The makers of Kathanar: The Wild Sorcerer dropped the first look of Anushka Shetty's character on Thursday, which coincides with the actor's birthday. Anushka makes her Malayalam debut as a character called Nila in the film, which stars Jayasurya in the titular role. Revealing a motion poster that carries his co-star's first look in the film, Jayasurya said on social media, "Wishing a magical birthday to our dear Anushka Shetty! We are excited to reveal her captivating character in ‘KATHANAR - The Wild Sorcerer,’ which marks her grand entry into Malayalam cinema. Magic awaits."

Rojin Thomas, known for the Indrans starrer Home, directs the film from a screenplay by debutant R Ramanand.

The film is based on the legend of Kadamattathu Kathanar, a priest in Kerala with supposedly supernatural capabilities. The makers wrapped the Kerala schedule for the film in October this year. Only a small part of production is remaining, and the makers plan to complete it in Rome.

Reportedly, Jayasurya has gone through a complete physical transformation for Kathanar, including weight loss.

With Kathanar, Prabhu Deva comes back to Malayalam cinema 13 years after his cameo in the Santhosh Sivan-directorial Urumi. The cast also includes choreographer-actor Sandy, best known for his role in the Vijay-Lokesh Kanagaraj film Leo.

A Sree Gokulam Movies production, Kathanar's technical team includes cinematographer Neil D Cunha, action choreographer Jungjin Park, music director Rahul Subrahmanian Unni.