Mohanlal's award-winning Marakkar set for Onam release

After a long delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mohanlal's historical film Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham is set for a theatrical release on 12 August.

Leading man Mohanlal shared confirmation of the release date with a message for fans. "With love and a mind full of hope, we plan to bring Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham on August 12 as an Onam release," he wrote on Twitter. "We move ahead with the belief that we have your prayers and blessings."

The decision comes after a couple of other much-awaited films, Maalik (2021) and Cold Case (2021), headed for digital release on OTT platforms.

Mohanlal's film was initially scheduled to be released on 26 March 2020, but that plan had to be called off in view of the two-month countrywide pandemic-induced lockdown last year.

This led to rumours that the film might head for release on a digital platform. But director Priyadarshan denied any such plan. In an interview with the news portal Sify.com, Priyadarshan said, "Marakkar is a big-budget film that can be enjoyed only on the big screen. Even if I have to wait for another six months it will only have a theatrical release." 

The film won the National award for Best Feature Film in March this year. Set in 16th century India, Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham tells the story of Kunjali Marakkar IV who rose to fame for his sea battles with the Portuguese.

In addition to Mohanlal, the film stars Arjun Sarja, Suniel Shetty, Prabhu, Manju Warrier, Keerthy Suresh and Kalyani Priyadarshan.