THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bram Stoker’s bloodsucking count is coming to Kerala in search of his seventh bride - in 3D! Dracula, who has generated a global fan following ever since Stoker’s Gothic tale came out in 1897, is now finding a 21st century retelling in Malayalam.
The two-hour film, directed and scripted by Rupesh Paul, will also be the third 3D film in the language.
The Dracula venture is a joint effort by producers Frames Film Co. and the technical experts Cinema Verites, Rupesh Paul told a news conference here on Wednesday.
“In fact, the film will be brought out in English and other languages also. We are planning a Christmas release,” he said.
Rupesh’s Dracula - the film’s story is by his wife and writer Indu Menon - will adapt to a Kerala setting. But the film has all the necessary ingredients of the classic horror tale, the original Dracula’s castle in Transylvania and transmigration included.
“The original Dracula castle in Transylvania is now a tourist attraction. We plan to shoot part of the film there. A Hollywood actor will act Dracula for those parts. In the Kerala setting, Dracula is depicted as transmigrating into the body of a doctor. So we are in the process of identifying a suitable Malayalam actor for the part,” he said. Much of the Kerala part of the story will be shot in a medical college, according to him.
With a Rs 10-crore budget, ‘Dracula,’ is to be shot in IMAX 3D Fusion Digital Technology used famously in James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’. A big challenge was in assembling the special camera, Rupesh said.
The technical hands behind the making of this film will be from abroad, including cinematographer Antonio Rui Reverio from the UK. Dracula’s six lovers will be enacted by Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalm actresses.
Since 1897, when Stoker’s epistolary novel was published, the Vampire Count has been the hero of around 627 films and around 1,000 novels. ‘My Dear Kuttichathan’ was the first Malayalam 3D film.