Mammootty to play a warrior in Maammaankam

Of the many roles he played on screen, Mammootty's best ones have to be those as a warrior in movies like Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha (1989), Pazhassi Raja (2009) and Padayottam (1982). And, the actor is all set to don the role of a warrior again with Maammaankam, a period drama that chronicles the journey of the legendary 'chaaverukal' of Valluvanadu. The actor took to social media to announce the news. 

Says director Sajeev Pillai, "Yes, we have finished the script and the pre-production work of Mammaankam. Only the execution part is left. Intense research was done for the movie. There are solid historical records with regard to this. Though there will be a fictional thread, the background is purely historical." Sajeev, who was an assistant to Adoor Gopalakrishnan, spent almost 12 years on the task. 

According to the director, Mammaankam, set in late 17th century, will be a martial arts movie. "There will be grand war and fighting scenes. Obviously, the actors have to undergo intense kalari training. We have pre-planned the schedule accordingly," says Sajeev.  However, he adds the movie will also be an emotional drama. "The protagonist goes through major emotional upheavals in his life. The story focuses on his dilemmas too," he says.

As for the remaining cast and crew, Sajeev says one has to wait a bit longer for an announcement. But, he adds prominent stars will join Mammootty in the film. The director is also tight-lipped as to whether Dulquer Salman will be a part of the film.

Production
Maammaankam will be made on a grand scale. "It will be a huge canvas. Ever since I registered the script in 2010, I have been in search for funds since the film requires a very big budget. Now, we have a producer, an NRI businessman Venu Kunnampilly. He has assured us we'll get everything we need and wants us to focus on the production quality," says Sajeev. Naturally, the movie will boast of the best technicians. "We have almost zeroed in on the team. The names will be declared in two weeks," he says. 

The director says though there are talks to market the movie in other states, the primary language will be Malayalam. "The making will be just in Malayalam. There are plans to dub it in other languages," he adds.