Chakravarthy Chandrachud, a journalist-turned-actor, has also doubled up as a story writer for Melobba Maayavi. He has also penned the dialogues and three songs for the film, which is directed by Naveen Krishna.

Talking about the story, Chakravarthy says, “During my tenure as a journalist, I researched about the gemstone mafia in the Western Ghats, which dates back to the times of the French and Britishers colonisation. It is older than KGF, and I thought there was a story to tell. It is a content-oriented script that blends elements of the gemstone mafia and the story of the Adivasi Madhupalkkad.”

Chakravarthy plays the role of an antagonist, Sulaiman, a gemstone smuggler in the film. “I wrote this script for Sanchari Vijay, a very dear friend of mine. Viji insisted that the climax song should only feature me, and now, it has both of us in it. The film is also singer L N Shastry’s last film, and the Nintu Hoitu Jeevagaana song was his last song,” he says.