Before Kalamkaval came together with Mammootty and Vinayakan in the lead, director Jithin K Jose had first approached Prithviraj Sukumaran for the film. In an interview with a YouTube channel, Jithin revealed that Prithviraj was the first actor he pitched the project to and that he was interested after hearing the full script. “Prithviraj liked the story and was open to the idea. He also suggested that I try reaching Mammukka. Through Anto Joseph, I was able to get the script to him,” Jithin said. “When Mammukka showed interest, the project shifted in that direction.”
Jithin added that the idea was discussed with Mammootty even before Kannur Squad, although the film was officially launched later. He said Kalamkaval, slated to release later this year, was always written with two central characters in mind. While Prithviraj had initially shown interest in one of them, scheduling conflicts made it unworkable. The role eventually went to Vinayakan, on Mammootty’s suggestion. “Vinayakan’s role is different from what he has done in the past. I feel it was a good choice in the end,” the director said.
Kalamkaval had already attracted attention earlier this year with its first look poster. The image, which appeared to be from a fight scene, showed Mammootty with a half-bitten cigarette in his mouth, grappling with someone out of frame. The caption read: "Wait for another 'never before seen' Mammootty to be unleashed." The film marks Jithin’s first feature as director. He had earlier written the story for Dulquer Salmaan's Kurup (2021).
The screenplay for Kalamkaval is jointly penned by Jithin and Jishnu Sreekumar. Backed by Mammootty Kampany, the film has Mammootty playing a morally ambiguous character. On the technical front, it has cinematography by Faisal Ali, editing by Praveen Prabhakar and music by Kishkindha Kaandam-fame Mujeeb Majeed. The film was shot over approximately 50 days in various locations across Thiruvananthapuram, Nagercoil and Kanyakumari.
