The 'Pokkiriraja' team reunites

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Amal Neerad’s next venture is already generating enough buzz even before the shooting has begun. Two aspects are keeping the interest alive: the second-time partnership of Mammootty-Prithviraj (after their super hit ‘Pokkiriraja’), and the director’s first-ever period film. Co-produced by Prithviraj and Santhosh Sivan, Prithviraj is a villain, with Mammootty playing the main lead of a commoner.

“Set in the 1950s, it is a film against the backdrop of forests, tea estates and the Munnar Ghats,” says Neerad. “Though the characters are fictitious, the social backdrop is very real.”

Earlier, Neerad had made three films: Big B, Sagar Alias Jackie and Anwar. Though they have been accepted by the audience, his films have often been under the scanner for his slow-motion sequences and over-stylized frames.

So, is it going to be a trademark Neerad film? “I have evolved, and my next film will hopefully manage to iron out the flaws of my earlier ones,” he says. Neerad maintains that he will not resort to the usual art-costume drama that has been the norm of a period film.

“It will have some vintage frames of the era, and actors will go without makeup,” he says. “Though it is not inspired by any Hollywood film, as a director I have always been a fan of Italian filmmakers like Sergio Leone, Mario Bava and Dario Argento.”

Scripted by ‘Urumi’ fame writer Shankar Ramakrishnan, Neerad himself handles the camera. The rest of the cast and crew have not been finalised. The movie is slated for a January release.

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