In a surprise move, the makers of the upcoming film Idhayam Murali, Dawn Pictures of Aakash Baskaran announced on Thursday that Fahadh Faasil has been cast in the film. Producer Aakash, who is also directing the film from his screenplay, made the announcement with a video where Fahadh can be seen interacting with the film's cast and crew on the set. The actor joins the previous announced cast members, including Atharvaa, Kayadu Lohar, Preity Mukhundhan, and Niharika NM.
The makers pinned the 'Illuminati' song from Fahadh's film Aavesham to the announcement post. They captioned it, "When FaFa illuminated the sets of Idhayam Murali. The one and only Fahadh Faasil features in the Aakash Baskaran directorial, coming to cinemas this summer."
Fahadh can be seen in a jovial mood on the sets of Idhayam Murali. However, the makers are yet to announce the specifics of his character in the film. It is likely a cameo, considering Fahadh's packed schedule. He has films such as Don’t Trouble The Trouble, Karate Chandran, Patriot, an Aavesham sequel, and a project with '96 and Meiyazhagan filmmaker C Premkumar in various stages of production.
Writer-director-producer Aakash welcomed Fahadh Faasil's casting in the film, describing it as a "proud moment" for him. "Ever since I wrote this, I wanted to see this day… finally happening. Thank you Fahadh sir for trusting me. Means a lot," the filmmaker added.
As reported earlier, Idhayam Murali tells a story of love spanning generations. The plot deals with themes of one-side love, much like Atharvaa's actor father Murali's 1991 film Idhayam. In a title announcement teaser from last year, Atharvaa's character Idhaya says, "The best lover in the world is not Romeo, Majnu, Ambikapathy, or even Titanic Jack. It's the one and only Idhayam Murali!" The tagline itself reads, "The One Side".
The film also stars Sudhakar Jayaraman and Dravid Selvam of Parithabangal fame, Natty, composer Thaman S himself, Rakshan, Anju Kurian, Yashashree Rao, singer Jonita Gandhi, and Angelin B. Natty plays Idhaya's uncle, whereas Kayadu portrays his love interest.
On the technical front, the film has music by Thaman S, cinematography by Manoj Paramahamsa, editing by Pradeep E Ragav, costumes by Pallavi Singh, and Karthik Rajkumar. Dravid Selvam also doubles up as the film's additional dialogues writer, alongside Aakash Baskaran.
The makers are yet to announce a specific release date for the film, although it is tentatively slated for the summer. Meanwhile, Netflix holds the rights to stream it post the theatrical release.