The star-studded launch of the Aakashagopuram DVD was held on Friday, December 19th, in the well-appointed surroundings of Dubai’s Fairmont Hotel and was attended by a host of luminaries including superstar Mohanlal, Bollywood’s rising actor Neil Nitin Mukesh, veteran film director Sudhir Mishra, K. P. Kumaran and Manu Kumaran.

G. Dhananjayan, COO of Moser Baer, distributors of the DVD, said the choice of Dubai was unanimous. “Aakashagopuram is a landmark development in the history of Indian cinema and has changed the perception of southern movies. It is only pertinent that we hold such an important launch in a city that inspires filmmakers worldwide and which has a thriving community of South Indian film lovers,” he said.

“As the appetite for high quality cinema entertainment grows, Moser Baer will leverage its depth of content to help satisfy the increasing consumer demand around the world,” Dhananjayan added.

Megastar Mohanlal’s enduring box-office magic was clearly evident when film lovers turned out in full force to welcome one of Malayalam cinema’s favourite sons to Dubai. Joined by Neil Nitin Mukesh, grandson of the legendary singer Mukesh, Mohanlal released the much-awaited DVD of his latest movie, as hundreds of his fans looked on.

“It’s a pleasure to be back in Dubai and especially among people who believe in quality cinema,” the actor told the gathering of film lovers. “I am no stranger to this country and have many great first-hand memories with my fans here. Aakashagopuram has not released in UAE theatres yet and it is only appropriate that the DVD be premiered first in this country.”

Directed by National Award-winning director K. P. Kumaram and starring Mohanlal in the lead role, Aakashagopuram (Castle in the Sky) is an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s critically acclaimed masterpiece, The Master Builder. Featuring the talents of some of the most acclaimed minds from Hindi, Malayalam and British cinema, the film recounts an intriguing story of an architect at war with his inner self.

“I have always loved Ibsen’s literary expressions and The Master Builder has always intrigued me. It was therefore quite a challenge to the team on how to bring this masterpiece to life and weave in modern elements. At the end of it all, we have successfully recreated his classic story telling for movie-lovers,” K. P. Kumaran said.

Shot and produced entirely in the United Kingdom, Aakashagopuram is set in London, among the immigrant Malayali community and tells the story about the protagonist Albert Samson (Mohanlal), a well-established architect who has worked his way to the top. The movie also features a powerful star cast including Bharat Gopi, Sreenivasan, Shweta Menon, Manoj K. Jayan, Geethu Mohandas and Nithya.

The international talents who worked on the effort reads like a veritable who’s who – music composer John Altman (Titanic, Shall We Dance?, Golden Eye), sound engineer Nigel Holland (Batman Begins, Braveheart, Resident Evil), recording by Robert Farr (Star Wars: Episode II & III, Gangs of New York) and Matthew Gough (Harry Potter Prisoner of Azkaban, Cold Mountain), while the visual effects have been created by John Harvey and Jonathan Trussler (Kingdom of Heaven).

In light of this huge international credit list, Medient and Moser Baer, the distributors of the DVD, therefore spared no effort to ensure that the DVD launch of this international effort was a success.

The twin-pack DVD – the first-ever in Malayalam cinema – contains the full-length movie besides a total 40-minute extra featurette and never-before-seen clips from the movie. As a bonus, buyers of the DVD also receive an additional CD containing the music of the film, composed by John Altman.

Manu S. Kumaran, producer of the film and CEO of Medient, said that the film was a tribute to the best in cinematic talent from across the globe. “Aakashagopuram is a work of passion and it was an honour to work alongside such reputed film craftsmen. Film-lovers will now be able to bring home that cinematic experience and can see some of the most spectacular moments from the film, as well as behind-the-scenes activity that went into its making.”