It's only been three days since the release of Lokah: Chapter 1 - Chandra and now the first look of another mammoth, big-budget production from Malayalam cinema has been unveiled. On the occasion of Jayasurya's birthday,, the makers of Kathanar: The Wild Sorcerer unveiled the stunning glimpse of the actor in costume.
The poster comes with the tagline: "The one who steals your time. Your mind. Your reality."
Anushka Shetty plays the female lead Kalliyankattu Neeli, the popular yakshi/female spirit from Kerala folklore hunted by the priest and sorcerer, Kadamattathu Kathanar. The Baahubali actress is expected to bring a fresh take on the character which was the subject of several movie adaptations and one popular teleserial.
Directed by Rojin Thomas, who won accolades for the Malayalam feature Home, the film is backed by Sree Gokulam Movies. Sharing the poster, the banner wrote, "Not the tale you know, but the one rewritten by time. An epic reborn, for a new era."
Written by R Ramanand, Kathanar has Neil D'Cunha as director of photography and Rahul Subrahmanian as composer.
Kathanar is based on the legend of a real priest, Kadamattathu Kathanar, from the 9th century AD. While there's no conclusive proof of his existence, he was believed to have astonishing powers with which he thwarted many a supernatural threat.
The film, which announced first in 2023, has been in production until now. It was made with the aid of virtual production technology, used on popular Hollywood productions such as The Batman, The Fabelmans, and shows like The Mandalorian and House of the Dragon.
The makers had earlier mentioned that the film uses tools that Hollywood films like Jungle Book and Lion King worked with. They also shared that the film will be released in seven languages, given the presence of actors from other languages, chiefly Prabhu Deva and Sandy Master ("Leo", "Lokah: Chapter 1 - Chandra")