Tha Thavalayude Tha, an upcoming Malayalam film, written and directed by Francis Joseph Jeera, was announced on Wednesday by actors Aju Varghese, Anu Sithara, Sunny Wayne and Unni Mukundan on social media.
The film, produced by Big Stories Motion Pictures and Nadodi Productions, will mark the directorial debut of Francis.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, Francis said that Tha Thavalayude Tha is a children’s film. “The title loosely translates to ‘F for Frog’ in English. It is a nostalgic film that will take the audience born in the 80s and 90s back to their childhood days. The film will explore many interesting aspects of childhood, and as it has two timelines — 1992 and 2022 — it will be relatable to both children and adults,” he added.
Francis, who recently made a documentary on Theyyam (a ritual form of dance worship), titled Daivam Nadakkum Vazhikal, has also worked as an associate director on the Malayalam film Kappela.
The director said he decided to make Tha Thavalayude Tha because there have not been films like Manu Uncle, Manjadikuru and My Dear Kuttichathan in the recent past. “I wanted to make a film which will transport the audience back to their childhood days. I conceived this idea many years ago and after writing it, I shared the concept with a few people. They all liked it and said it was very relatable to their own childhood days. That gave me the confidence to make my debut with this film.”
He also added that the film will explore “family relationships, fantasies, and other such elements.”
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The film is currently in the pre-production stage and the team is working on casting the artists. “While the film will have children as the leads, there will also be adult characters which will be played by popular actors,” said Francis.
The technical crew of Tha Thavalayude Tha includes cinematographer Bibin Balakkrishnan, art director Anees Nadodi, sound designer Savitha Nambrath, and composer Nikhil Rajan.
The team plans to begin filming on or before September 20 in Kasaragod district’s Kanhangad, depending upon the Covid-19 situation, the filmmaker added.
“I am a native of Kanhangad which is in the northern part of Kerala. Having spent my childhood there, I have a lot of stories, visuals and memories of the place close to my heart. Those references have been added to the script. We also have plans to cast some locals in the film.”