The most awaited films of 2009
1. Pazhassiraja: A magnum opus biopic written by MT, directed by Hariharan and starring Mammootty and Sarath kumar. The film was in making for 2 years and the project was given the go-ahead after the much talked about Payyamvelli Chanthu was shelved. Its long since MT's pen has moved for cinema. The filming is completed and post production works are on. It is scheduled for Onam 09 release.
2. Casanova: A big budget film directed by Roshan Andrews, written by his discovery Bobby-Sanjay and starring Mohanlal and Arya. The genre of the film is hard to guess and the theme seems to be err.. say out of ordinary. Let’s hope the film has good substance along with splendid visuals from Vienna and technical brilliance. The film is also set for Onam 09 release, and the clash of two big(gest) budget films of the year at the BO may prove disastrous. I'm guessing Casanova will be pushed back a bit.
3. Bodyguard: A comedy written and directed by all-hits director Siddique and starring Dileep and Nayantara. Siddique returns to Malayalam after trying a hand in Tamil and not getting too much good response at the BO. Its also the full fledged homecoming of the 'queen of the south'. For Dileep it might be a routine business as he is accustomed to this genre and its variations, but the film is important for him, as he is supported by huge names and failure might mean disaster.
4. Harihar Nagar 2: A sequel to one of the best comedies in Malayalam written and directed by Lal and starring Mukesh, Siddique, Ashokan and Jagadish. Lal returns to direction after a long time, and Ashokan is also coming back after a long TV career. All eyes are on Jagadish, as his character of Appukkuttan being arguably the best recollected comedy role in Malayalam cinema. Siddique will be shunning his villain roles for this comedy role, and for Mukesh this might mean a renewed career.

2009 - Mixed start, hopeful also

A month has passed since the newyear of 2009. Everybody from jyothishis to economists were skeptic about the year, and unfortunately the recession blues have joined in hands with poor quality in Malayalam film industry. 4 major films were released in the year, and 2 of them might recover the cost: Makante Achchan and Hailesa. A recovery percentage of 50% is not too bad, but the quality factor is a concern. For Mammootty the year has started poorly, with the disastrous 'Love in Singapore'. The film is also the first commercial failure of the director duo Rafi-Mecartin. Dileep, who got a good run into 2009 with his December 2008 release 'Crazy Gopalan' had to meet with very bad response to 'Colours'. The film has been described as one of the worst films in his career. Actually the failure of LIS and 'Colours' is the main drawback; if either of them was okey-dokey kind, then the situation would have been much better off. Sreenivasan duo's 'Makante Achchan' is doing well, and might turn out to be a sleeper hit. Suresh Gopi's 'Hailesa' is getting below average collections, and might break even.

Come the Valentine weekend, and Mohanlal will debut in 2009 with the Shaji Kailas directed thriller 'Red Chillies'. The promo looks decent with trade mark angle shots of the ace director, but the film seems to be a costly production and has some preachy dialogoues by Lal. The film will face-off with Srinivasan's family drama 'Katha Samvidhanam Kunchakko'. It will be interesting to watch them at work in the BO, as Sreenivasan has grown into a bankable star. Lets hope they hit the bull's eye at the BO, and prove the jyothishis and economists wrong.