Soft porn movies, which hit the box office in Malayalam in the late seventies and eighties are making a comeback in the film industry here as remakes.
A host of old hits like I V Sasi directed 1978 film "Avalude Ravukal" (Her Nights), Antony Eastman's "Inaye Thedi" (in search of partner) in 1981 and late Sankaran Nair's 1975 film "Rasaleela" are some of the movies in the list.
The box office disappointment of big budger films and lack of novel stories, is forcing producers to reproduce old hits, which they believe, will woo the audiences afresh.
The remarkable success of the remake of 1978 "Rathinirvedam" last year by noted director T K Rajeev Kumar has been the trend setter in this direction.
The original version was directed by versatile Bharathan based on the script of noted writer-director Padmarajan. The film narrates the story of a teenager who falls in love with a woman older than him.
The film then turned out to be a big success and also received critical appreciation for the sensitive portrayal of the sensuous theme.
The success of Bollywood blockbuster "Dirty Picture", which saw Vidya Balan playing a role inspired by Silk Smitha, also seems to be an inspiration for this trend in Kerala.
G Suresh Kumar, producer of the new "Rathinirvedam", however denied that his film has brought back the "soft porn" culture to Malayalam.
"Rathinirvedam" is one of the classic movies in Malayalam, gifted by Bharathan-Padmarajan combination. Of course it has a bold theme. But that does not mean that it is a soft porn movie," Suresh Kumar told PTI.
It was unfortunate that both Bhartahan and Padmarajan died prematurely, he said.
"I never ever intended to exploit sex in film. If it was so, I could have done that and earned more profit. While the old "Rathinirvedam" was an "A" certificate movie, my new versions received a "U/A" certification. Its beautiful songs and picturesque visualisation have won critical acclaim too," he said.
While yesteryear hitmaker I V Sasi is trying to make a comeback through his sensational hit "Avalude Ravukal, "Rasaleela" is planned to be directed by a new comer.
Fresh faces - Dharshan and Prathishta — are expected to play the lead roles of "Rasaleela", essayed by south Indian superstar Kamal Hasan and Jayasudha in the original.
But the actor to play the female lead in "Avalude Ravukal", that of a teenage sex-worker, has not yet been finalised, sources said. Another old hit to get its new version is "Chattakkari" (1974), which later had a Hindi adaptation titled 'Julie'.
Suresh said he has offers from many places to remake movies like "Avalude Ravukal" but has rejected them as he would only produce films targeting family audience.
"But I admit that a number of soft porn movies are heading for remakes in Malayalam and many of them seem to be eyeing big profits by trying to cash in on sex and skin shows. Their intention is not a better future for Mollywood but sheer profit," he said.
Eminent director Shaji N Karun sees the re-entry of soft porn culture as a reflection of Malayalee's fake morality and the degradation of capacity to appreciate art.
"It is an industry once known for eminent film makers and their great works. But a group of people who have entered the industry with the sole motive of reaping profit have harmed the existing value-based film culture," Shaji told PTI.
The Malayalam industry has been going through its most 'degrading' time and it was not surprising that soft porn trend has gripped it, he said.
"Films were seen as corrective tools of society before but now a movie is made with the focus just on the market," he added.