Kalamkaval box office collection day 1: Malayalam superstar Mammootty has officially made his comeback to the big screen, and his fans cannot keep calm. Back as a serial killer this time, his role is rumoured to be inspired by Mohan Kumar, the accused who killed 20 women between 2004 and 2009, nicknamed Cyanide Mohan.
Mammootty, the protagonist of Kalamkaval, revealed that his character was ‘not a good soul’, hinting at his anti-hero role ahead of the release. Elaborating about his role, he told actor-screenwriter Santhi Mayadevi, “Even other (non-lead) characters can show heroism, right? At the same time, villains can also be major characters. If we start categorising roles, we may end up losing good ones.”
Kalamkaval collection day 1: Box office update
According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the Malayalam crime-thriller has grossed Rs 4.75 crore on its opening day. Aiming for a Rs 5 crore collection, there was a significantly lukewarm buzz about Kalamkaval. However, during the final hours of the advance booking, the Mammootty power helped become the 4th biggest opening post-pandemic. The pre-sales registered Rs 2.25 crore in Kerala alone, following positive reviews.
Interestingly, the occupancy rates have been higher than the big Bollywood December release, Dhurandhar. Managing to fill nearly 50% theatres on Friday, December 5, night shows alone contributed to nearly 68% of occupancy. Kochi dominated the charts with a 75% occupancy across 164 shows, while Trivandrum and Bengaluru followed. Vinayakan, Gayatri Arun, Rajisha Vijayan, and Gibin Gopinath star in key roles, alongside Mammootty in this Jithin K Jose directorial.
Kalamkaval day 1 reviews
With a 7.8 IMDb rating, Kalamkaval has been labelled as a ‘visual treat’ for viewers despite its intense theme. “A dark raw psycho serial – crime investigation thriller that delivers with its precise writing, stable execution and masterclass performances,” read a review online. “The makers deserve praise for staying away from the usual commercial additives and hero-villain glorifications,” wrote another user.
Several reviews have also praised the background scores and the intense performances from the Mammooty-Vinayakan duo. After describing the writing and screenplay with adjectives like ‘brilliant’ and ‘engaging’, fans did not miss the edge-of-the-seat interval. Mammootty “plays a no-holds barred serial killer with no convenient sympathetic backstory. Just pure Evil!,” read a review.