'Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum' is a film that earned ten times its investment, says director Vinayan. He added that the film was made with a budget of just around forty lakhs, and if considered in today's terms, the cost would be around four crores.

Producer Maha Subair had earlier said that the film still holds the record for earning ten times its investment. It was in response to this statement that Vinayan shared his thoughts.

Full Facebook post of Vinayan:

I felt happy when I saw the news from producer Maha Subair… I had never thought about the film's collections in terms of it earning ten times the investment. 'Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum' was made at a cost of around forty lakhs at that time. In today’s terms, that would be close to four crores.

It had earned three crores and eighty lakhs in collection (this is just the producer's share...the total gross, including the theatre share and entertainment tax, would be nearly double that). That was indeed a big success. If Subair's claim that no other film has earned ten times the investment is true, I dedicate that record to the great actor Kalabhavan Mani.

It was in 1999, at Hill View Hotel in Kakkanad, that I first received an advance from Subair… After that, Vindhyan, Sargam Kabeer, and Latheefikka also came on board as producers. Everyone considered this film an experimental one at that time, where I introduced Kalabhavan Mani as the lead actor for the first time.

Back then, my small films like Aakasha Ganga, Kalyana Sougandhikam, and Independence had achieved great success. Many questioned whether it was wise to do such an experimental film during that time.

But surprisingly, though the movie had a slow start in the first few days, it later ran for over 100 days in packed theatres. Kalabhavan Mani, who had until then only done comedy roles, reached the pinnacle of acting with this film. Film lovers can never forget the story of how he lost consciousness between the joy of almost winning a National Award and the disappointment of missing it…

Looking back from 'Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum' to the recent film 'Thudarum', which is now running successfully in theatres, one thing becomes clear: Malayalees prefer films with strong stories over big-budget films worth hundreds of crores.

Even amidst the current rush of films that try to match the taste of the new generation, movies with touching stories still hold their ground…

The pain of life’s struggles, the joy-tears of someone embraced with love through any sorrow, and the dignity of sincerity—these are things that remain unchanged no matter how many generations pass.