Rs 330 crore and Lokah’s record broken: why the Rs 25 crore ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’ is such a hit
Photo: Collected
A film made on a production budget of just Rs 25 crore has earned more than Rs 330 crore! The Malayalam film ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’ is now the new benchmark for box office success. The romantic comedy stars Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju, and it has overtaken the much-discussed film ‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra’. Since its recent release on OTT, the film has drawn interest among viewers in Bangladesh as well.
According to a 9 October report by Indian news outlet The Indian Express, the film’s worldwide earnings stand at Rs 330.93 crore. Of this, Rs 192.48 crore came from the Indian market and Rs 138.45 crore from overseas markets. Its net earnings in India are Rs 164.91 crore. In other words, the worldwide gross is about 13 times the production cost.
Extraordinary success from an ordinary story
Girish AD is the film’s director. The story is built around love, an age gap, hesitation and the complications of relationships, portraying the familiar lives of ordinary people. In conventional romantic films the hero is confident, but here Nivin Pauly appears as a shy and hesitant character. The character is named Justin, a caterer in his thirties; though dependable at work, he is quite uncomfortable when it comes to love. The interest shown by a college-going young woman from the house next door confronts him with a new situation.
Among the film’s main attractions are its humour drawn from everyday life, natural acting and the on-screen chemistry between Nivin and Mamitha. The cast also includes Vinay Forrt, Suresh Krishna, Shyam Mohan and Srinda.
Girish AD had already made his name with films such as ‘Thanneer Mathan Dinangal’, ‘Super Sharanya’ and ‘Premalu’. The hallmark of his films is connecting with the audience through small incidents, fluent dialogue and familiar characters rather than complicated plots. Word of mouth among viewers also played a big role in the success of ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’.
A new record, leaving ‘Lokah’ behind
Before this film, the record for the highest earnings in Malayalam cinema was held by ‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra’. Directed by Dominic Arun and starring Kalyani Priyadarshan, that film had earned about Rs 301.41 crore worldwide. With its new earnings, ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’ has surpassed that record.
The list of highest-grossing Malayalam films also includes ‘L2: Empuraan’, ‘Manjummel Boys’ and ‘Drishyam 3’. By The Indian Express’s count, their worldwide earnings are about Rs 266.81 crore, Rs 241.03 crore and Rs 239.83 crore respectively.
Word of mouth the biggest strength
The portrayal of familiar life and simple storytelling are among the secrets behind the success of Girish AD’s films. Everyday humour, love, friendship and rejection easily connect with the audience. His earlier film ‘Premalu’ was made on a budget of Rs 8 to 10 crore and earned more than Rs 130 crore. ‘Thanneer Mathan Dinangal’ and ‘Super Sharanya’ also added to his reputation.
Besides Malayalam, the film has also been released in Tamil and Telugu versions. It is the combination of the acting, a story of familiar life, positive word of mouth and its reach in international markets that has taken the Rs 25 crore film past Rs 330 crore in business, making new history in Malayalam cinema.
