‘Kumbarees is an episodic thriller’

Queen-fame Ashwin Jose and Angamaly Diaries-fame Tito Wilson have teamed up for a new film that will be released sometime this month. Titled Kumbarees, the film has been written and directed by Sagar Hari and produced by Joby George of Goodwill Entertainments.

Sagar reveals that Kumbarees revolves around six to seven characters. “While Ashwin plays a mechanic named Shambu, Tito plays the former's friend, John. There is a love track involving Shambu and a girl named Jincy. Their lives are changed forever upon their encounter with three other characters—Manu, Meera, and Anil. They become intertwined in an incident pertaining to a medical shop.”

Ashwin will be joined by his Queen co-stars Eldho Mathew (as Manu) and Jenson Alapatt (as Anil). The latter is known for playing ‘Mada’ in Queen. Newcomers Andrea and Rona are playing Jincy and Meera respectively. Ramesh Pisharody, Indrans, and Vijayakumar will be playing integral characters.

Explaining the film’s title, Sagar says, “‘Kumbarees’ is something friends call each other in Alappuzha. It’s the Alappuzha equivalent of machan, or aliya, or saho, or bro. The film is essentially about friendship.”

The filmmaker added that Kumbarees has an episode narrative reminiscent of the Nivin Pauly-Alphonse Puthren film Neram and that none of the characters can be called a typical hero or a villain.

“Someone can be a hero or villain depending on the directions the plot takes,” says Sagar, who also reveals that Ramesh Pisharody plays a character named Psycho Ramu. “When Rameshettan told me that a debutant director made him do a character that no other director did, I was elated.”

Sibu Sukumaran has composed the music to the lyrics by Ashwin Krishna. Vineeth Sreenivasan and Madhu Balakrishnan have lent their voice to the film’s tracks. Srikanth Easwar has cranked the camera.