Minnal Murali: After delays due to pandemic and set destruction, Tovino’s movie completes filming

After multiple delays due to the pandemic, Tovino Thomas’ superhero film Minnal Murali wrapped up production this weekend in Kerala. The film, helmed by Basil Joseph, had begun production in December 2019. 

Its lead actor has been training for the movie since the shoot started in 2019 and had to stay in shape for the continuity of the movie for the better part of 2020. He even had a gym installed at home to continue his workouts without interruption. 

The movie was initially set to be shot entirely in Kerala. The first schedule of the movie was wrapped up in Wayanad. However, last year, amid the pandemic lockdown, a group of extremists vandalised and destroyed the church sets of the film in Kalady, Ernakulam. The film’s producer Sophia Paul had cited that the vandalism cost the team “colossal” losses.

The set was erected under specific orders from Hollywood action director Vlad Rimburg for the climax sequences of the movie. This prompted the team to move to Karnataka to finish these portions earlier this year. The final few scenes were wrapped up in Alappuzha in the past week. The big budget movie, which will release in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi, was shot over a total of 111 days, according to reports. 

The movie’s digital rights after its theatrical release have been bagged by Netflix for a sum between Rs 12Cr to Rs 15Cr, which is reportedly the highest for a Malayalam film without a direct-to-OTT release. Meanwhile, Tovino has also finished shooting for Manu Ashokan’s Kaanekkane and Aashiq Abu’s Naradan.