Director Jacob Verghese, who is making a comeback with Chambal, has managed to create a buzz around the film thanks to its content. Revolving around an IAS officer Subhash, played by Sathish Ninasam, the film’s trailer and teaser have given rise to speculation that it is a story based on DK Ravi’s life. This has even led to the latter’s mother lodging a complaint with the Film Chamber.

The director, however, clarifies that the film is a work of fiction and is based on the lives of several officers and IAS aspirants. “It is an edge-of-the-seat thriller, and we have experimented with a non-linear screenplay. We also have a proper disclaimer in the film that is a fictional story. We don’t have any wrong intentions, nor do we mean to hurt or malign anybody. I have been inspired by incidents that take place around us,” he says.

Apparently, the director wanted to title the film Subhash (after Subhash Chandra Bose), but since the title was not available, they ended up naming it Chambal, and retained Subhash as the protagonist’s name. “Chambal is like a metaphor. The violent scenes in that region are pretty much similar to what’s taking place in the concrete jungle of this film,” he says.