Asif Ali said that he was set to play one of the main roles in Nadirshah’s debut film Amar Akbar Anthony, but lost out in the last minute. He was eventually featured in a cameo in the movie.
“Although I was not given the main role, I am glad that I could be part of that film in a very minor role that went on to become a huge success,” the actor was quoted by Manorama.
The movie featured Prithviraj, Indrajith and Jayasurya in the main roles. Asif Ali played the role of a bike stunt artiste. This was the result of certain last minute changes.
“When I say these, I can see the writers of the film smiling. And since I couldn’t get what I wanted, Nadirshah gave me a significant role in Mera Naam Shaji,” the actor said.
Mera Naam Shaji is Nadirshah’s third film as a director and will release in April. The movie stars Biju Menon, Asif Ali and Baiju.
It has been reported that the characters are from different parts of Kerala. While Baiju’s character belongs to Trivandrum, Asif Ali is from Kochi and Biju Menon is from Kozhikode. A funny element in the film may be the different dialects that the actors speak.
Since Jayasurya took on the role of Shaji Pappan in the Aadu series, the name has become synonymous with comedy. Biju Menon and Asif Ali’s collaboration in Mera Naam Shaji, also raises expectations as the actors have worked together on successful movies like Ordinary and Anuraga Karikkin Vellam. Their roles as a father and son in Anuraga Karikkin Vellam was widely appreciated.
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Nikhila Vimal, who played the female lead in last year’s Vineeth Sreenivasan starrer Aravindante Adhithikal, plays the lead in Mera Naam Shaji. Actor Sreenivasan also has an important role.
The movie is written by Dileep Ponnan, of Kadhayile Nayika fame. This is the first time Nadirshah is working with a different writer. His earlier films – Amar Akbar Anthony and Kattapanayile Hrithik Roshan were written by Vishnu Unnikrishnan and Bibin George. Vinod Illampally is the cinematographer of the film.
Watch the teaser of the movie here: