As reported earlier, the 2020 National Award-winning Malayalam movie, Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham, starring superstar Mohanlal and directed by the much-acclaimed Priyadarshan, will be released on an OTT platform. The announcement was officially made by the producer himself saying that his discussions with the Kerala Film Chamber and Producers Association for a theatrical release of the movie failed.

“We held talks with theatre owners and it was decided that the film would be screened for 21 days in theatres. For this, I was asked to get the approval of the theatre owners across the state. However, only 89 theatres agreed to our demands,” he told the media. He also added that Mohanlal's five upcoming movies produced by him will also be released on OTT platforms. The upcoming movies including 'Bro Daddy', '12th Man' and 'Alone' produced by Aashirvad Cinemas will have a direct OTT release.

Made on a whopping budget of Rs 100 crore, Marakkar is the most expensive Malayalam film ever produced. The film bagged three National Awards for 2020 - Best Feature Film, Best Special Effects, and Best Costume. Set in the 16th century the film recounts the adventures of Kunjali Marakkar IV, naval commander of the then ruler of Kozhikode (Calicut), known to the world as the Zamorin. The movie features Mohanlal in the title role and its star cast includes Suniel Shetty, Arjun Serja, Manju Warrier, Keerthi Suresh, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Pranav Mohanlal and several other prominent names of the South Indian film industry.