Hours before the El Clásico clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona on Sunday, Tovino Thomas posted an Instagram story that instantly set rumour mills spinning. Tagging Nazriya Nazim, the actor wrote, "Ready for El Clásico, mi amor?" Nazriya replied in her playful tone, "Eppale ready puyayaaple," which was enough for fans to start reading between the lines.
The timing of this online banter has made the internet suspicious. A month ago, writer-filmmaker Muhsin Parari announced a new film with Tovino and Nazriya in the lead, along with a casting call seeking fresh talent. The yet-to-be-titled project reunites Muhsin and Tovino after their collaborations on Thallumaala and Virus. The screenplay of the upcoming film is co-written by Muhsin and Sudani from Nigeria director Zakariya. It is produced by AVA Productions in association with Maargaa Entertainment and Muhsin’s The Writing Company. Reportedly, the music is composed by Sushin Shyam.
No plot or genre details have been revealed so far, and fans were already curious when the announcement dropped. The cheeky El Clásico exchange has only fuelled the speculation further, with comments flooding social media reading, "Something fishy is going on." While the El Clásico ended 2-1 in Real Madrid’s favour, the conversation off the turf among Malayali cinephiles has centred on Tovino and Nazriya. The debate now is whether they were just joking or quietly soft-launching their next collaboration.
