Exclusive! Antony Varghese’s comedy-drama Poovan has a rooster in a pivotal role: Vineeth Vasudevan

After a spate of action films and thrillers, Antony Varghese will be seen in boy-next-door avatars in his upcoming movies Poovan, Aanaparambile World Cup and Oh Meri Laila. Poovan, which will be helmed by Super Sharanya actor Vineeth Vasudevan, will also have the Ajagajantharam star dabbling with comedy for the first time.

On the movie, the filmmaker says, “It’s a comedy drama. Antony has previously essayed a lot of angry characters. Compared to those films, this will be a simple entertainer. It also has a Christmas backdrop. The movie doesn’t just revolve around his character; it tells the story of those in his neighbourhood. It’s akin to some of the Sathyan Anthikad films that we have seen in the past.”

The director also says there’s a reason the film has been named Poovan. “A rooster plays a pivotal role in the movie. A lot of people interpreted the title as referring to an eve-teaser but that’s not the case,” he says.

While the movie was initially slated as an October 28 release, it has been delayed, Vineeth Vasudevan tells us. “Right now, we are working on post-production of the film. It should hit theatres around mid November.”

Apart from Antony, the movie also has Vineeth Vishwam, Sajin Cherukayil and Varun Dhara. Super Sharanya and Thaneermathan Dinangal directo Girish AD as well as Vineeth Vasudevan are also part of the cast, which have a lot of newcomers too who have been part of short films.

Meanwhile, Antony’s next release will be Nikhil Premraj’s directorial Aanaparambile World Cup, which is set to hit theatres on November 4. The film, which also has Balu Varghese, Sudhi Koppa and Jumana Khan, has Antony essaying the role of a football player who coaches an U-14 team for a tournament. The team had its trailer launch recently in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, during the Indian Super League. The makers have also tied up with Kerala Blasters for the film’s promotions.