The Indian cinema industry has caught on to the trend of releasing old films, classics and commercial entertainers, again in theatres. The latest to jump on the re-release bandwagon is the Mammootty starrer Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha, based on TP Rajeevan's novel of the same name. Mammootty announced on social media that his 2009 film, written and directed by Ranjith, will release again in theatres worldwide on October 04, Friday.
Mammootty plays three roles in the mystery thriller: a private detective, a cruel and misogynistic landlord, and a teacher. It follows the detective's investigation of a woman's mysterious death. As detective Haridas looks into the cold case, he discovers eerie similarities between his past, the death of Manikyam (Mythili), and landlord Murikkinkunnath Ahmed Haaji.
The film is best remembered for not only Mammootty's portrayal of Murikkinkunnath Ahmed Haaji, with echoes of his character Bhaskara Patelar in Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Vidheyan, but also its novel-like storytelling. The film also stars Shweta Menon, Sreenivasan, Gowri Munjal, Siddique, and Suresh Krishna, among others.
Reportedly, the AVA Productions did not fare well commercially on its release in December 2009, but it earned critical acclaim.