The magnum opus Maamaankam starring mega star Mammootty in the lead role went on the floors several months ago and a few schedules had been completed. However, the film suffered a major setback with the Kerala floods that ravaged the state a few months ago. With all the issues, including those pertaining to the cast, resolved now, the shooting of this film is set to resume. There is an official confirmation that the filming will begin from January end and the team is preparing for it.
Debutant Sajeev Pillai is donning the director’s robes for this flick with Ganesh Rajavelu aka Jim Ganesh wielding the camera, M Jayachandran scoring the music, Sreekar Prasad in charge of the editing and Kecha Khamphakdee choreographing the stunts. The film is being bankrolled by Venu Kunnampilly under the banner Kavya Films. Apart from Mammootty in the lead role, Maamaankam’s star cast will have four female leads – Prachi Desai, Prachi Tehlan, Malavika Menon and Abhirami V Iyer. Those playing supporting roles in this flick would be Unni Mukundan, Neeraj Madhav, Sunil Sukhada, Meghanathan and Sohan Seenulal.
Mamaankam is a historical that revolves around the life of the warriors known as Chaaverukal, who plotted against the Zamorin rulers to overthrow them. The film is based on the Maamaankam festival celebrated during the 17th century, in which warriors from different parts of the country would arrive on the banks of the Bharatapuzha to fight against each other to prove their superiority.
Speaking about the film, the director Sajeev had said earlier that Maamaankam will not only be high on action sequences but will also be emotional. The film will be shot extensively in Kerala and Karnataka, the director added.
A former associate of legendary director Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Sajeev is reported to have done extensive research for this project. Mammootty will be seen playing Chekavar in the movie and has done a lot of homework to get into the skin of the character. This film is expected to hit the silver screens later this year.
(Content provided by Digital Native)