Asif Ali: I was initially scared about taking up a role of a cop in Kuttavum Shikshayum

Asif Ali is probably not the first choice for many filmmakers to play the role of a cop, but Rajeev Ravi picked the actor to play the lead in his upcoming release Kuttavum Shikshayum, which is based on a real-life incident.

The movie is based on a jewellery theft that happens in Kerala and how that takes a group of investigating policemen from the State to Uttar Pradesh to catch the culprits. Actor and policeman Sibi Thomas, who was one of the cops involved in the investigation, has also scripted the movie along with journalist Sreejith Divakaran.

In a press meet held in Kochi, Asif talked about what sets the film apart from previous investigative thrillers. When Rajeev first narrated the script of Kuttavum Shikshayum to him, the actor said he was initially scared because he didn’t feel like he had the physique or body language to play a police officer. “But after I got to see the cop (Sibi) whose life this is based on, I knew a police officer didn’t need a superhuman physique,” said Asif. “He didn’t narrate it to me as a script but as an experience in his life.”

The movie doesn’t show the incidents as an adventure involving the cops, but as a realistic episode in their lives. Sunny Wayne, Alencier Ley, Senthil Krishna and Sharafudheen play the other pivotal characters in the film, which was shot in Kerala and Rajasthan.

“A policeman goes through a lot of struggles. Even when we criticise them, there are many problems that they have to endure and that’s what we have tried to show in the movie,” said Asif.

The film’s post-production was over almost three months ago, said the team. “We had made up our mind to not release the film on OTTs because this deserved to be viewed in theatres. People who have watched Rajeev Ravi’s movies know the quality of his films,” concluded Asif.

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