Lijomol and Losliya-starrer Annapoorni is a women-centric film, says director Lional Joshua

Annapoorni, the upcoming feature starring Losliya and Lijomol Jose, is a women-centric thriller, director Lional Joshua tells Cinema Express.

Joshua marks his directorial debut with this film. The first look poster was released on the occasion of Diwali. The film also has Hari Krishnan playing a pivotal role. While the film has crossed the final stage of post-production and is release-ready, Joshua, in conversation with us, says, "Annapoorni is about the exploitation of women in family and other societal settings. I was inspired by Periyar and Karl Max's ideologies. While Periyar observed that the family system exploits women, Marx noted that women's labour is undervalued even outside the family set-up. And this film reflects on both these theses."

Joshua futher adds that the film shows the lives of two women--Losliya from an urban space and Lijomol from a rural background-- and how they face exploitation in different settings. "I feel cinema is a venue for ideological battles and I want to make such progressive statements through cinema," adds Joshua.

Besides, Periyar and Carl Marx, Joshua was also inspired by author Kavitha Krishnan's book Fearless Freedom, which helped him to understand the female perspective that was needed for this film. "Annapoorni won't be a mainstream masala film. It will be an art house film. We have tried an inventive and unusual filmmaking style with long shots and more creative techniques," he says, adding that they have also ensured political correctness in the story.

Meanwhile, the makers are hoping to release the film in a couple of months. Annapoorni's technical crew includes music composer Govind Vasantha, director of photography Hector and editor Kalaivanan. Yugabharathi has penned the dialogues and lyrics.

Annapoorni also features Dharani Reddy, Rajeev Gandhi, and Vairabalan in supporting roles. The film is produced by KH Pictures in association with One Drop Ocean Pictures.