Tovino Thomas has announced a new project, titled Varavu. Thira and Godha scriptwriter Rakesh Mantodi will be making his directorial debut with the film penned by himself, lyricist Manju Manjith, and Sharesh Malayankandi.
Rakesh tells us that the film will be a mystery thriller set in North Malabar. "The story revolves around a small town, with some mythic elements incorporated into it. It will have the flavour of those folktales. However, it takes place in the present."
Tamil composer Guna Balasubramanian is making his Malayalam debut with Varavu. Vishwajith Odukkathil, who is set to debut as an independent cinematographer with Vineeth Sreenivasan's upcoming Hridayam, will crank the camera, while PM Satheesh (Baahubali, Pulimurugan) will work on the sound design.
Varavu will have Vadakara, Koyilandi and its neighbouring areas as the shooting locations. To prepare the material for the script, Rakesh stayed in a place called Iringal (near Vadakara) for over a year.
"Being from the film world, I was initially a stranger to the people, but it didn't take long for me to become one of them," says Rakesh. "I made a lot of friends and took part in some of their events. Besides, I spent my college days in Vadakara, so I was already quite familiar with the place."
Pradeepkumar Pathiyara is backing the project under the banner of Pathiyara Entertainments.