Exclusive! Jithu K Jayan on why they changed Kallan D’Souza’s initial story that tied to Dulquer’s Charlie

Soubin Shahir’s Kallan D’Souza, which is set to hit theatre on January 21, was initially announced as a spin-off to Dulquer Salmaan’s Charlie a few years ago. While this was the initial plan of the makers, the movie has undergone several revisions and now, the only thread connecting the Martin Prakkat directorial and debutant Jithu K Jayan’s film is the latter’s titular character.

Talking about the changes in the script, Kallan D’Souza’s director Jithu tells OTTplay, “We had initially begun writing a script about a thief and we thought Soubin would be a good fit. But that’s also when it struck us that he had played a cameo as a thief in Charlie. So, we thought why not do a spin-off with that character because such a thing is rarely done in Malayalam cinema.”

The filmmaker along with its scriptwriter Sajeer Baba had drafted a version that weaved the two stories. “Our initial plot was connected to the tale of Charlie but days before the shoot began, we decided not to go ahead with that plan because we thought it might become too much of a responsibility due to the audience’s expectations. That’s why we changed the script,” says Jithu. “However, we retained the name of Soubin’s character. So, that’s the only connection to Charlie right now.”

Further on the plot of the family drama, Jithu says, “It’s about two thieves in Kochi, played by Soubin and Hareesh Kanaran. Dileesh Pothan plays a brash and stubborn cop, while Surabhi Lakshmi acts as his wife. The friendship between the thieves and his wife is what takes the plot forward.”

The team has been waiting for over two years now to release the movie in theatres. “We had completed the shoot of the movie by late 2019. We were planning to release the movie on Vishu in 2020. We can’t hold on to the movie any longer. As of now, we are going ahead with the January 21 release but if the government decides to shut down theatres tomorrow, then we will have to shift our plans again,” concludes the filmmaker.

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