Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Vargam to get a sequel?

Filmmaker M Padmakumar - who is known for movies like Vaasthavam, Shikkar, Vargam, and most recently Joseph - has often dealt with socio-political subjects like corruption, maoism and police brutality in his movies. Now it’s emerged that the director is planning a sequel to his film Vargam, which was released in 2006. The movie had Prithviraj Sukumaran essaying the role of a corrupt police officer, named Solomon Joseph.

Vargam’s initial release at the theatres didn’t do quite well, but later on it garnered praise for the storyline and performance of Prithviraj. The actor had earlier admitted that the film was a failure because of the lack of market for a Prithviraj-Padmakumar movie. In 2019, Prithviraj expressed his desire to remake the movie, but no new developments were heard of until recently.

Vargam revolves around Solomon, a dishonest cop who is driven by greed. He forms unholy alliances with shady businessmen and becomes entangled in their vendettas. Facing the consequences of his deeds, Solomon seeks redemption and tries to transform into a reformed man. But his path to a new life is not easy as his past follows and confronts him.

Along with Prithviraj, the film’s cast included Devan, Vijayaraghavan, and the late Rajan P Dev and Cochin Hanifa. Renuka Menon played the female lead in Vargam. The technical department of the film had Ranjan Abraham and Shamdat Sainudeen in the roles of editor and cinematographer respectively.

Meanwhile, Padmakumar is busy promoting his new movie Queen Elizabeth, starring Narain and Meera Jasmine. They previously worked together in Ore Kadal, Minnaminnikoottam and Achuvinte Amma. Now, after 15 years, they will share screen space in Queen Elizabeth.

The posters and updates, released earlier, hint at a family entertainer. In a previous poster, Narain was seen in front of a mirror, delicately applying cream on his face. The script of the film is written by Arun T Sathyan, who is known for his work in the feel-good entertainer Rakshadhikari Baiju. Akhilesh Mohan, who previously edited films like Kuruthi, is also part of the Queen Elizabeth team. The movie features Mallika Sukumaran, Ramesh Pisharody and Shwetha Menon in key roles. Queen Elizabeth is expected to hit theatres in August.