Olam, an upcoming Malayalam film written by actor Lena Kumar along with debutant director VS Abhilash, was announced on Friday. The film’s title motion poster was released by actor-director Soubin Shahir on social media.
The film features Lena alongside actors Arjun Ashokan, Binu Pappu, Harisree Ashokan, Noby Marcose and Suresh Chandra Menon. Olam is produced by Naufal Punathil under the banner Punathil Production, with Unni Malayil on board as an executive producer.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, the film’s co-writer and director Abhilash said that Olam is a “psychological horror comedy” which has realistic comedy elements. He also clarified that it is not a dark comedy and noted that they have experimented with a new treatment for the horror aspect of the film, which will be unlike usual horror films that have scenes intended to scare the audience.
Actor Lena, who was recently seen in films like Black Coffee and Saajan Bakery Since 1962, marks her debut as a screenwriter with Olam. The actor, who has been in the film industry for 23 years, took to her social media handle to share that Olam will be her 115th film.
On the collaboration with Lena, Abhilash said, “Since Lena is a psychologist she was immediately interested when I pitched Olam’s idea, basically the film’s twist, and agreed to write the script together. With her extensive experience in the field of psychology, her inputs and research were valuable in enhancing the story.”
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The filmmaker also revealed that he and Lena had earlier written another film. “That one is a comparatively bigger project and so, it could not take off owing to the Covid-19 situation. That’s when we came up with Olam — a workable project under the Covid-19 restrictions. We took around eight months to develop the script,” said Abhilash, adding that the film which was put on hold would also be announced soon.
The shoot for Olam will begin on August 17, according to the director. “We are currently doing the location recce. This is a film that can be shot adhering to the Covid-19 protocols with a limited cast and crew. The locations will be finalised after we get the guidelines for shooting,” he added.
It is notable that the Kerala Government announced on Saturday that film shooting will be allowed in specific areas of the state with strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols.