Nivin Pauly back with a bang!

Fans of Malayalam superstar Nivin Pauly can rejoice as his new movie, Kayamkulam Kochunni, is all set for an August 22 release in the UAE. He was last seen on the big screen in Shyamaprasad's Hey Jude.
Directed by Rosshan Andrrews, the period film is based on the life and adventures of 'India's Robin Hood' who thrived in Kerala during the early 19th century. The film, distributed by Phars Film overseas, also stars legendary Malayalam actor Mohanlal in a cameo role, as the protagonist's mentor, Ithikkara Pakki.
"It was a great learning experience to work with Mohanlal. He is such a professional on sets and there is so much we can learn from his work ethics," Pauly said.
Kayamkulam Kochunni is reported to be the most expensive movie to be made in the Malayalam film industry. It has also bagged the most expensive overseas rights.
"I hope the film will appeal to a pan-Indian audience because we have the best technicians working on the project," said Pauly, who learnt horse riding and kalaripayattu, a martial art form, to prepare for the role of the famed robber.
The actor even injured himself while shooting for rigorous action sequences in the film.
The film was extensively shot in difficult locations in Sri Lanka, Mangalore and Kerala.
"The director and his team almost spent two years in pre-production, scouting for locations and to get other historical details right," added the Premam star who was joined during the interview by co-star Sunny Wayne.
"Every kid in Kerala is familiar with the character Kochunni. There was a Malayalam movie based on him in 1966 and a few books for reference as well. However, the director and scriptwriter wanted more fictional elements to be added and make it into an entirely new story," Pauly said. 
The magnum opus also stars Babu Antony, Priya Anand, Shine Tom Chacko and Wayne, who is seen in a new avatar as a cop with grey shades. The movie is scripted by the famous duo Bobby and Sanjay of Traffic fame and produced by Gokulam Gopalan.
Read the entire interview with Nivin Pauly in City Times soon.
deepthi@khaleejtimes.com

• South Stars