Chera, the upcoming Malayalam film starring Nimisha Sajayan and Roshan Mathew in the lead roles, will be a suspense mystery film, director Lijin Jose told Silverscreen India.
Produced by Arun MC under the Line of Colours banner, the film’s script is written by Najeem Koya. The title poster was recently released by various Malayalam artists, including Chera’s lead actors, through their respective social media handles.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, Lijin said, “We are planning to start filming around the end of October or beginning of November this year. We are currently finalising the locations. The film will mostly be shot in parts of Alleppey and Kottayam.”
The film’s title poster resembles the Pieta (Pity), the Renaissance sculpture by the celebrated Italian artist Michelangelo. “The sculpture symbolises mercy and wanted that essence to be in the poster,” said the director.
About the film’s cast, Lijin noted, “Roshan’s appearance best suits the character and he’s a good actor as well, so we roped him in for the male lead role. Nimisha, on the other hand, is one of the finest female artists in the industry and she was our first choice for the other lead.”
The technical crew of Chera includes cinematographer Alex J Pulickal (Action Hero Biju, Driving Licence) and editor Francies Louis (The Great Indian Kitchen). Shahabaz Aman will compose the film’s songs, while Ajoy Jose is in charge of the background music.
Lijin added that writer Najeem had come up with the film’s one-liner during the initial days of lockdown and later, they developed it into a story. “When we pitched the idea to Arun, he liked it and agreed to produce the film.”
It may be noted that Najeem had also written the script for Lijin’s debut film Friday (2012), which starred Fahadh Faasil.
Aside from Friday, Lijin has also directed Law Point (2014) and a documentary titled 8½ Intercuts: Life and Films of K.G. George based on the life of the veteran filmmaker.
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Meanwhile, Roshan Mathew, who was last seen in Kuruthi, has a slew of projects in the pipeline, including his Tamil debut Cobra, the Hindi film Darlings, and the Malayalam films Chathuram, Kumari, and Oru Thekkan Thallu Case. On the other hand, Nimisha, whose last release was Malik, will next be seen in Thuramukham, filmmaker Onir’s We Are, and Footprints on Water.