Director Aashiq Abu’s eagerly awaited Malayalam film Naradan featuring Tovino Thomas and Anna Ben in the lead will now hit screens worldwide on March 3. The director took to Instagram to make the announcement. A political thriller that revolves around Malayalam broadcast journalism, the film has music by Sekhar Menon and cinematography by Jaffer Zadique.
Originally scheduled to be released in April 2021, the film was postponed due to the second COVID-19 wave. The team then decided to release the film this year on January 27. However, that too did not happen due to the surge in COVID-19 infections and complications caused by the Omicron variant. Now the makers have announced that the film will release on March 3.
Aashiq Abu and Tovino have earlier teamed up for films like Mayaanadhi and Virus, which received positive responses from audiences. Virus, a thriller that came out in 2019, was set against the backdrop of the 2018 Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala. The film featured an ensemble cast of actors including Kunchacko Boban, Tovino, Asif Ali, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Rahman, Indrajith Sukumaran, Indrans, Jinu Joseph, Sreenath Bhasi, Dileesh Pothan, Rima Kallingal, Madonna Sebastian, Ramya Nambeeshan, Joju George, Soubin Shahir and Revathi.
Tovino became popular across the country with the release of his superhero flick Minnal Murali, which premiered on OTT platform Netflix in December last year. Helmed by Basil Joseph, the film’s cast also included Guru Somasundaram, Femina George and Shelly Nabu Kumar, among others.
Speaking to TNM about how Minnal Murali appeals to the sensibilities of the Malayali audience, Tovino said, “We can’t fool people and make a nonsensical film to wow them. A Malayali audience will embrace a film sincerely only if they are satisfied with the content and quality. Our thought was that when Malayalis can enjoy films made across languages, maybe people from other places too will enjoy a good Malayalam film. Our job was to deliver that and make it available.”