Kaaliyan: Prithviraj Sukumaran's long-delayed film finally takes off, 7 years after announcement

Kaaliyan is Prithviraj Sukumaran’s much-anticipated film, which was announced way back in 2018, but the movie did not take off and has been on the back burner for long. Now, finally, there is a positive update with the team confirming that the pre-production work of Kaaliyan has started.

Prithviraj Sukumaran's Kaaliyan

Kaaliyan, helmed by S Mahesh Gurukkal and starring Prithviraj, is one of the ambitious projects from Malayalam. The pre-production of the film has finally started and pictures of the director and other crew from the location have surfaced online, much to the delight of Prithviraj fans. The film will have an extensive shooting schedule spread across locations in Kerala and North India. Sri Lanka and Cambodia are also said to be part of the shooting schedule.

Kaaliyan plot overview and crew details

A period drama, Kaaliyan revolves around warrior Kunchirakkotu Kali from the 17th century. Though he was a trusted aide of the legendary Iravikkutty Pillai, Kunchirakkotu Kali is not among the known names. The film sheds light on the warrior’s life through this brave tale. Prithviraj Sukumaran would be seen in the lead role of the warrior. There are reports that Tamil actor Sathyaraj, best known for his Kattappa role in the Baahubali series, could be roped in to play Iravikkutty Pillai. However, the makers have not officially announced it.

Also read: Exclusive! Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Kaaliyan has been conceived as an epic thriller, says its director S Mahesh 

S Mahesh Gurukkal, Kaaliyan is produced by Rajeev Govindan, who had also earlier backed Anarkali, another Prithviraj Sukumaran-starrer. Sujith Vaassudev serves as the DOP, while Ravi Basrur of KGF fame has been roped in to compose the music. The rest of the cast and crew have not been revealed. The film is expected to start shooting this year or early 2026, and the Kaaliyan producer had earlier confirmed to OTTplay that they plan to wrap up the shoot by next year.

Prithviraj Sukumaran’s other films

Prithviraj was last seen in L2 Empuraan, along with Mohanlal. He had also directed the film, the sequel to his 2019 hit Lucifer. The actor’s upcoming movies, include Nobody, directed by Nissam Basheer. He is also a part of Telugu filmmaker SS Rajamouli’s SSMB 29, starring Mahesh Babu and Priyanka Chopra Jonas