Athiradi, bringing together Tovino Thomas, Basil Joseph and Vineeth Sreenivasan, has commenced filming in Kochi after a traditional pooja ceremony attended by the cast and crew. The film, largely set inside a college campus, will reportedly feature Riya Shibu as one of the female leads.
Athiradi marks the directorial debut of Arun Anirudhan, who co-wrote Minnal Murali and Padayottam. He scripts the film with Paulson Skaria, the co-writer of Neymar and Kaathal - The Core. The new project also marks the maiden production of two new banners, Basil Joseph Entertainment and Dr Ananthu Entertainment, the latter headed by the founder and CEO of Xylem Learning.
A title teaser of Athiradi released earlier introduced Tovino and Basil as apparent rivals, with Vineeth’s character positioned as a catalyst between them. The glimpse cuts between Basil in a pub setting and a mundu-clad Tovino at a temple festival, ending with Vineeth mimicking the Kamal Haasan line 'Arambikkalangala'. The technical crew of the film includes music director Vishnu Vijay, editor Samuel Henry and editor Chaman Chakko.