William Shakespeare's plays have inspired many popular big-screen adaptations in Bollywood as well as south Indian film industries. The newest entrant to this list is upcoming Malayalam film Iru. What makes it all the more interesting is that the film is being directed by a Christian priest. Fr Varghese Lal could probably become the first priest to step into commercial filmmaking.
The first look poster of Iru, based on Shakespeare's Othello, was released by actor Nivin Pauly. Cinematography and editing is done by actor-filmmaker Sidhartha Siva. With screenplay written by Jose K. Manuel, the film features music composed by Vishal Johnson. The film is bankrolled by Shakespeare Arts Society of India. The campus-based plot delves into love and caste politics, and is being shot on the premises of the Mahatma Gandhi University. The cast includes actor Ranji Panickkar and fresh faces like Rajeev Rajan, Dain Davis, Vishnu Govind, and Nayana.
The 2018 Kevin murder case was one of the inspirations behind the film, Fr Lal told the Times of India last year. Infamous as Kerala's 'first honour killing', Kevin Joseph, a Dalit Christian youth, was murdered by the relatives of Neenu Chacko, after the couple registered their marriage. In August 2019, a Principal Sessions Court sentenced all the 10 accused in the Kevin murder case, to double life imprisonment
Fr Lal, who resides in Kottayam, is an avid movie and theatre enthusiast and has made over 20 short films. He has an MA in Film and Television, and has also researched on the media representation in Malayalam films.
Filmmaker Jayaraj's 1997 film Kaliyattam was the other Malayalam film based on Othello. The film, starring Suresh Gopi in the lead role, brought home national awards for Best Actor as well as Best Director that year. The film also featured Manju Warrier and Biju Menon in prominent roles.
