Eko director Dinjith Ayyathan on how Kishkindha Kaandam success gave him confidence to cast Sandeep Pradeep | Exclusive

Dinjith Ayyathan made his directorial debut with Asif Ali-led Kakshi: Amminippilla in 2019, a comedy-drama which went under the radar despite an engaging story. But it was the success of Kishkindha Kandam in 2024 that put him on the map, and the audiences are looking forward to his next directorial Eko, starring young actor Sandeep Pradeep. In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Dinjith Ayyathan reveals how it was the success of Kishkindha Kaandam that gave them confidence to cast Sandeep Pradeep in Eko. The director also talks about his frequent collaborator writer-DOP Bahul Ramesh, the challenges of shooting Eko and more…

Your film Eko is releasing on November 21, 2025. The teaser and trailer look intriguing. What can the viewers expect from Eko?

It is a mystery drama and will be totally fresh content. The film will take viewers to a different world, introduce you to various types of characters and animals, specifically canines. It would be a visual treat. I can't reveal anything more.

You have worked with writer-DOP Bahul Ramesh in both Kakshi: Amminippilla and Kishkindha Kaandam, and now again for Eko. Your collaborations with Bahul?

Bahul has a very different narrative style and there is a certain uniqueness even in his dialogue. His story world always excites me. Even when he was narrating the Eko story, I was totally into that world. I immediately told him, we are doing it because it was such fresh content, which we do not usually see in Malayalam.

When the writer-cinematographer is the same, we just need to communicate with one person. Because he is a writer, he already has a visual script and that’s very helpful to me as a director. And that reflects in the end product as well. We started the process for Eko, within six months of Kishkindha Kaandam’s release and it was also possible as it was the team.

Why did you choose Sandeep Pradeep for the lead role? Was he your first choice?

I first heard the story of Eko much before, when the Kishkinda Kaandam shoot was getting delayed. Then the plan was completely different. We wanted to cast an artiste with (star) value, and discussions were also happening.

After Kishkinda Kaandam, we became more confident that people were liking the films. Then we decided to do Eko with someone new and the name of Sandeep came up. I also liked Sandeep and his performance in Falimy. He has good timing, and you can see he is a versatile actor in that itself. His other movies Alappuzha Gymkhana and Padakkalam had not been released at that time. But we enquired, and got to know that those were good movies. So we had a weightage or value due to Kishkinda Kaandam and if these movies of Sandeep turn out to be hits, he will also have value, so we decided to cast him. 

Also he suits the character as he is someone in that age group. We have only a few actors like Naslen and Sandeep in that age. Sandeep was best suited for that role. And after Kishkindha Kaandam became a hit, we had the confidence to cast him. But if we had cast someone else as per our earlier plan, we would have been making an adjustment for this character. At that time, we did not have a ‘name’, so just wanted to do it with an artiste. With Kishkindha Kaandam becoming a hit, we realised that we did not have to compromise like that.

Also read: Dinjith Ayyathan says ‘disappointed’ over Kishkindha Kaandam not winning Best Script at Kerala State Film Awards | Exclusive

There is a lot of expectation about Eko, coming after the success of Kishkinda Kaandam. Do you feel the pressure to live up to it?

Yes, that is there, everyone has that anticipation. Since the previous film was a hit, viewers would have that expectation that Eko should go beyond that. There is tension but there is also confidence that the expectation has been balanced. We have really worked hard for this with a true intent.

What was the biggest challenge of shooting Eko

We shot in Kanjar and Kulamavu areas, that people have not explored much. We travelled all over the Western Ghats to find the ideal location because we wanted a hilly area, with a house. That was also a task for us but we got it correctly. It is a story that happens in such a place. Due to date issues, we could only start in July and it was raining at the time. We have shot in such harsh weather conditions. The area where we shot witnessed heavy rain and squally winds. Even amid such inclement weather, we did not stop production and still managed to complete the shoot within 45 days. Oddly enough, the harsh weather conditions turned out to be a blessing for us. We had first planned to make it in a dry environs, and we were upset that we had to shoot during the rains. But the rain, wind and the mist added to the visual appeal of the film that the people are now hailing. It is because we overcame that challenge. It is the dedication of the artistes, technicians, and everyone. It happened because everyone came together, otherwise it would not have happened.

Apart from that, the challenge was how would I execute Bahul Ramesh’s script. That script has a narrative style, if we take it in a typical manner, it would be a misfire. That tension is always there.

Can we expect a second part for Kishkinda Kaandam

No chance for that. Should never attempt a second part because its soul would be gone. Kishkinda Kaandam is Kishkinda Kaandam, there is nothing beyond that. Have no interest in that.

You started off with Malayalam comedy drama Kakshi: Amminippilla, but then veered off to thrillers. Would you be returning to comedy?

It is all about what excites me, irrespective of the genre. I am not keen on sticking on to a particular genre. But most of the scripts that come my way are thrillers, mystery, and such. Probably, people think that I would only do those (laughs). There are some projects that give you a high and you are determined to do no matter what. But there is some apprehension about doing comedy also since this (thriller) tag has come up. So it should not be just comedy, there should be something deeper to it. There should be some such hooking element, otherwise I don't think I would attempt that.

Your film is hitting theatres along with Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Vilaayath Budha on November 21, 2025. Your take on that

It is really good, no? Kishkindha Kaandam and Ajayante Randam Moshanam released together (for Onam 2024). And both films were good, though they were totally different genres. When both films are good, it would turn into a celebration. If people don’t get tickets for one film, they would go for the other. I am praying for that movie to also be good. And it is good for the industry, when we all grow together. These days, people are waiting for Malayalam films. Let all films be good, let the industry grow.

Your next projects

I have not planned any projects after Eko. The script discussions are happening, but nothing is conclusive. Nothing can be said at this point.

FAQs

Q. Who is Dinjith Ayyathan?

A. Dinjith Ayyathan is a Malayalam filmmaker, who has helmed films such as Kakshi: Amminippilla and the hit Kishkindha Kandam.

Q. When is Eko releasing?

A. Eko, starring Sandeep Pradeep, is releasing in theatres on November 21, 2025, along with Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Vilaayath Budha.

Q. Is Kishkindha Kandam a real story?

A. Kishkindha Kandam is a fictional story penned by Bahul Ramesh. You can watch Dinjith Ayyathan's film on JioHotstar via OTTplay Premium.