Today a Mohanlal- Mamooty-Suresh Gopi film is considered a risk but a Shakeela film is a safe investment. It is sure to have minimum guarantee in terms of box office collection.Today there are 36 films on the floor with Shakeela as the selling point. What makes her the craze of the Malayali youth? Is it her amazon figure or is it something else? It was way back in the Kerala scene that Silk Smitha, the seductress, became a craze and she had, like Shakeela, started out with soft porn film like Layanam and Aan pavam in Malayalam and its dubbed versions were hits. She soon became a rage of the south and distributors made it a point that every movie had a Smitha dance.

Smitha had a body, a seductive face and oomph that made every male lust for her. Her body language was openly seductive and inviting. Her reign lasted for about ten years till she slipped into production etc and met a tragic end.But the rise of Shakeela, whose body, which is just too obese, has defined logic.

Her photo could best be used as an advt. for an obesity clinic as to show how a woman looks obese. The film Kinarathithumbikal, which shot her to fame, is a soft porn film no doubt.Talking to various Shakeela fans and watchers (yes she is the most watched woman in Kerala) the reason for Kerala audience especially the youth to fall for her has been understood to be summer of 42 syndrome.

In every boy's growing up stage there is an elderly girl who has attracted him and secretly he must have developed feelings for her. It could be either a girl in the upper standard, a teacher or even a movie actress. In Kerala cinema heavy made woman, buxomed ladies had a long reign starting from Sheela, K R Vijaya, Jaybharathi, and Vijayshri onwards till it reached Shobana who was the first slim heroine of Malayalam cinema to become a craze. Though many heroines had come with slim figures it was only the big built, buxomed beauties who captured the imagination of the public.

The scene started changing with Manju Warrier and now we have Samyuktha or a Kavya Madhvan in her place. Shakeela's movies have shades of an old hit Rathinirvedham in which a young boy seduces Jayabharathi. In every film of Shakeela, which is a hit, the story revolves around this theme and wherever the story went on romance of Shakeela as a young girl it flopped.

She charges Rs 35,000 for a day's work, which includes bathing scenes and bedroom scenes. The total cost for a Shakeela film is Rs 25 lakhs. It is sold for Rs 60 lakhs to a buyer who takes it to the theatres and makes a profit of Rs 20-30 lakhs. In short, a crore of rupee business in Kerala. Outside Kerala it gets 40 lakhs.

Now the film industry has realized that they need an alternative and has brought in Sharmilee, one time sidekick to Goundamani to the scene. She too has everything in gigantic proportions and a sweet face. Will she topple is yet to be seen. Other vamps like Alphonsa, Babilona etc tried but not much success.

It's just now that, Shakeela films have started coming to other states and would she catch the fancy of the boys in these states is something to be seen. Till then she is the dream girl of the Malayali youth.