On the 10th anniversary of Mohanlal's Pulimurugan, producer Tomichan Mulakuppadam has announced plans to revive Anna, a long-shelved project of veteran filmmaker Joshiy that was originally conceived in the 1990s.

Taking to social media on Wednesday, Tomichan said he has acquired the production rights to the project, which was shelved without filming a single scene. He said the decision came after renewed interest in the film following the recent popularity of the song ‘Yavanakathayile Idayakanyake’ through Girish AD’s Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, headlined by Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju.

“I am happy to share that I have acquired the rights to Anna, a film that began in the 1990s but remained incomplete due to various reasons,” Tomichan wrote. He added that the intention is to take the story and memories associated with the original film to a new generation through new writers. “A new beginning for a film that came to a halt halfway three decades ago,” he wrote, adding that he will announce further details, including the director and cast, later.

Anna was originally conceived as a love story centred on Hari, a Brahmin youth serving as the Devikulam Sub-Collector, and Anna, a Christian woman. Arvind Swamy and Sridevi were originally attached to play the lead roles. Writer and novelist N Mohanan developed the story and wrote the screenplay after lyricist ONV Kurup encouraged him to adapt the story for the screen. The script eventually reached Joshiy, who was impressed by it and shared it with lyricist Shibu Chakravarthy.

The project had progressed considerably before being shelved. Ouseppachan had composed the music, while eight songs penned by Shibu Chakravarthy were recorded ahead of the shoot. ‘Yavanakathayile Idayakanyake’ was among them. The songs were later released as an album in 1995. Scheduling issues involving Arvind Swamy and Sridevi reportedly contributed to the film being shelved. Anna was eventually abandoned, with Joshiy moving on to other projects.