Mammootty and Vinayakan's latest film Kalamkaval, directed by Jithin K Jose has been receiving rave reviews since its release on December 5. The film, which marked Mammootty's second-biggest opening in his career grossing over Rs 14 crore globally, has now minted over Rs 30 crore in two days. Its cummulative total now stands at Rs 31.2 crore.
With the current trend, Kalamkaval is expected to breach the Rs 50 crore mark soon. The film has been witnessing steady footfall in theatres and had an overall 56.10 per cent Malayalam Occupancy on Sunday. Kochi, Kozhikode and Kollam districts saw the maximum occupancy in Kerala, according to Sacnilk. Interestingly, the NCR region saw about 63 per cent occupancy while Mumbai also recorded 59.50 per cent occupancy.
On Sunday, Mammootty and Vinayakan thanked the audiences for the film's success and expressed their gratitude for all the new and old artists who worked in front of the camera and behind the scenes of the film.
Kalamkaval is centred around a series of murders committed in the areas surrounding the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. While Vinayakan plays a cop investigating the crimes, Mammootty remained playfully evasive about his character.
CE's review of the film reads, "Jithin’s earlier credit, Kurup (also based on a real criminal), for which he penned the story, was criticised for glorifying its protagonist. Perhaps for that reason, he seems more cautious here. Extra points for avoiding sexual violence while still delivering the required chills. He also sidesteps the overused trope of elaborate flashbacks or origin-story monologues that risk humanising serial killers. Instead, a few photographs, accompanied by a chilling voiceover from a character who we expect to be at the other end of the spectrum, offer enough hints. Only then does the opening quote, “The venom beneath can’t be suppressed forever,” click into place."
