Exclusive! Biju Menon, Guru Somasundaram’s Naalam Mura is a suspense drama based on true incidents: Deepu Anthikad

Director Deepu Anthikad has high hopes pinned on his upcoming film Nalaam Mura, which has Biju Menon and Guru Somasundaram in the lead. The film marks the comeback of the filmmaker after almost a decade since he did Jayaram’s Lucky Star.

In an exclusive chat with OTTplay, the director talks about the movie, which wrapped up its principal photography last month. Biju Menon plays a cop in the film while Guru Somasundaram plays the other lead character.

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“We have given it a different treatment; it can’t be called a police story entirely,” says the director, who has co-scripted it with Sooraj V Dev. “It’s a suspense drama and there are plot devices in place so that the viewers can’t really figure out who is the hero and who is the villain in this till the end. There are a lot of emotional elements. Through the story, we show the problems that people have to face.”

Incidentally, Biju also played a cop in another dual-hero film Ayyappanum Koshiyum, but the filmmaker quickly clarifies that this film has him in an entirely different role. “Ayyappanum Koshiyum was an ego tussle between its lead characters that led to physical altercations. But in Nalaam Mura, it is mostly a cerebral game between the two leads. That said, Biju’s character isn’t a genius of some sort; he is a normal crime branch officer and we show how they solve a case in an authentic manner,” says Deepu.

The director also explains that the film is based on real incidents. “Sooraj works in crime branch investigation and we used to discuss a lot of cases. This script is based on many such cases,” he says.

While he says that they did contemplate on doing “something realistic” with the script, “to bring people back to theatres, you have to present a cinematic experience”. “So, we added those elements. Visually, this film looks and feels different. It has a high production value too,” says the director, adding that the team had scouted never-seen-before locations in Kuttikanam and Peermade.

Alencier, Prashanth Alexander, Divya Pillai, Santhi Priya, Sheelu Abraham and Surabhi Santosh are also part of the cast of the big-budget film, produced by Kishore Warrier, Sudeesh Pillai and Shibu Anthikad. Composers Kailas Menon and Gopi Sundar, editor Shameer Muhammed and cinematographer Loganathan are also part of its crew. “We are currently looking for a September release in theatres,” concludes Deepu.