Company type | Privately held company |
---|---|
Industry | Motion picture |
Founded | 2000 |
Headquarters | , India |
Area served | Worldwide |
Products | Films |
Owner | Antony Perumbavoor |
Subsidiaries | Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments |
Website | www |
Aashirvad Cinemas is an Indian film production company based in Kochi, Kerala. It was established in 2000 by Antony Perumbavoor, since then, it has produced over 30 Malayalam films, starring Mohanlal. [1] Since 2009, the company co-operates with the distribution company Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments co-founded by Mohanlal and Antony Perumbavoor for distributing films. It is one among the most active and leading production houses in the Malayalam film industry.
Aashirvad Cinemas has established itself by producing several hits such as Narasimham (2000), Ravanaprabhu (2001), Naran (2005), Rasathanthram (2006), Drishyam (2013), Oppam (2016), Lucifer (2019) and Neru (2023). [2] It has also produced three of the most expensive Malayalam films — Odiyan (2018), Lucifer (2019), and Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham (2020) with Marakkar not being profitable ventures for the production house.
Aashirvad Cinemas has won several awards, including two National Film Awards, four Kerala State Film Awards and a Filmfare Awards South. In 2019, Aashirvad Cinemas opened office in Hong Kong with the name Feitian Aashirvad Cinemas and signed an agreement with a Chinese film production company to co-produce and distribute films in China. Aashirvad Cinemas is the currently the biggest production company in Mollywood. It has made big budget films like Odiyan (₹30 crore), Lucifer (₹35 crore) and Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham (₹100 crore).
Aashirvad Cinemas was founded by Mohanlal's former chauffeur Antony Perumbavoor in 2000. Its first production was the 2000 film, Narasimham . The company's next was the 2001 action drama film, Raavanaprabhu , which was a sequel to the 1993 film, Devasuram . The film won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value [ citation needed ]. Over the years, Aashrivad Cinemas have continued to receive great reception and success for their films and continue making new records.
The action drama Natturajavu was the only release in 2004. It released coinciding with the festival of Onam and was the winner among the Onam releases. [3] Joshiy-directed action drama Naran was the only release in 2005, which was the winner among the Onam releases of the year. [4] In the following year, Sathyan Anthikkad-directed family drama Rasathanthram became a commercial success. [2] Two films released in 2009, action film Sagar Alias Jackie Reloaded directed by Amal Neerad, a spiritual successor to Mohanlal's 1987 film Irupatham Noottandu . It had a good opening which did not sustain in the following weeks. [5]
The 2011 comedy film China Town made ₹15.2 crore at the box office and was a major commercial success. [6] [7] The 2012 drama Spirit won the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues [ citation needed ]. In 2013, family-thriller Drishyam received widespread critical acclaim and became the highest-grossing Malayalam and industry hit film and the first to gross over ₹50 crore mark at the box office. The 2016 crime thriller Oppam also became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time by grossing ₹65 crore worldwide.
Mohanlal and Lal Jose collaborated for the first time in Velipadinte Pusthakam in 2017, which was a moderate success. [8] In 2019, Prithviraj Sukumaran-directed action drama Lucifer grossed ₹200 crore worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam film till date, beating Mohanlal's Pulimurugan . It was also the first Malayalam film to gross over ₹50 crores in overseas markets. It was followed by the comedy-drama Ittymaani: Made in China directed by debutant duo Jibi-Joju. During the pandemic, Aashirvad Cinemas produced the sequel to Drishyam , Drishyam 2 , which was the first film in Mohanlal's career to premiere on an OTT platform Amazon Prime Video instead of the normal theatrical release. The film received widespread positive reviews. Then the company produced Telugu film titled Drushyam 2 (co-produced by Suresh Productions and RajKumar Theatres), which was a remake of Drishyam 2 also premiered on OTT platform Amazon Prime Video instead of the theatrical release. The company produced Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham (co-produced by Moonshot Entertainments and Confident Group), an action period film directed by Priyadarshan based on the life of Kunjali Marakkar. It is the most expensive Malayalam film ever, with a budget of ₹100 crores. The film released on 2 December 2021. In 2022, the company produced three films, out of which two films, Bro Daddy directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran and 12th Man directed by Jeethu Joseph had Direct OTT release on Disney+ Hotstar. Both films received generally positive reviews. Then they produced Monster directed by Vysakh and the film was Mohanlal's second collaboration with Vysakh (as director) after Pulimurugan . In 2023, the company produced Alone directed by Shaji Kailas. The film received mixed to positive reviews but was a Box-office failure mainly because the film was originally filmed for OTT. [9] In the same year, the company produced the court room drama film Neru directed by Jeethu Joseph and received highly positive response and became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time by grossing ₹100 crore worldwide. [10] [11] [12]
Aashirvad Cinemas' next project is Mohanlal's debut directorial Barroz: Guardian of D'Gama's Treasure, which completed shooting and pre-production works. The film is expected to be released in 2024. The project they will be doing afterwards will be the sequel to the 2019 film Lucifer called L2:Empuraan. The film will be co-producing by Lyca Productions.
† | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Title | Year | Director | Budget | Worldwide gross | Other notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Narasimham | 2000 | Shaji Kailas | The film was a major commercial success at the box office, becoming the first Malayalam film to gross 20 crores in the box office. [13] The film is also noted for being Jagathy Sreekumar's 1000th film. [14] | ||
Ravanaprabhu | 2001 | Ranjith | The film is noted director Ranjith's directorial debut. The film is a sequel to the 1993 film Devaasuram . The film emerged a commercial success becoming the top grossing Malayalam film of the year. | ||
Kilichundan Mampazham | 2003 | Priyadarshan | |||
Natturajavu | 2004 | Shaji Kailas | ₹1.75 crore (US$210,000) [3] | The film was a commercial success at the box office. It was the winner among the Onam releases that year. [3] | |
Naran | 2005 | Joshiy | ₹2.55 crore (US$310,000) [4] | The film was a commercial success at the box office. It was the winner among the Onam releases that year. [4] | |
Rasathanthram | 2006 | Sathyan Anthikkad | The film was a commercial success at the box office. It was the winner among the Vishu releases that year. [2] Mohanlal and Sathyan Anthikkad collaborate after 12 years gap since Pingami . | ||
Baba Kalyani | 2006 | Shaji Kailas | |||
Ali Bhai | 2007 | Shaji Kailas | |||
Paradesi | 2007 | P. T. Kunju Muhammed | Mohanlal got Kerala State Film Awards For Best Actor | ||
Innathe Chintha Vishayam | 2008 | Sathyan Anthikkad | |||
Sagar Alias Jacky Reloaded | 2009 | Amal Neerad | Sequel to Irupatham Noottandu | ||
Evidam Swargamanu | 2009 | Rosshan Andrrews | Won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value. [15] | ||
China Town | 2011 | Rafi Mecartin | Multi-star film with Mohanlal, Dileep and Jayaram in lead roles. The film was a blockbuster. It was one of the highest-grossing films of the year. [6] [7] | ||
Snehaveedu | 2011 | Sathyan Anthikkad | The film was Mohanlal's 300th movie | ||
Casanovva | 2012 | Roshan Andrews | Associate production with Confident Group | ||
Spirit | 2012 | Ranjith | |||
Ladies and Gentleman | 2013 | Siddique | ₹10 crore (US$1.2 million) [16] | Associate production with Confident Group | |
Drishyam | 2013 | Jeethu Joseph | ₹3.5 crore (US$420,000) - ₹5 crore (US$600,000) [lower-alpha 1] | ₹75 crore (US$9.0 million) [20] | Became Industry hit by breaking collections of previous IH Twenty-20 and became Highest-grossing Malayalam film at the time of release. It was also the highest-grossing Malayalam film of the year Remade into 7 Languages: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Sinhalese, Chinese & Indonesian becoming the fourth Malayalam film to be remade into 6 languages after Poovinu Puthiya Poonthennal, Kireedam and Shutter. The first Indian film to be remade in Chinese and Indonesian. |
Ennum Eppozhum | 2015 | Sathyan Anthikad | |||
Loham | 2015 | Ranjith | |||
Oppam | 2016 | Priyadarshan | ₹7 crore (US$840,000) [21] | ₹65 crore (US$7.8 million) [22] | The film was the second highest-grossing Malayalam film of the year after Pulimurugan |
Velipadinte Pusthakam | 2017 | Lal Jose | ₹15 crore (US$1.8 million) - ₹20 crore (US$2.4 million) [23] | The film is Mohanlal's first collaboration with Lal Jose. The film was a commercial success. | |
Aadhi | 2018 | Jeethu Joseph | ₹50 crore (US$6.0 million) [24] | One of the highest-grossing Malayalam film of the year. Pranav Mohanlal's debut as an adult lead actor. Mohanlal did a cameo role. The film was a commercial success. This is the only Aashirvad cinema production that does not feature Mohanlal in the lead role. | |
Odiyan | 2018 | V. A. Shrikumar Menon | ₹35 crore (US$4.2 million) [25] | The film is V. A. Shrikumar Menon's directorial debut. Mohanlal and Prakash Raj acted together in Odiyan after having a 19-year gap since the 1997 Tamil film Iruvar . | |
Lucifer | 2019 | Prithviraj Sukumaran | ₹30 crore (US$3.6 million) [26] | ₹200 crore (US$24 million) [27] | The film is the Highest-grossing Malayalam film. It broke many box-office records like crossing ₹50 crore mark in 4 days, ₹100 crore mark in 8 days and ₹150 crores in 21 days and becoming the first Malayalam film to enter 200 crore Club and the first Malayalam film to gross over ₹50 crores in overseas box office. The film was actor Prithviraj Sukumaran's directorial debut. The film was also Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi's Malayalam debut. [28] |
Ittymaani: Made in China | 2019 | Jibi–Joju | The film was the directorial debut of Jibi-Joju. [29] | ||
Drishyam 2 | 2021 | Jeethu Joseph | The sequel of Drishyam. The film was directlly released on Amazon Prime Video . [30] | ||
Drushyam 2 | 2021 | Jeethu Joseph | Telugu film. Remake of Drishyam 2 . The film was directly released on Amazon Prime Video | ||
Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham | 2021 | Priyadarshan | ₹100 crore (US$12 million) [31] | The film is the most expensive Malayalam film made with a budget of 100 crore. The film was co-produced by Moonshot Entertainments and Confident Group. [32] | |
Bro Daddy | 2022 | Prithviraj Sukumaran | The film was directly released on Disney+ Hotstar. [33] | ||
12th Man [34] | 2022 | Jeethu Joseph | The film was directly released on Disney+ Hotstar. [35] [36] | ||
Monster [37] | 2022 | Vysakh | The film is Mohanlal's second collaboration with Vysakh(as director) after Pulimurugan. [38] | ||
Alone | 2023 | Shaji Kailas | ₹0.75 crore (US$90,000) [9] | [39] | |
Neru | 2023 | Jeethu Joseph | ₹10 crore (US$1.2 million) | ₹80 crore (US$9.6 million) | [40] [11] [41] |
Barroz † | 2024 | Mohanlal | The film is Mohanlal's directorial debut. [42] [43] | ||
L2: Empuraan † | 2024 | Prithviraj Sukumaran | The sequel of Lucifer. The film is co-produced by Lyca Productions. [44] |
Following are the accolades won by Aashirvad Cinemas. The awards received by the producer alone is included in this list.
Mohanlal Viswanathan is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam film industry besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Mohanlal has a prolific career spanning over four decades, during which he has acted in more than 400 films. Mohanlal's contributions to the Malayalam cinema have been praised by his contemporaries in the Indian film industry. The Government of India honoured him with Padma Shri in 2001, and Padma Bhushan in 2019, India's fourth and third highest civilian honours, for his contributions to Indian cinema. In 2009, he became the first actor in India to be awarded the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Army. Mohanlal was named as one of "the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema" by CNN-News18.
Priyadarshan is an Indian film director and screenwriter who predominantly works in Malayalam and Hindi cinema. The massive success his movies enjoyed mirrors the collective conscience of the people, particularly the elite, of that era - a period with which the filmmaker is intimately connected.
Pranav Mohanlal is an Indian actor and playback singer who works in Malayalam cinema. The son of actor Mohanlal, he made his debut as a child actor with a minor role in Onnaman (2002), followed by a leading role in Punarjani, for which he won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Child Artist (2003).
Naatturajavu is a 2004 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by Shaji Kailas and written by T. A. Shahid. The film stars Mohanlal in the lead role and Meena, Nayanthara, Kalabhavan Mani, Manoj K Jayan, Ranjith, and Siddique in supporting roles. M. Jayachandran composed the film's soundtrack. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor through Aashirvad Cinemas. Naatturajavu was released in India on 20 August 2004, the film performed well at the box office, becoming one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year.
Malekudy Joseph Antony, better known as Antony Perumbavoor is an Indian film producer, distributor, cinema exhibitor and actor, who works in Malayalam film industry. He began his career as a chauffeur to Mohanlal in 1987 and started appearing in brief roles in Malayalam films in 1990s. In 2000, he established the film production house Aashirvad Cinemas, which exclusively produces Mohanlal films. Antony owns the multiplex theatre chain Aashirvad Cineplexx and co-owns the film distribution company Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments. He is the president of Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK).
Jeethu Joseph is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. Jeethu made his directional debut with the 2007 police procedural, Detective. He is best known for creating the Drishyam franchise. Drishyam became the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever, at its time of release. It was the first Malayalam film to cross the ₹50 crore mark, at the box office. Drishyam 2 was released directly through Amazon Prime Video, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like the prequel, it was highly acclaimed and appreciated, worldwide.
Lucifer is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language political action thriller film directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran and written by Murali Gopy. Produced by Antony Perumbavoor through the production house Aashirvad Cinemas, the film marks Prithviraj's directorial debut and features Mohanlal in the title role, alongside an ensemble supporting cast including Vivek Oberoi, Manju Warrier, Tovino Thomas, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Indrajith Sukumaran, Saniya Iyappan, Sai Kumar, John Vijay, Sachin Khedekar, Baiju Santhosh, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Fazil, Suresh Chandra Menon and Nyla Usha. Deepak Dev composed the film's music, and the cinematography was handled by Sujith Vaassudev.
Drishyam (transl. Visual) is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. It stars Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil, Asha Sharath, Siddique, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Roshan Basheer and Neeraj Madhav. The film was produced by Antony Perumbavoor under Aashirvad Cinemas. A sequel titled Drishyam 2 was released in 2021. The film follows the struggle of Georgekutty and his family, who come under suspicion when Varun Prabhakar, the son of the IG Geetha Prabhakar, goes missing.
Priyadarshan is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Priyadarshan is mostly known for directing comedy films but has directed a few non-comical films such as a historical epic film based around freedom fighters in India titled Kaalapani and his epic period drama Kancheevaram. In a career spanning almost three decades, Priyadarshan has directed over 90 films in several Indian languages, predominantly Malayalam and Hindi, besides eight in Tamil, and two in Telugu. Though he began his career in Malayalam cinema in 1984, Priyadarshan was mainly active in Hindi cinema for 2001–2010. In 2013, he announced Rangrezz would be his last Hindi film for a short period; and focused on making more Malayalam films.
Odiyan (transl. Shapeshifter) is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy drama film directed by V. A. Shrikumar Menon in his feature film debut. The film was written by Harikrishnan; it is based on the legend of the Odiyan clan, who in Kerala folklore are men believed to possess shapeshifting abilities and can assume animal forms. Odiyans are said to have inhabited the Malabar region of Kerala before the widespread use of electricity. The film stars Mohanlal in the title role, alongside Prakash Raj and Manju Warrier; it was produced by Antony Perumbavoor through Aashirvad Cinemas.
Aadhi is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Jeethu Joseph and produced by Antony Perumbavoor through Aashirvad Cinemas. The film stars Pranav Mohanlal in the title role and with an ensemble cast including Jagapathi Babu, Siddique, Lena, Aditi Ravi, Anusree, Sharaf U Dheen, Siju Wilson, Meghanathan, Sijoy Varghese, Tony Luke and Krishna Shankar. The original soundtrack for the film was composed by Anil Johnson.
12th Man is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-language mystery thriller film directed by Jeethu Joseph and produced by Antony Perumbavoor through Aashirvad Cinemas, with a screenplay by K. R. Krishna Kumar and based on a story by Sunir Khetarpal. The film stars Mohanlal, with an ensemble cast including Unni Mukundan, Anusree, Anu Sithara, Saiju Kurup, Rahul Madhav, Chandunath Nair, Anu Mohan, Priyanka Nair, Leona Lishoy, Aditi Ravi, Sshivada. This film is loosely based on the core idea of 2016 Italian film Perfect Strangers.
Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language epic historical action film directed by Priyadarshan. Set in the 16th century Calicut, the film is based on the fourth Kunjali Marakkar named Muhammad Ali, the admiral of the fleet of the Zamorin. Priyadarshan scripted the film with Ani Sasi. The film is produced by Antony Perumbavoor's Aashirvad Cinemas. Marakkar features Mohanlal in the titlular role, with ensemble cast including Arjun Sarja, Suniel Shetty, Ashok Selvan, Prabhu, Nedumudi Venu, Mukesh, Siddique, Manju Warrier, Keerthy Suresh, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Suhasini Maniratnam, Innocent, Mamukkoya, Hareesh Peradi, Santhosh Keezhattoor and K. B. Ganesh Kumar. In the film, upon being terrorised by an oppressive Portuguese regime, legendary naval chieftain Kunjali Marakkar IV wages an epic war against the Europeans and their allies. This film was Keerthy Suresh's comeback to Malayalam cinema after a gap of seven years and the Malayalam debut of Ashok Selvan.
Ram is an upcoming Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. It is the first installment of a two-part film series. The film stars Mohanlal in the title role, with an ensemble cast. The film's music was composed by Vishnu Shyam.
Drishyam 2: The Resumption, or simply Drishyam 2 is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. The film was produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the banner of Aashirvad Cinemas. A sequel to the 2013 film Drishyam, the film stars Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil, Murali Gopy and Asha Sharath. The story is set six years after the events of Drishyam.
Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea is the soundtrack to the 2021 Indian period drama action film of the same name directed by Priyadarshan. The film features five songs composed by Ronnie Raphael, whilst the original score is composed by Rahul Raj, Ankit Suri and Lyell Evans Roeder. The album features lyrics written by Prabha Varma, B. K. Harinarayanan, Shafi Kollam for the Malayalam version, and Priyadarshan, R. P. Bala, Samji for the Tamil version, whereas the lyricists for the dubbed versions are: Vennelakanti (Telugu), Aniruddha Sastry, Vybhav M (Kannada), Nawab Arzoo and Ishtiaq Feroz (Hindi). The album released through Saina Music on 1 August 2021.
Drishyam is an Indian crime thriller film series, written and directed by Jeethu Joseph, produced by Antony Perumbavoor under Aashirvad Cinemas. It stars Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Hassan and Esther Anil in the lead roles. The film series follows the struggle of Georgekutty and his family who come under suspicion when Varun Prabhakar, the son of the inspector-general of police, goes missing.
Neru is a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language courtroom drama film directed by Jeethu Joseph, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Santhi Mayadevi. It was produced and distributed by Antony Perumbavoor of Aashirvad Cinemas. The film stars Mohanlal and Anaswara Rajan in the lead roles while Priyamani, Santhi Mayadevi, Siddique, Sankar Induchoodan, Jagadish and K. B. Ganesh Kumar in the supporting roles.
Santhi Mayadevi, also known as Adv Santhi or Santhi Priya is a Malayali Indian actress and advocate known for her work in Malayalam movies.
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