Silent Witness, the upcoming Malayalam film starring Indrans and Maala Parvathy in the lead roles, is an investigative thriller, producer Bini Sreejith told Silverscreen India.
Produced under the Feel Flying Entertainments banner, Silent Witness is directed by filmmaker Anil Kaarakkulam, who has also co-written the script along with MK Roy.
The makers released a new poster of the film on Monday through their social media handles.
In conversation with Silverscreen India, producer Bini said, “The story revolves around the investigation of a murder case. Maala Parvathy plays Nirmala, a retired teacher and a social worker, while Indrans plays the role of the caretaker of an orphanage run by Nirmala teacher. The film has some social and family elements as well.”
Apart from Indrans and Maala Parvathy, the film features around ten well-known artists, including Manju Pathrose, Anjali Nair, Bitto Davis, Shivaji Guruvayoor, Balaji Sharma, and Meenakshi Dinesh, all of whom play pivotal roles.
Bini noted that the director and writer had pitched this story last year during the lockdown. “Their pitch was based on a true event that happened in a rural village in Kerala. The idea was interesting, so we asked the duo to work on the script. We used the lockdown period to do the preliminary work for the film.”
Bini revealed that the film’s title is directly linked to the climax and said it also emphasises the suspense elements in the investigation part in the film. “Silent Witness has all the elements needed for a commercial film,” she added.
“We went on floors after the Kerala government granted permission to resume film shootings in July. The film was shot over 22 days at Annamanada village in Thrissur district, adhering to the Covid-19 protocols,” the producer added.
Anish Ravindran, cinematographer Jomon T john’s chief associate, marks his independent cinematography debut with Silent Witness.
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While the film’s lyrics are written by producer Bini herself, the music is composed by Shamej Sreedhar. The technical crew also includes editor Rizal Jainy and production controller Rajesh Menon.
Bini noted that the film is currently in the final stages of post-production and will be sent to the CBFC for certification in a few days. She added that the team is considering an OTT release. “Reopening of theatres is uncertain and even if they resume operations, there is a huge backlog of films awaiting release. We would have to wait for another six months for theatrical release. But, we want to present the film to the audience by the end of September or October. So we will be looking at OTT or another avenue for the release.”