Prithvirak Sukumaran cheers the record‑shattering run of “Bethlehem Kudumba Unit”

In a breezy chat with News18, veteran actor‑director Prithvirak Sukumaran could barely contain his excitement over the runaway success of Bethlehem Kudumba Unit. The film, starring Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju, has not just smashed box‑office numbers – it has nudged past the lofty benchmark set by last year’s Lokah: Chapter 1 – Chandra, and that feels like a real treat for anyone who loves Malayalam cinema.

“Huge congratulations to the whole team! I’m genuinely happy,” Prithvirak said, adding that such films are what the industry dubs ‘industry hits’ – a term that simply means a movie that grabs the most money in the whole market. He smiled, noting how rare these hits used to be – maybe one every dozen years – and how now, in just two short years, we’ve seen about five of them.

The numbers speak for themselves. On its 24th day, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit crossed the Rs 300 crore worldwide mark, ending up with roughly Rs 305 crore. In Kerala alone it raked in more than Rs 130 crore, comfortably outstripping the lifetime gross of Lokah, which had sat at around Rs 302.6 crore. Compare that with Prithvirak’s own recent actioner Khalifa, which, despite a hefty Rs 50 crore budget, only managed about Rs 45 crore.

What makes the achievement even sweeter, Prithvirak noted, is the speed with which the records are being broken. “One film sets a record, another two months later tops it, then another follows suit shortly after,” he explained, chuckling at the rapid pace of growth.

He also took a moment to shine a spotlight on the people behind the scenes – director Girish AD, producers Sham Pushkaran and Dileesh Pothan, and of course the leads Nivin and Mamitha. “I pray the next film coming out in a month will break the record again. That’s how our industry expands,” he added.

For Mamitha Baiju, the triumph is personal as well. This year she became the first South Indian actress to appear in three Rs 200 crore‑grossing films – Jana Nayagan, Vishwanath & Sons, and now Bethlehem Kudumba Unit. Only Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt have reached that milestone across India.

All in all, the star‑studded, age‑gap romantic comedy has turned into a milestone that many in the Malayalam film world will point to for years. As Prithvirak summed it up, “It’s the best thing that can happen to an industry – to see such momentum and to know we can keep raising the bar.”