Exclusive! Chose Babu Antony as Kadamattathu Kathanar as he can easily pull off risky stunts: TS Suresh Babu

Mollywood is gearing up for not just one but two movies on the famed priest, Kadamattachan, and that too in 3D. After Jayasurya and #Home Rojin Thomas began the pre-production work on their big-budget pan-Indian film, recently veteran director and scriptwriter TS Suresh Babu announced his film Kadamattathu Kathanar, starring Babu Antony in the titular role.

Talking to OTTplay, Suresh Babu, who has directed superhits such as Kottayam Kunjachan and Uppukandam Brothers, says, “I had written the story for the hit Kadamattathu Kathanar TV serial, and I have been a film on this for years now. Our film is based on the true story of the priest and the plot is native to Kerala.”

Kadamattathu Kathanar is said to be a priest who lived in Kerala in the 9th century and is said to have possessed supernatural powers that he had used for the good of people. While the serial, which has Prakash Paul, had a mix of horror and fantasy, ask Suresh Babu how the movie is going to differ and he says, “If you take his real story, there’s just one incident – where he exorcises the yakshi – that lends itself to the horror genre. Otherwise, it’s more of an adventure filled with good messages and magic because Kathanar is also a wizard of sorts. Also, back when the serial aired, there weren’t too many developments in terms of visual and sound technology. We have that now and we are planning to use all of that for this film.”

On roping in Babu Antony for the role, the director says, “Babu’s physique itself was the main reason; his facial features resemble Jesus Christ’s and he is also tall. Also, there are a lot of scenes in the movie that are fraught with risks and require hard work. The movie has sequences where there is heavy rain, thunder, lightning and fireballs. Babu doesn’t hesitate while doing such scenes and the result of these will be brilliant. I also wanted an experienced and skillful artiste. Both of us trust each other.” The duo has worked in movies such as Koodikazhcha and Uppukandam Brothers.

The plan is to begin shooting the movie next year. “We are planning the pre-shoot and photo shoots in December, and are set to begin filming in January. We also have to check whether showcasing a 3D movie is viable during the pandemic,” says the director. “The movie is planned on a big scale and though it has actors from all South industries, I don’t expect it to work in other languages because it’s a story set in Kerala.”

Also read: Anarkali Marikar plays the female lead in Midhun Manuel Thomas’ next starring Aju Varghese and Vijay Babu