Exclusive! Sharafudheen’s character in Priyan Ottathilaanu isn’t like anything he has done so far: Antony Sony

C/o Saira Bhanu director Antony Sony is ready for the release of his second directorial, Priyan Oothathilaanu. Mammootty on Saturday unveiled the poster of the movie featuring its leads – Sharafudheen and Nyla Usha.

Talking to OTTplay about the movie, scripted by Abhayakumar K and Anil Kurian, Antony tells us, “It’s a feel-good family entertainer that we are hoping to release in theatres by the end of May.”

The movie has Sharafudheen playing its titular character. On the experience of working with the actor, Antony tells us, “He’s an actor with immense potential. The audience will observe a noticeable difference in his mannerisms as Priyan. You won’t see Sharafudheen in Priyan. It’s a role that’s completely different from his previous films such as Premam, Anjaam Pathiraa and Varathan. It’s also the first time that he is playing a lead role; he carries the film from the start till the end.”

Nyla Usha plays the female protagonist in the movie, which also has Aparna Das, Jaffer Idukki, Harishree Ashokan, Ashokan and Biju Sopanam. Ask the filmmaker if Nyla plays Sharafudheen’s romantic interest in the movie, and he says, “We want to keep that a suspense right now.”

The shooting of the film, which had Kochi as its main location, had wrapped up last year. “Even though we shot the film during the pandemic, it’s not a small film in any way. The budget might be limited but it was extensively shot outdoors. We ensured that the canvas wasn’t restricted in any way,” says the filmmaker.

Meanwhile, Sharafudheen, who was last seen in Naradan and Pathrosinte Padappukal, is also part of several upcoming films including Senna Hedge’s 1744 WA and debutant director Adhil Maimoonath Asharaf’s Ntikkakkakkoru Premondarnn, which also marks Bhavana’s comeback Malayalam movie after five years.

Also read: Exclusive! Dulquer on convincing Mammootty to release Puzhu on OTT: As actors, both of us want to experiment