Actor-politician Suresh Gopi’s first film since assuming office as a Union Minister went on floors on Friday. Titled Ottakomban, it is the veteran’s 250th film, which has been in the planning for a while now. The makers commenced production with a traditional pooja ceremony held at the Maha Ganapathi Temple in the courtyard of the Poojappura Central Jail in Thiruvananthapuram.
Directed by Mathews Thomas, Ottakombam will feature Suresh Gopi as Kadavakkunnel Kuruvachan, a character reportedly inspired by a real-life figure. The project earlier faced several setbacks, including a plagiarism lawsuit filed by Jinu Abraham, the writer of Prithviraj’s Kaduva (2022). The upcoming film has been scripted by Shibin Francis, who earlier wrote Paavada, Comrade in America (CIA) and Underworld.
Ottakomban also stars Indrajith Sukumaran, Vijayaraghavan, Lalu Alex, Chemban Vinod Jose, Johny Antony, Biju Pappan, Meghana Raj, Suchithra Nair, and Jibin Gopinath, among others. The makers are also reportedly in talks with Bollywood-baed actors for the female lead and villain’s part.
On the technical front, the film has cinematographer Shaji Kumar, editor Vivek Harshan, and Animal (2023) music director Harshavardhan Rameshwar. Reportedly mounted on a grand scale with a massive budget, it will be shot across locations in Kottayam, Pala, Erattupetta, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, as well as Hong Kong.
Gokulam Gopalan’s Sree Gokulam Movies is producing Ottakomban, with V C Praveen and Baiju Gopalan as co-producers, and Krishnamoorthy serving as the executive producer.