Director Mahesh Narayanan’s much-awaited film ‘Ariyippu’ will become the first Malayalam film to feature in the international competition section of the Locarno Film Festival, which is to open on August 3 this year.
Disclosing this information on social media, actor Kunchacko Boban, who is producing the film and also playing the lead in it, said, “The 75th Locarno Film Festival which will open on 3rd August will have a Malayalam film ‘Ariyippu’ in the international competition section for the first time ever in the history of the festival.
“I extend my wholehearted thanks to my dear friend/writer/co-producer/director Mahesh Narayanan, co-producer Shebin Backer and the entire team of ‘Ariyippu’ for being part of making this history. This also marks the first production venture of Kunchacko Boban Productions!!”
‘Ariyippu’, which means ‘Declaration’ in English, has actress Divya Prabha playing the female lead. and has wrapped up its Indian schedule.
Taking to Instagram, actor Kunchacko Boban said, “And it’s the official wrap up of the Indian schedule of ‘Ariyippu’!” The unit only recently wrapped up the shooting of its Indian schedule.
The Kunchacko Boban-Divya Prabha-starrer narrates the story of a couple from Kerala who go to Delhi to work in a glove manufacturing factory in Noida. Eventually, they hope to migrate abroad. A manipulated video clip creates unrest among the workers in the factory and emotional and social problems between the couple, Hareesh PV and Reshmi. Mr. Kunchacko is also one of the producers of the film. Mr. Kunchacko posted on his facebook page: “And as it coincides with the 75 year legacy of Udaya Pictures, it indeed is a personal honour for me as well and a tribute to my Grandfather and father”.
“The pandemic strikes and they are caught in a dilemma as to their next course of action. There are other layers to the narrative as well. My films have been on migrants of different kinds. Ariyippu is also about them,” says Mr. Mahesh, director of much-discussed films such as Take Off, Malik and C U Soon.
Sets had to be put in Noida to shoot the film as no factory owner would have agreed to have their work disrupted during the shooting duration, explains Mr. Mahesh.
“The film has the cast speaking both Malayalam and Hindi and the shooting was quite strenuous for the cast as well because it was mostly shot in the factory,” he adds. Lovleen Misra, Danish Husain, Kannan Arunasalam, Faisal Malik, Kiran Peethambaran, Sidharth Bhardwaj and Dimpy Mishra are also in the cast of the film that has been shot by Sanu John Varughese.
According to Mr. Mahesh, he has remained completely true to the story and “has not added any kind of flavoring for a commercial entertainer. I do plan to release it in theatres but only after screening it in the festival circuit.”
The last Indian film to be screened in the competition section was Rituparno Ghosh’s Antarmahal in 2005, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Soha Ali Khan.
