Tovino Thomas’ Minnal Murali to become a franchise? Director Basil Joseph says ‘there are strong reasons to believe’ so

Director Basil Joseph, whose recent Malayalam superhero film Minnal Murali was acclaimed, has opened up on the possibility of the movie turning into a franchise. In a new interview, Basil has said that ‘there are strong reasons to believe’ that.

Minnal Murali features actor Tovino Thomas as the superhero. The film also features Guru Somasundaram, Harisree Ashokan, and Aju Varghese. It was premiered on Netflix on December 24 in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.

Speaking to IndianExpress.com, Basil on Minnal Murali becoming a franchise said, “Surely, there are strong reasons to believe Minnal Murali can become a franchise. Discussions are happening but nothing has been confirmed yet to make an official announcement.”

Minnal Murali is the story of a neighbourhood tailor, who gets struck by lightning and earns superhero powers. The film features Tovino Thomas (Jaison) as the superhero and Guru Somasundaram (Shibu) as his nemesis.

Last week, producer Sophia Paul said the sequel plan is definitely on in an interview with The Federal. Answering a question about the sequel plans, she had said, “It’s too early to talk about what lies ahead, but yes, we will soon announce the sequel, a bigger extravaganza. As I said, I can’t talk about what we have in mind, but it’s going to be a hell of a ride.”

On the cast and crew for the sequel, Sophia had added, “I can’t talk if Shibu is there or not at this stage. My entire team, led by Basil Joseph, will be there to execute our plans. As I said, we have bigger things in mind, having been given a red-carpet reception now. It’s the license the audience has given us to take the franchise to the next level.”

Also Read | Tovino Thomas says he ‘called off a few movies’ after working with ‘confused’ director, almost quit acting

Minnal Murali was originally scheduled to be released in cinemas. However, it chose to skip theatrical releases and premiere directly on Netflix. It’s the first superhero film from Malayalam cinema.