The makers of Athiradi released the official trailer on Tuesday night. The film stars Tovino Thomas, Basil Joseph, and Vineeth Sreenivasan in the lead roles. It is directed by Arun Anirudhan, who is making his directorial debut after co-writing director Basil’s superhero film Minnal Murali, starring Tovino. Athiradi brings Tovino and Basil back together after Minnal Murali, albeit as actors this time around.
The Athiradi trailer promises an entertaining action-comedy. Basil revealed in promotional interviews that he underwent a significant physical transformation to fit the part of a college student. The story explores the conflict between Basil’s college student, who tries to organise a college festival, and Tovino's rowdy character. Basil disclosed that the two characters come at loggerheads following an ego battle. The trailer shows Basil's Samkutty taking on the onus of organising the festival to impress Riya Shibu’s character after two years of its absence. The film also stars Zarin Shihab, popular social media influencer Shelvin James, and director-actor Santhivila Dinesh, among others.
The trailer is full of references to old Malayalam films, including Aaram Thampuran, where Mohanlal's character comes to a village to restore the long-abandoned Kanimangalam Pooram festival. There is even a reference to Thor, the superhero from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At one point, Tovino even appears to fight a giant robot.
The film has cinematography by Samuel Henry, music by Vishnu Vijay, and editing by Chaman Chakko. Stunt choreography is handled by Action Sandhosh and Phoenix Prabu. It is produced by Dr Ananthu S and Basil Joseph under their respective, eponymous production banners. On the other hand, Tovino and Sameer Thahir serve as co-producers.
The film is set to release in theaters worldwide on May 14, Thursday. Before the official release, there are paid premieres scheduled for Wednesday evening.
