Arvind Swamy has clarified that he never committed to acting in Anna, a long-shelved Malayalam film that veteran filmmaker Joshiy had planned in the 1990s. In a recent appearance on actor-producer Ramkumar Ganesan’s Truly Ram podcast, the Roja actor said he had neither heard the story nor agreed to be part of the project, suggesting that a communication gap might have led to the misunderstanding.

The Thani Oruvan actor was responding to a question about Bethlehem Kudumba Unit (BKU), Girish AD’s recent blockbuster starring Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju, which brought renewed attention to Anna through its song ‘Yavanakathayile Idayakanyake’.

“I had never committed to doing a film by that name. There must have been some communication problem at the time. I do not know who approached the film’s team using my name. I have never heard the story, and I know nothing about the film. I was new to the industry then, and I do not know who told them that I would act in it, or whether they assumed I would be part of it. I never acted in that film,” Arvind said. When asked about the popularity of ‘Yavanakathayile Idayakanyake’, the Meiyazhagan actor said he had heard about its renewed success.

Anna, which was conceived as a love story involving a Brahmin youth and a Christian woman, was planned with Arvind and Sridevi in the lead roles. The film never went on floors, although its music had been recorded. Composed by Ouseppachan, the songs, penned by Shibu Chakravarthy, were released as an album in 1995.

The song recently regained popularity after being featured in BKU. Following the renewed interest, producer Tomichan Mulakuppadam of Pulimurugan fame announced that he had acquired the rights to Anna and intended to revive the project with a new writing team. Further details, including the director and cast, are yet to be announced.