Ashwin Kumar, a UAE businessman who impressed with his performance as the antagonist Murali Menon in Jacobinte Swargarajyam, returns in the lead role. Kumar was last seen in Tamil film Dhruvangal 16 in a key supporting role.
In Charminar, directed by debutant Ajith V. Lokesh, Kumar plays the lead opposite Kannada actress Harshika Poonacha. The film marks Poonacha’s Malayalam cinema debut.
“Ashwin has two looks in the story,” says Lokesh, who was the co-script writer of Malayalam film Money Ratnam. He plays Sethu, a costume designer from Bengaluru who is in love with his neighbour, Nandita (played by Poonacha).
“It is a romantic thriller with an element of suspense woven in,” adds Lokesh. He worked in Kairali Television as programme producer before entering the film industry.
Charminar is the culmination of a dream nurtured over ten years, he says, adding that the film busts the notion that mimicry artists can only come up with something funny. “Often, such experiments end up as a caricature. Charminar is a different treatment altogether.”
Shot in Bengaluru and Kochi, Charminar is supported by performances from actor Hemant Menon and newcomer Megha.
The film releases in Kerala on March 9.
