Last week, the Malayalam film Varthamanam was denied censor certification by the regional office of the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which became a topic of discussion. Following this, the filmmakers have now received a go-ahead from the Delhi Central Censor Board revising committee.
Denying clearance for the film earlier, CBFC member Adv Sandeep Kumar tweeted: “As a censor board member, I saw the film Varthamanam. The subject is the Dalit, Muslim oppression in the JNU protest. I opposed it because the film's writer and producer is Aryadan Shoukath. The film's premise was surely anti-national.” Sensing that the tweet could rake up a controversy, he removed the tweet, but not before it caught the attention of netizens and other filmmakers.
In Varthamanam, directed by Siddhartha Siva, Parvathy plays the lead role of a research student from Kerala studying at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi. Roshan Mathew and Siddique are also part of the star cast.
The first look poster of Varthamanam was released by Mollywood star Mammootty via social media, with Tovino Thomas and Nivin Pauly also sharing the first look poster online. In it, Parvathy is seen wearing a hijab. Varthamanam is bankrolled by Benzy Nazar and Aryadan Shoukath under the banner of Benzy productions.
The technical crew of this film comprises Aryadan Shoukath for scripting. Cinematographer Alakappan is in charge of cinematography for Varthamanam, while Shameer Muhammed is handling the editing department. Pandit Ramesh Narayanan and Hesham Adul Wahab are composing tunes for this flick, with Bijibal roped in to do the background scores. Major portions of the film were shot in north India, we hear.
Parvathy’s last film to hit the marquee was the critically acclaimed Virus. Directed by Aashiq Abu, it had a notable line-up of stars in the cast including Asif Ali, Parvathy, Rima Kallingal, Soubin Shahir, Dileesh Pothan, Rahman, Indrans, Remya Nambeesan, Madonna Sebastian, Sharafudheen, Sreenath Bhasi, Revathy, Joju George, Senthil Krishna, Basil Joseph, Sudeesh and Vettukili Prakash. The scripting for Virus was done by Mushin Parari, Suhas and Sharfu. National Award-winning cinematographer Rajeev Ravi worked the camera for this venture with Sushin Shyam composing the tunes and Saiju Sreedharan taking charge at the editing table. Aashiq Abu and Rima Kallingal bankrolled Virus under the banner OPM.
(Content provided by Digital Native)