Asha Sarath to play the female lead in CBI 5

The fifth entry in director K Madhu's CBI series has been in development for a long time. Though filming of the Mammootty-starrer was expected to begin last year, the makers couldn't make it happen due to various factors, including the pandemic. 

However, things seem to have gathered some steam after reports of Soubin Shahir and Asha Sarath joining the cast emerged. Mukesh, Sai Kumar and Renji Panicker are also in the film.

As per a source close to the development, Asha will be playing the main female lead opposite Mammootty. She has previously worked with the actor in Varsham and Pullikkaran Stara. 

Preceded by Oru CBI Diary Kurippu, Jagratha, Sethurama Iyer CBI and Nerariyan CBI, the fifth part sees the return of scriptwriter SN Swamy once again. Swamy has revealed earlier that it revolves around an intriguing concept called 'basket killing'.

Swargachithra Appachan, who produced iconic classics such as Manichithrathazhu and Godfather, is getting back to film production after a long gap with CBI 5. It's not known if CBI 5 will be the final title. 

The makers hope to begin production in August if the Covid-related restrictions are lifted by then. Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad and Delhi are said to be the locations.

Last seen in Drishyam 2, Asha also has a pivotal part in the upcoming Kannan Thamarakkulam film, Virunnu, starring Tamil superstar Arjun (his second Malayalam project after Jack & Daniel).