FIR, the upcoming Tamil film starring actor Vishnu Vishal in the lead, is set to release theatrically in February 2022, the actor announced on Thursday while unveiling a new poster on social media. The actor is also producing the film under his Vishnu Vishal Studioz banner.
The film is written and directed by Manu Anand.
Speaking to Silverscreen India about FIR, Manu, who is making his debut with the film, says, “It is an emotional action thriller that revolves around a Muslim protagonist from the Triplicane area in Chennai. The incidents that happen in his life and how the world looks at him is the core of the story. When two people of different faiths, of which one is Islam, go to a certain place and some wrong incidents take place, the society will only look at the Muslim with doubt. This message is conveyed in the film in a humane way without being preachy.”
The filmmaker adds that FIR is inspired by many true incidents. Manu wrote the first version of FIR in 2016. However, when a particular incident took place in his life at the airport, he incorporated this into the story as well.
“There are a lot of incidents in India, and around the world, where people are wrongly accused and lives are destroyed. There have been instances in Kerala and North India of people getting arrested on the wrong basis. The film is inspired by all these, combined with what has happened to me. So it is a fictional plot with some real details,” he says, adding that he finalised the script in 2019.
Besides Vishnu Vishal, the film also stars filmmaker-actor Gautham Vasudev Menon and actors Manjima Mohan, Raiza Wilson, and Reba Monica John.
Speaking about casting, Manu says, “I wanted Vishnu for this role and wrote it with him in mind. This was around the time when Ratchasan came out, and I wanted to present him in different role. He is perfect for the role, which requires an actor with substance but without the heavy megastar weight. Raiza is edgy as her character demands. Reba’s role, meanwhile, needed a fresh face who could play different shades. She plays Vishnu’s love interest.”
Manjima plays a lawyer in FIR, while Malayalam actor Maala Parvathi essays Vishnu’s mother.
The film went on floors in November 2019 and was wrapped earlier this year. The post-production work has been completed and the director reveals that they had planned to release FIR in May 2020 for Ramzan. “It was meant to be relevant for that period. However, due to the pandemic, we had to delay the release. Luckily, we didn’t have to postpone it too much and the film is still relevant,” he adds.
FIR’s technical crew consists of cinematographer Arul Vincent, composer Ashwath, and editor Prasanna GK. The film was shot primarily in Chennai.
Earlier there had been speculations that the film was headed for a direct OTT release, but Vishnu Vishal had refuted these rumours and clarified that he was trying to get the film to theatres.
“The film is meant to be seen in theatres. It was shot with that in mind. We were just waiting for the right time to release it,” says Manu.
The director adds that FIR will also be dubbed in Telugu.
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Vishnu Vishal had earlier confirmed that a sequel to FIR is in the works. Speaking of this, Manu says, “The story for the sequel is mostly ready. It has been under development for a long time and is already written. However, when the sequel will materialise, will depend on how FIR is received.”