In January 2025, it was revealed the Minnal Murali maker Basil Joseph’s next directorial would take him to Bollywood. The Kadina Kadoramee Andakadaham, Nunakkuzhi , PonMan, Pravinkoodu Shappu and Maranamass actor was roped in to adapt the iconic TV superhero character Shaktimaan for the big screen with none other than Ranveer Singh in the lead, with Wamiqa Gabbi on board as the leading lady. The film was said to be ready to roll by May 2025, with a Diwali 2026 release date as target.
Basil Joseph in Vala
However, after these initial announcements, there have been no further updates about the status of this film and during the promotions of his last Maranamass, Basil had said that he was in the writing process for his next directorial, even though his growing acting commitments had made it difficult to find the time for directorial pursuits.
Basil Joseph on why it is easier to make experimental cinema in Malayalam
Basil, who will soon be seen in the zombie apocalypse movie Vala, from the makers of Gaganachari, recently opened up about why it is easier to make such experimental cinema in Malayalam than anywhere else. He spoke about contracts, panel discussions and other “unnecessary complications” that one encounters in other industries when broaching such subjects. Was Basil hinting at these “complications” being behind the delay in getting his film with Ranveer on the road?
“The Malayalam film industry operates like a cottage industry and is not corporatized like the other major movie industries. So, when it comes to experimenting with genres like sci-fi and zombies like in Vala, all it needs is for a few people to get together and just do it. You don’t have to negotiate contracts, or have multiple discussions between stakeholders, etc.; you don’t encounter unnecessary complications,” said Basil, in conversation with Cue Studio.
He elaborated that in Malayalam cinema, if you have 3-4 people – whether it is artistes or technicians or both – and they all share the excitement to do something different, it is possible to execute films like Vala; whereas in other industries, even if there are interested parties, the system itself does not allow for it to come to fruition. “In the process, it takes forever to greenlight a project. I believe, Malayalam cinema has the most potential as far as experimentation goes. It is a lot easier to pull off a film like Vala in Malayalam than anywhere else,” he signed off.
