Director Basil Joseph has offered a candid view on his hit Minnal Murali, suggesting that a conventional theatrical release might actually have limited the film’s reach. In his view, it could have stayed largely within the Kerala market had it not premiered on Netflix, which he credits with turning a local superhero story into a global one.
The digital release, he said, took the film to audiences well beyond India — it trended in the Top 10 across six countries for a sustained period, a level of exposure that is hard for a regional film to achieve through a standard theatrical run.
Crossing language barriers
Basil pointed to the platform’s subtitling and dubbing as key to letting viewers from different cultures connect with the story. With the film holding its place in the charts for weeks, it helped carve out a new identity for Indian superhero cinema, which is why he sees the OTT route as a strategic win rather than a missed theatrical opportunity.
That global response has also opened the door to more ambitious projects, with fans keen for news of a sequel or another collaboration with Tovino Thomas. For Basil, the experience reflects a broader shift in how filmmakers think about distribution — and a sign that a strong story can find a worldwide audience straight from a streaming screen.
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