Nivin Pauly turned 33 on Wednesday. Among the top stars from the younger generation in Mollywood, Nivin commands a wide fanbase outside Kerala, too. In fact, the star is extremely popular in Tamil Nadu where his runaway hit Premam was in theatres for over 100 days.
Since tasting stardom, Nivin has gone on a signing spree. From attempting to play a larger than life hero in Sakhavu to essaying the role of a lazy, selfish and somewhat foolish son in Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela, Nivin has not let the star tag affect his choice of films. He has also done a sportive cameo in the campus romance story Aanandam.
Here's a look at some of his upcoming projects that we can't wait to watch!
Richie: A remake of Rakshith Shetty's Kannada film Ulidavaru Kandathe, this will be Nivin's second Tamil film after Neram. The trailer which has the actor say, "Aamanda peypayale, Richie!" has already led to much excitement among fans.
While Nivin as the good boy has always been convincing (remember paavam Kuttan from Bangalore Days?), his bad boy avatar is of another level altogether. Case in point, the second segment from Premam which still has Kerala boys and girls dressing in a black shirt and mundu for Onam.
Hey Jude: Trisha's Mollywood debut, the film will see two oddball characters get together. The poster of the film showed Nivin Pauly fully buttoned up and wearing glasses. Much of the film, we hear, has been shot in Goa.
Trisha, one of the top ranked actors in the south, has increasingly been looking to do films which have substantial roles for her. It's been a while since Nivin starred in a romance and we can't wait to see sparks fly between the two.
Moothon: Written and directed by Geetu Mohandas of Liar's Dice fame, Moothon will see Nivin play a man from a Lakshadweep tribe. Though a popular star, Nivin has been criticised for sticking to a certain comfort zone when it comes to his script selection.
He has experimented with genres but has not gone the full length like say, Fahadh Faasil. Geetu Mohandas has promised that Moothon will give the audience a never before seen Nivin Pauly. The poster of the film which has the actor sport piercings and a fierce look has us excited. And oh, the beard is back!
Love Action Drama: Like Trisha, the other top Kollywood star, Nayanthara, has also signed a Malayalam film with Nivin. To make things more exciting, the film will be based on the Malayalam comedy classic Vadakku Nokki Yantram.
Nivin and Nayanthara are expected to bring back Dinesh ettan (Sreenivasan) and Shoba (Parvathi) back. The 1989 film was a hilarious dark comedy about a man with a severe inferiority complex about his looks. One wonders how the duo will pull this off if it is faithful to the original!
Kayamkulam Kochunni: Based on the famed highwayman of Kayamkulam who operated in the early 19th century, Nivin will play the lead role in this story about Kerala's own Robin Hood. And the actor is training in the martial art of Kalaripayattu to prepare for his role!
Malayalam cinema has already had a film based on the legendary highwayman in 1966 (played by Sathyan) and it will be interesting to see how the story is interpreted in contemporary times.