‘Officer on Duty’ actor Kunchacko Boban REACTS to producers’ association report – ‘They should present accurate figures’ | Malayalam Movie News
The Kerala Film Producers’ Association recently unveiled the financial report which detailed the theatre collections and the budgets of the Malayalam movies that were released in February 2025. In the report, Kunchacko Boban’s recently released thriller film ‘Officer on Duty’ was said to have a Rs 13 crore budget with a theatre share of Rs 11 crores. Reacting to the same, Kunchacko Boban said in an interview that the figures were not accurate.
Talking to Manorama Online, the ‘Officer on Duty’ actor said that the discussion on investment and success should be done by the film’s producers, not by him or any association officials.
“However, I can share what I know. The production cost of ‘Officer on Duty’ is not Rs 13 crore—it is much higher than that. The claim that the producers received only Rs 11 crore in return is also incorrect; in reality, they received at least twice that amount, if not more. The Rs 11 crore being mentioned likely refers only to the share received from theaters in Kerala. However, even the amount collected from theaters here is more than ₹11 crore. Their figures are neither precise nor transparent. If they are presenting numbers, they should do so accurately,” said Kunchacko Boban.
Did ‘Officer on Duty’ enter the Rs 50 crore club?
Kunchacko Boban said that the total box office collection determines whether a film enters the Rs 50 crore club. This includes the share given to theater owners and taxes paid to the government. “Our film has already collected around Rs 30 crore from Kerala theaters alone. Additionally, it has been well received outside Kerala as well. If we consider all collections, the film has certainly crossed Rs 50 crore,” said Kunchacko Boban.
Kunchacko Boban further asked why the report did not include the revenue from OTT, satellite rights, audio rights, and dubbing rights.
How much revenue did OTT and other sales degenerate?
“One thing I can say for sure is that during production itself, Officer on Duty had recovered nearly three-quarters of its investment. By the third day of its release, it had already turned profitable,” said Kunchacko Boban.
Further detailing about the OTT criteria, the actor said that the digital rights business depends on three key factors:
- The presence of lead actors
- The track record of the director, writer, and technical team
- The production quality of the film
He said, “Who was responsible for misleading digital platforms by falsely advertising guest appearances as lead roles? Who claimed a film cost ₹10 crore but delivered a product that wasn’t even worth Rs 3 crore in quality? It is these missteps that have eroded trust, which is why even well-made films are struggling to secure digital deals now.”
Touching on the topic of whether actors should reduce their salary, the actor said, “Even when faced with all these issues, they still argue that actors should lower their fees. Is that really fair? If the producers who are complaining about losses want to, I will act in their films for free. They can take the entire revenue earned from Kerala theaters. All I ask in return is the earnings from collections outside Kerala and from OTT, satellite, and other sales. But they don’t seem to be accounting for that income at all!”
