Filmmaker Vinil Scariah, who was mentored by Anwar Rasheed, is set to make his directorial debut with Kalidas Jayaram’s upcoming Tamil-Malayalam bilingual. Titled Aval Peyar Rajni in Tamil, and Rajni in Malayalam, the film also stars Namitha Pramod, Reba Monica John, Saiju Kurup, Ashwin Kkumar, Karunakaran, Poo Ramu, and Shaun Romy. When asked if his debut was always conceived to be bilingual, Vinil says, “Although I developed the film in Malayalam, the producer felt there was scope of making it in both languages. Since half of the story was set in Chennai, making it bilingual made perfect sense.”
Even though the film is billed as a thriller, Vinil is wary of calling it one. “Considering how the audience expects twists and turns from a thriller, especially in the final act, I am skeptical about calling Aval Peyar Rajni a thriller. Obviously, you can expect twists, but you do not have to wait till the climax though.
I will label the film as a drama thriller,” shares Vinil. With a solid ensemble featuring actors from across industries, Vinil opines that it wasn’t just because the film was bilingual. “Casting was done ever before the decision to make it in both Tamil and Malayalam. It is just a happy coincidence.”
Apart from directing, Vinil also penned the script of the film with Vincent Vadakkan and David K Rajan writing the Malayalam and Tamil dialogues, respectively. “Authenticity of dialogues comes through only if the context is understood, and it is not just translations. We took special care to ensure the lines were rooted, and were appropriate to the milieu.” With the film currently in the post-production phase, the makers of Aval Peyar Rajni are looking at a May release.