Nivin Pauly’s next, a Tamil film

Prabhu Radhakrishnan, who has assisted Priyadarshan and Santosh Sivan, is turning director with an untitled venture that has Nivin Pauly in the lead. This will be a Tamil film. "I wanted to cast Nivin as he's a heartthrob and enjoys a huge fan base even in the North. We'll be starting the shooting early next year in January; pre-production work is currently on. It's set in Chennai and is a fun, romantic film, " he tells us.

Ask him about the film not being a Tamil-Malayalam bilingual, and he says, "Almost all Tamil films are released in Kerala and I don't think it has to be dubbed in Malayalam. Malayalis know a bit of Tamil anyway," he laughs. 

The project is will be produced by 24 AM Studios, which had bankrolled Remo.

While PC Sreeram is cranking the camera, the film’s script is by producer RD Raja himself. "Raja and I know each other for a long time. He isn't just a production person; he's interested in writing stories too," he says. 

In a month, the crew and cast will be finalised, says Prabhu. Nivin, meanwhile, has also signed Kairali recently, which will be directed by ace cinematographer Jomon T John. This big-budget film is about the unresolved mystery of MV Kairali, Kerala'a first ship that disappeared in 1979 near India with a crew of 49. Filming for Kairali is expected to begin in December this year.