Recently, actor Munishkanth addressed the nature of the theatrical response to his recent film, Middle Class. The actor spoke about the family drama, during promotions for his latest web series Kaakee Circus, which is currently streaming on Zee5.
In an interview with CE, Munishkanth was asked about why his film Middle Class did not have a good opening. He explained, "We wondered if it didn’t reach people because of the release date. Another problem is the audience's mindset. They prefer to watch it on OTT rather than in theatres. We promoted it well; I even went and gave interviews, but that's how things are. Thankfully, that is slowly changing now."
He also spoke about film promotions and evolving audience behaviour: “At one point, we were stuck in a phase where people felt, ‘No matter how good a film is, it will be on OTT in two months,’ instead of going to theatres. But that mindset is slowly changing. Today, almost everyone involved—from the leads to the supporting cast—is a committed artist, and audiences are beginning to recognise that effort. Middle Class is a good film, and even the producer believed it would go beyond just promotions. It has earned a respectable name, and I think the films that follow will benefit from it."
He added," As Cheran sir aptly said, ‘Earlier, fans used to come to meet us; now, we have to go to them and invite them to watch our films.’ Now, with good films consistently releasing, including recent youth-centric hits, people are gradually returning to theatres. I believe this trend will continue. A lot of people have supported Middle Class.”
When Munishkanth was asked about how he feels about the audience’s positive response to Thaai Kizhavi, he said, “Unlike today's youngsters who go to movies regularly, middle-aged people in villages are rarely exposed to films, as they seldom release in theatres. In a village called Senthoor Nilakottai, there have been no movie releases for nearly 200 years. Seeing my film in that theatre made me incredibly happy. It had been a long time since a successful film screening happened there. Now that there are new theatres in Nilakottai, I am joyous to see so many people go, enjoy themselves, and return happy is a great source of joy." he added.
Munishkanth further highlighted director Sivakumar's writing in Thaai Kizhavi, "All the credit for Thaai Kizhavi goes to Sivakumar sir. The way it was written made it significant and meant to reach and be enjoyed by everyone. The goal was especially for those around the age of 40 to come to the theatres to watch the movie with their families. That kind of writing is not ordinary.”
Kaakee Circus is now streaming on ZEE5. The series also stars Subash Selvam, Rajesh Madhavan, Gowthami, Vinsu Rachel Sam, Savithri, Amrudha, Abdul Lee, Maruthupandiyan, Arunkumar Pavumba, Rakesh Ushar, and Chiththirasenan. The series is produced by Rise East Entertainment.
