Cult classic once again; Tale of two releases

After 24 years, the once-box office disaster ‘Devadoothan’ is back in theatres across Kerala. Unlike the gloomy theatre occupancy that haunted the makers back then, the two-decade-old film is now running in packed theatres with tickets getting sold like pancakes.

Director Sibi Malayil in an interview with a popular Malayalam online channel:

“I still remember the visuals of getting out of the theatre in 2000 after watching Devadoothan. I considered the movie to be my finest creation but the response from the audience left me heartbroken. The movie doomed at the box office and the effect was upon me. I went into isolation and rarely attended phone calls. For one year, I took a hiatus from the cine world and went into depression. If not for the repeated encouragement from my friends and family, I would not have made a return to the movie industry. Such was the impact of Devadoothan’s failure back in 2000.

And now in 2024, the movie is again in Theatres. Many of my friends and family members have witnessed the reception from theatres and have informed me about it. Information from theatres says that the tickets are outnumbering other recent releases. I can’t express my feelings now. How things can change over time is something that keeps amazing me.”