Manju Warrier to begin shooting Aamir Pallikal’s Indo-Arab film Ayisha in the UAE

Manju Warrier is all set to kick off this year with the ambitious project Ayisha, which is helmed by debutant Aamir Pallikal, who had previously assisted director Zakariya in Sudani from Nigeria and Halal Love Story. The team is currently in the UAE to begin the shoot of the movie set in an Indo-Arab backdrop.

The movie, which is shot entirely in the Middle East in the UAE as well as Qatar, will have a cast consisting largely of actors from the Gulf. The team has begun with an acting workshop for the artistes in the UAE, before the movie goes on floors. The team will be shooting for over a month in the UAE including in a palace.

In an earlier interview with OTTplay, Aamir had told us, “Ayisha is a family movie with fun and entertaining elements. It’s also probably the first commercial Malayalam film to have an Indo-Arab backdrop and be released in Malayalam and Arabic.” The movie will also be released in English and other Indian languages.

Scripted by Aashif Kakkodi, who had written Halal Love Story and Momo in Dubai, the film will also have Arab actors and a handful of Malayali artistes as well as those from other States. Sudani From Nigeria director Zakariya is the producer of Ayisha.

Meanwhile, Manju Warrier is set for her OTT debut with Lalitham Sundaram expected to premiere next month on Disney+ Hotstar. The movie directed by Madhu Wariar also has Biju Menon, Saiju Kurup, Anu Mohan and Deepti Sati. The actress’ much-delayed Jack and Jill, which is scripted and directed by Santosh Sivan, is also set to release in theatres this February. The film, which also has Soubin Shahir and Kalidas Jayaram, is an entertainer with sci-fi elements. Manju is also part of Jayasurya’s Meri Awaaz Suno, Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s Ahr Kayattam and Mahesh Vettiyar’s Vellarikka Pattanam.

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