Appan, the upcoming Malayalam film starring Sunny Wayne, is a family drama with crime elements, says director Maju.
The film’s trailer was unveiled on Friday at 6 pm, while its first look was released earlier this month.
Backed by Josekutty Madathil and Ranjith Manambarkkat under the Tiny Hands Production banner in association with Sunny Wayne Productions, Appan is written by Maju along with R Jayakumar, who co-wrote Jallikattu (2019).
In conversation with Silverscreen India, director Maju says, “The story revolves around a character named Itty, played by Alencier Ley Lopez, and his son Njnoonj, played by Sunny. Itty is cruel and the film explores how his toxic nature negatively affects his son and their family. Sunny plays a very emotional and vulnerable character in this film.”
Appan also features Pauly Valson as Itty’s wife along with Ananya and Grace Antony as Njoonj’s wife and sister, respectively. Apart from them, there are six new faces in the film too.
“The film is set in a hilly terrain. As per the story, Itty and his family relocated to this place years ago. We used resettlement as a theme in the film as I gained interest in the concept after reading books like Karikkottakkari and Puttu by author Vinoy Thomas,” the filmmaker adds.
As part of the groundwork for the script, Maju says they spent some time in the location to study the livelihood, routine, and culture of the natives. His co-writer Jayakumar hails from a hill station and his inputs, the on-site observation, and references from books helped them enhance the characterisations and plot, the filmmaker adds. “We have paid a lot of attention to the detailing of the emotions and family dynamics and, I believe, this will make the film relatable to the audience.”
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Appan’s technical crew includes cinematographer Pappu (Second show, Njan Steve Lopez), music composer Dawn Vincent (Iblis, Kala) and editor Kiran Das (Joji, Janemam).
Shooting began in August and the film was shot for around 35 days in Thodupuzha. Currently, Appan is in the final stages of post-production, notes the director.
Meanwhile, Sunny, who was last seen in Kurup, has several other projects in the pipeline, including Thrayam, Kuttavum Shikshayum, and Adithattu.