharam" - were smash hits.

While Mammootty's "Thomanum Makalum" and "Thaskeraveeran" did well, 44-year-old Mohanlal's "Chandraolsvam" did not do very well but it certainly made its producers happy.

Mammootty, 52, said all his previous seven films in the past two years had been box office successes.

"I would say I have got the dividends for my hard work because the so-called element of luck will be there only once," Mammootty told IANS.

"I am certainly happy and another reason why I feel I have been successful is that when it comes to the selection of roles, I am judicious and I do not just sign films blindly."

The new breed of heroes, including Kunjchacko Boban, Jayasuriya and Prithviraj, had nine films between them but all bombed at the box office.

Another star Jayaram, considered a specialist in family entertainment, saw two films going down.

Upcoming superstar Dileep too released two films with "Kochi Rajavu" failing to bring in the crowds, but his "Pandipada", released last week, looks promising.

The other stars who have been having a successful stint are veteran comedian Jagathy Sreekumar and upcoming comedians Salim Kumar and Harishri Asokan.

On the ladies front, the first half belonged to Kavya Madhavan, Nayan Tara and Meera Jasmine, while Shobana, Navya Nair and Geetu Mohandas failed to do much.

The rest of the year too is likely to see Mammootty and Mohanlalal dominating the scene, as they are busy with close to half a dozen projects. Both veterans have completed their silver jubilee in Malayalam films.