‘Mid-sized film has completely died’, says director Suresh Triveni; talks about which movies get theatrical release

Suresh Triveni talked about how, post Covid-19, the dynamics of films in the entertainment industry have changed.

Filmmaker Suresh Triveni, known for movies such as Tumhari Sulu and Jalsa, has talked about how he thinks that "mid-sized films have completely died". Speaking with Variety India, he further spoke about which films get theatrical releases. Though the filmmaker wants to show his work in cinema halls, he said he doesn't want a “token release.” Suresh's latest film is Subedaar, which was released on Prime Video.

Suresh Triveni's next film is the dark comedy, Maa Behen.

Suresh Triveni talks about films getting a theatrical release

Speaking to Variety India, Suresh said, “I realised with my first film is that the journey is not just about making it theatrical. In today's changing mindset of the audience, you also need to pitch your film correctly and have that exposure when you're going theatrical. In the case of Subedaar, Amazon was always attached to it right from the beginning. But the idea was that the film should be promoted. I don't want a token release. There are many people who get a theatrical release, but no one gets to know them. Then what is the point?"

Suresh opens up about mid-sized films

He talked about how, post Covid-19, the dynamics of films in the entertainment industry have changed. “We are actually on the cusp of people still figuring out which side to go. And everyone has got their theory till the next theory disproves it. Pre-COVID, a mid-sized film could easily find itself on a big screen without any debate. What has happened now is there are only two kinds of cinemas which are finding theatres. Either the big star-led spectacle films or those independent releases where an independent individual producer goes about designing the film in a theatre and waits for things to happen. If you really look at it, the mid-sized film has completely died in recent times.”

About Suresh's career

Suresh made his directorial debut with Vidya Balan-starrer Tumhari Sulu in 2017. He then directed Jalsa (2022), starring Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah. Suresh's recent release Subedaar featured Anil Kapoor, Radhika Madan, Khushbu Sundar, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, and Mona Singh.

Suresh's next film is the dark-comedy, Maa Behen, starring Madhuri Dixit Nene, Triptii Dimri, Ravi Kishan and Dharna Durga. Maa Behen centres on Rekha and her two daughters, Jaya and Sushma, who find themselves at the centre of attention in their conservative neighbourhood after an unexpected incident leaves their neighbour's dead body in their kitchen.

The story of the film is by Suresh and Pooja Tolani. The screenplay and dialogue have been written by Pooja. The film is produced by Vikram Malhotra and Suresh under Abundantia Entertainment, in association with Opening Image Films.