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Time of India
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Shine Tom Chacko's sister remembers late father C.P. Chacko: 'You were the light that guided us'
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook) Actor Shine Tom Chacko 's father C.P. Chacko passed away in a road accident on June 6, 2025. Shine's sister, Riya Mary Chacko took to social media to pen a moving tribute to their late father. 'You always reached out first...' Riya took to her Instagram to share a pic of her father and penned, 'You were always loud.. Always energetic.. always full of life.. You always reached out first.' She fondly recalled how their father was never a figure they feared, but someone they could confide in. 'We were never scared of you, we shared our sorrows with you, we fought with you, we cared for you, we loved you, and you have always remained the same.' 'You always tried to be the best dad' Theri Meri - Official Trailer Riya wrote with sincerity, 'You were not perfect, you had flaws, you made mistakes.. But you always tried to be the best dad.. Always tried to be the best version of yourself.' 'For the last few years you showed us how much a father can fight for protecting his own family,' she added in her note. 'You were the light that guided us' Riya further wrote, 'You were the light that guided us. You never let us down. You were always proud of us. You are the strongest dad…' "He followed me and followed me…" - Shine Tom Chacko Recently at an event, the actor Rony David Raj recalled the moment when he called Shine Tom Chacko after the incident. The 'Kannur Squad' actor said, "When I first saw him, I thought he didn't even know his father had passed,' Ronnie said. 'Then he told me, 'By the time I opened my eyes, there was blood in my father's ear.' And then he tried to smile and said, 'He followed me and followed me, and then Dad was gone." The family was reportedly on their way to a rehabilitation center where Shine was undergoing treatment when the incident occurred.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Kerala Crime Files actor Arjun Radhakrishnan: People know I'm an outsider but they have been supportive too
For actor Arjun Radhakrishnan, who had starred in Amitabh Bachchan's Jhund, Mammootty's Kannur Squad and essayed APJ Abdul Kalam in Rocket Boys, his latest Malayalam web series Kerala Crime Files Season 2 is special for several reasons. The most notable of these being that the series presented him the opportunity to play his first-ever lead role, something he grabbed with both hands and aced too - based on the reception. Arjun Radhakrishnan in Kerala Crime Files S2 Stream Arjun Radhakrishnan's performances in Rocket Boys, Jhund and more on OTTplay Premium On the feedback for the series, which is currently streaming on JioHotstar, the actor says, 'It's been great. It's almost similar to what you would get for a theatrical release. It's not something that I expected because web series are still at a nascent stage in Kerala where we have only had a handful of OTT series.' Arjun Radhakrishnan on Kerala Crime Files S2 This season of the Ahammed Khabeer directorial, which is scripted by Kishkinda Kaandam writer Bahul Ramesh, revolves around Kerala police's efforts to track down one of their own. Rookie officer Noble, played by Arjun, leads the case which takes a shocking turn with every episode. Also read: Kerala Crime Files S2 actor Arjun Radhakrishnan on playing his first lead role: 'There's a definite arc' Arjun also attributes the response to the previous season, which also had Aju Varghese and Lal. 'So, there was an anticipation for this. This season came out well in terms of the look and feel; there was a certain quality to the show,' he says. The actor is one of the few younger stars, who have managed to catch the attention of the audiences as well as those in the industry with each of his films - starting from Pada and Dear Friend in 2022. Arjun Radhakrishnan on whether it's difficult to get opportunities in Malayalam Being a Malayali actor, who was not raised in Kerala, was it tougher for him to get opportunities in the State? 'I have been absolutely lucky in terms of the people I have been able to work with. Right from Pada and Dear Friend to Kannur Squad and Ullozhukku, every one is aware of the fact that I came from outside. I didn't grow up here. But the people I have worked with have been really supportive and patient, sometimes to the extent of me feeling guilty,' Arjun explains. 'Even for Kerala Crime Files S2, the amount of time that Ahammed and Bahul spent with me, from the shoot to the dub, has been immense. Every director I have worked with has done this with me, and I feel very lucky.' That said, the actor confides that 'the fear (of being an outsider), is always there'. 'I thought Pada was a one-off thing and then I thought Dear Friend was another blip. But I am grateful for the kind of response and support the industry has given me,' he says. Arjun is currently working on National Award-winner Salim Ahamed's next.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
How young directors are redefining the Mollywood landscape and box office: 'Problem always lies in the...'
Fans and well-wishers of Mollywood were initially sceptical about the entry of new filmmakers with unique storytelling styles, especially in an industry where it was hard to imagine their beloved stars without over-the-top action scenes, instead portraying realistic, everyday struggles as ordinary people. Audiences longed to see their favourite stars, Mammootty or Mohanlal , collaborate with the veteran filmmakers they had grown up watching, as they were accustomed to their familiar style of storytelling. However, things began to shift when debutant directors took bold risks—introducing fresh faces and new crew members—while opting for simple yet deeply relatable narratives. Have you ever wondered why the 2019 Malayalam film 'Kumbalangi Nights' received such widespread acclaim from movie enthusiasts? That's precisely when the scepticism surrounding newcomers started to fade. The conversation around young filmmakers gained momentum when Mammootty began delivering performance-oriented films such as 'Kannur Squad', 'Puzhu', 'Unda', and more. Many Mohanlal fans started urging him to collaborate with emerging directors, as they felt his signature charisma—something his die-hard fans had missed for years—was no longer being effectively showcased. It took some time for Mohanlal to move away from working exclusively with veteran filmmakers and open up to the new wave of talent. Films like ' Drishyam ', 'Neru', ' Lucifer ', and 'Malaikottai Vaaliban' eventually addressed those concerns. However, the real turning point came with Tharun Moorthy 's 'Thudarum' in April 2025, which reignited hope among Mollywood fans that their favourite stars—and the industry itself—are in safe hands with debut directors. Pallotty 90s Kids | Song - Maalle Maalle In the past, many films struggled to find box office success despite receiving glowing reviews from both audiences and critics. However, movies like 'Vaazha', ' Manjummel Boys ', ' Rekhachitram ', 'Premalu', 'Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil', and several others have changed the narrative by managing to achieve both critical acclaim and commercial success. But is it easy to break into the tough world of filmmaking, especially as a newcomer? How much can your network of friends in the industry help you carve out your own space as a filmmaker? After all, isn't the filmmaking journey also about striking the right balance between commercial viability and audience approval? Let's explore how young directors are navigating their paths in this competitive industry. 'Problem always lies in the time of the actor…' - Jithin Raj Filmmaker Jithin Raj joined ETimes for a discussion where he shared his insights about the changing landscape of Mollywood and the struggles he faced as a young filmmaker. Jithin's 2024 release Pallotty 90's Kids went on to win the Best Children's Film at the 53rd Kerala State Film Awards. His movie graced numerous film festivals and was presented by one of the finest directors of Mollywood, Lijo Jose Pellissery. When asked how he feels this shift has impacted Mollywood and the way audiences perceive legends like Mohanlal and Mammootty today, Jithin shared, 'As we know a lot of movies coming in the recent times are based on content driven format. I believe script plays a vital role in any movie's success. When we take director Tharun Moorthy as an example, he got the opportunity to do 'Thudarum' with Mohanlal only after proving his ability with the unique kind of story telling he had in 'Saudi Vellakka' and 'Operation Java'. Currently, a lot of opportunities are there for such ambitious filmmakers and I do not believe this barrier still exists in the industry to reach out to big stars if you have a good story with you.' He believes that the real problem arises when a newcomer filmmaker can't take the risk of casting a big star and completing the shoot within a limited time, as it makes the process stressful. 'But the problem always lies in the time of the actor. The dates that have been given to different projects lead filmmakers to complete the movie within a bounded time. Due to this reason, the majority of young filmmakers hesitate to cast a lot of stars in their movies in the beginning. We have to spend a lot of time doing a movie for a big star with a commercial aspect. It is a director's choice to decide how much time he needs to make a film.' He also spoke about the tensions and challenges while making Pallotty as a debut director. 'I was only worried about the marketing strategy. As a director I was sure about Pallotti 's acceptance and success. But all I was worried about was its marketing side. In the current scenario there is this classification that people created, theatre releasing cinema, OTT designed cinema and all, but i believe cinema is for big screen no matter what genre and what kind it is. According to me every movie has a unique design given by its maker with sound design, background score, and some particular element created for theater. These elements , we will not get on small screens.' Jithin added that the marketing strategy always bothers a young director or crew, 'When it comes to Pallotti the movie was led by two kids (child artists). It is a rare concept in Mollywood after a long time where two kids lead the narration. Even if we have familiar faces like Arjun Ashokan, Balu Varghese, Saiju Kurup , and Sudhi Koppa in the movie, Davinchi Santhosh and Neeraj Krishna, these two kids lead the narration, so were curious to know whether people would come to theaters to watch a movie done by two kids. That was truly challenging for me to make people come and watch the movie in the theater.' But Pallotty won three state awards, and Lijo Jose Pellissery is presenting the movie with Sajid Yahiya backing it. A great director like Lijo has taken on the role to present this film for the first time. Jithin believes the movie became a success because many people found the story relatable and nostalgic. At the same time, several good reviews and articles helped it to find its audience. On social media, many people labelled it as one of the most underrated movies released in 2024, which he feels very happy to hear. The movie's success relied completely on its content. So, Jithin was never worried about the making stage of the movie but rather the marketing part. It completed the censoring process in 2022 and went for several awards. However, it took more than a year to reach out to distributors and convince them to release it in theatres. Many distributors said that without a star face and star value, people would not come to the theatre to watch the movie. They were worried about the business. That, he admits, was the toughest time in his film career, but he believes he has to overcome it with his next movie. He also shared some of his takeaways with upcoming talents: 'A cinema as an art form would also have some commercial value to become a business. There are two kinds of movies, where people purely rely on artistic and realistic aspects while some depend on commercial aspects. I designed 'Pallotti' to keep a balance between commercial and artistic. It had its own aesthetic story but it also had some commercial elements to reach out to people. The demarcation is a thin line which should not move here and there. I could do it with 'Pallotti'.' 'If we take 'Rekhachithram' and 'Thudarum' as examples , both of those are completely different. Thudarum took advantage of the star value Mohanlal has. But Rekhachithram could excite people with the rare genre which is experiment with alternative history. I do not have a proper definition for it but the movie is all about magic. In the current times it is all about how good a movie is. So if we do a movie for commercial success the mark should be able to make the producer safe with it. Then only the movie could reach the point called, 'success'. The producer should not face any loss due to the movie even if he does not get tons of money than he invested. I believe movies should be there to make the producer safe without loss.' 'But if we are making a movie purely for artistic values, then the producer should also be on the same page with the filmmaker that they just want to deliver the realistic theme rather than getting monetary benefits. I enjoy both kinds of movies and I love to do both kinds of movies. But it is completely up to the producer and director.' There are many movies that could not become successful at the box office for unpredictable reasons. 'We cannot predict that the movie will become a blockbuster while writing the story. The real happiness for a filmmaker relies on the point where his/ her film overcomes all the barriers and becomes a good movie. Every movie has different hit formulas. 'Rekhachithram', 'Thudarum', 'Manjummel Boys' all these movies had different approaches and formats to be successful. If we target a small group of people then it cannot make it big to the box office. We have to make it acceptable for at least 6 in 10 people.' At the same time, Jithin also addressed the importance of framing different promotion plans for the movie according to its cast, scale, and targeted audience. 'Promotions can really help movies to get into a larger audience. A movie with no big star cast needs promotion for sure. Currently we have a lot of mediums to promote films like, social media and all. All these platforms help a filmmaker to find the right audience. The marketing strategy should be perfect in that case. During the promotion we should clearly communicate the genre and mood of the movie so that people will not be disappointed at the end.' Thudarum - Official Teaser 'It had two sides as promotion can either make a film better or it can kill it with over hype. I really liked the promotion pattern the makers of 'Thudarum' followed. As the movie was carried by Mohanlal they made it sure there will be no over hype. They could execute the marketing strategy too well.' 'With Pallotti we had to move to a great extent to make it succeed. As a movie with fresh cast, makers and all and as a debut filmmaker there should be a hook point in the movie that drives people to the theater. For big movies promotion can impact in both negative and positive ways while small movies are advised to do proper promotion campaigns.' 'There are some times when just the song became a hit which led to the success of films. The same happened with Girish AD 's Thanneer Mathan Dinangal in 2019. The song 'Jaathikkathottam' became a hit and people went to watch the movie without bothering about the new cast crew and filmmakers. Jomon T. John was one of the people who had much experience in the industry in that film. So people should design their promotion strategy according to the scale, cast and genre of the movie.' he concluded.
