The makers of Athiradi unveiled the character poster of Sarvam Maya-fame Riya Shibu on Sunday, introducing her role as Swathy R Krishna, described by the team as the “heart” of this festive, campus-based action entertainer. The film, slated to hit theatres worldwide on May 14, is headlined by Tovino Thomas, Basil Joseph and Vineeth Sreenivasan. It marks the directorial debut of Arun Anirudhan, who previously co-wrote Minnal Murali and Padayottam. He has co-written the upcoming film with Paulson Skaria, known for Neymar and Kaathal – The Core.

The ensemble cast of Athiradi also includes Zarin Shihab and Darshana Rajendran, among others. Previously released character posters featured Basil as Samkutty, Tovino as Sreekuttan Vellayani, and Vineeth in an undisclosed role. On the technical front, the film has music composed by Vishnu Vijay, cinematography by Samuel Henry and editing by Chaman Chakko. It is the maiden production venture of Basil Joseph Entertainment and Dr Ananthu Entertainment, headed by Dr Ananthu, founder and CEO of Xylem Learning. Tovino and filmmaker-cinematographer Sameer Thahir are also attached as co-producers.

Riya is best known for her breakout performance in the recent blockbuster Sarvam Maya, a horror comedy headlined by Nivin Pauly, in which she played a Gen Z ghost named Delulu.