Lost an entire year because of it: Director Girish AD on shelving Premalu 2

Malayalam filmmaker Girish AD has revealed that he spent an entire year working on Premalu 2 before the project was unexpectedly shelved, calling the decision a major setback. The filmmaker said the team had to abandon the sequel despite investing a year in its development, before moving on to Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju's Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, which went on to become Malayalam cinema's top grosser of all time.Speaking at the success celebration of Bethlehem Kudumba Unit in Kochi on Sunday, Girish credited the production house Bhavana Studios and screenwriter Kiran Josey for standing by him during the difficult period and helping him bring the film to the screens sooner than expected.“Work on this film began after a year. Until then, I had been working on Premalu 2. We had to abandon the project unexpectedly, and it was a huge setback for us. We lost an entire year because of it. There was no need for us to lose that much time,” he said.Girish explained that the idea for Bethlehem Kudumba Unit took shape after the setback, although he had wanted to make the film even before the success of Premalu led him to pursue a sequel. “Since Premalu had been a huge hit, the idea of Premalu 2 came along, and we decided to pursue it,” he added. Had the sequel progressed as planned, it would have reached theatres during Vishu last year. Instead, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit was released three to four months later, with Girish noting that the team managed to complete the film in a relatively short period.The filmmaker said he had not anticipated the response Bethlehem Kudumba Unit would receive. “We never imagined that it would become such a huge success or an industry hit. I consider this a personal victory. I thank everyone who stood by me,” he said. Starring Nivin Pauly, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit marks another successful collaboration between Girish, screenwriter Kiran Josey, cinematographer Ajmal Sabu and editor Aakash Joseph Varghese. The film is produced by Bhavana Studios, with Fahadh Faasil, Dileesh Pothan and Syam Pushkaran among the key names associated with the banner.The film has crossed Rs 325 crore worldwide, setting a record as the fastest Malayalam film to reach the milestone. Its success has turned what Girish described as a difficult professional setback into a personal victory.- Ends