KOCHI: We had recently reported that Mohanlal will be starring in director Siddique’s next film, Big Brother. The casting on the film is officially underway, with the director confirming the presence of some of the male cast members.
Anoop Menon and June-fame Sarjano Khalid have been cast as the brothers of Mohanlal’s character. The rest of the actors include Chemban Vinod Jose, Siddique, Vishnu Unnikrishnan, Janardhan, and Tini Tom.
Bollywood actor Arbaaz Khan will be making his Malayalam debut through Big Brother.
“Arbaaz is playing the antagonist. It’s a full-length role,” says Siddique. Arbaaz is currently shooting for brother Salmaan’s Dabangg 3 and is expected to join the sets of Big Brother after that. Siddique has previously directed Salmaan in the Hindi remake of his own Malayalam directorial Bodyguard.
There have been reports that Regina Cassandra and Satna Titus will be playing the female leads, but the director tells us that the casting of the female leads has not yet been finalised. “The discussions are currently going on. An official announcement regarding the same will be made soon,” he adds.
Big Brother is being touted as a family entertainer. “It’s a project that I discussed with Mohanlal last year. The final draft of the script is almost ready. I’ve been waiting to do this film for a year. It will have all the ingredients that you have seen in my earlier films — action, romance, comedy, drama...,” says Siddique, who was on a two-year break. He last directed the Arvind Swamy-starrer Bhaskar Oru Rascal, the Tamil remake of his own Bhaskar the Rascal starring Mammootty. Siddique’s last Malayalam film was Fukri, with Jayasurya.
Big Brother marks Siddique’s third collaboration with Mohanlal after Vietnam Colony and Ladies and Gentlemen. As for the shoot, the director is eyeing a June 20 start date, with Mohanlal expected to join the sets by July 1 after he completes work in Ittymaani: Made in China, in which he is currently starring.
A total of 85 days has been allotted for the Big Brother shoot. The team will be filming a few portions in Kochi before moving to Bangalore to shoot the rest. “The story takes place mostly in Bangalore,” says Siddique.
Adam Joan-fame Jithu Damodar will handle the cinematography and Deepak Dev the music. S Talkies is jointly producing the film with Shaman International and Vysakha Films.