'Kerala Crime Files' Director Ahammed Khabeer: Why Malayalam Shows Aren’t As Great As Its Movies

Director Ahammed Khabeer has tasted success across all formats and genres in his six-year career. His debut, June (2019), was a female-led rom-com that became an organic superhit in its theatrical run. His next Madhuram (2021), an emotional dramedy set almost entirely within the walls of a hospital, was a COVID-era direct OTT hit that quickly became a darling among audiences for the way it dealt with mature love stories. Khabeer then took a U-turn as a filmmaker when he made Kerala Crime Files, a gruesome miniseries that centred around serial murders and an investigation that would change the course of long-form storytelling in Malayalam.

The second season of the show, which streamed on JioHotstar, soon became the most-watched Malayalam series on the platform. Written by Bahul Ramesh of Kishkindha Kaandam (2024) fame, the series is committed to an investigative thriller without ever showing the actual crime taking place in its six-episode run.

But despite its success, Ahammed Khabeer is not too encouraging about newcomers taking the OTT route. When asked about the richness of content in Malayalam and why it doesn’t always reflect as original shows on streaming, Khabeer says, “When I watched a show like Delhi Crime (the 2019 Netflix series), I too hoped for the space to make a show like that in Malayalam, wondering why such shows are not happening out of Kerala. Even today, when we’re writing shows for OTT, we are still making it within the 25-minute episode framework. We haven’t yet made shows with eight to ten episodes that run for 50 minutes, like the ones in Hindi."

Khabeer attributes it to the viewer's preference. "I’m not sure why, but I feel our audiences are happy to watch long-form content when it comes from Hindi or English, but not in Malayalam. If it’s longer, we face the risk of them complaining about the show’s pacing. The platforms, which feel the same, want shorter episodes. It has been designed to encourage binge-watching in a manner that a viewer completes the whole show in one sitting, without a break.” 

A still from 'Kerala Crime Files: Season 2'

Explaining the issue, he feels aspiring writers and directors are better off sticking to the feature film format. He says, “There is still the problem of accessing these platforms; there are only three to four major platforms and even fewer that are interested in making Malayalam content. Even those platforms might collaborate only with established filmmakers, making it even harder for a newcomer to make inroads. Which means that even if you write a show, it’s unlikely that you will be able to get it made. Some of them also believe it’s easier because they hear that it’s possible to pitch scripts directly... but that’s not the case.”

In contrast, he believes it’s still easier to invest that effort in writing a feature film. “For a feature film, you have the option to pitch your script to a hundred others. You’re not restricted to just one or two OTT platforms. It’s also very difficult to rewrite a series into the feature film format once you’ve written it for that purpose. So, I’d tell newcomers to always focus on writing for feature films first.”    

After three direct-to-OTT releases, Khabeer's next film is a Malayalam rom-com starring Arjun Das, which will have a theatrical release. “It’s a love story and it has a lot of scope for music. The songs are by Hesham Abdul Wahab, and it will feature Arjun Das in a different shade.” He also says that there is scope for a third season of Kerala Crime Files in the future. “We have spoken to the platform about returning with a follow-up after we finish our theatrical film. We are excited about the prospects.”