''Ram: Part 1'' is an upcoming Indian
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
-language
action thriller film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
written and directed by
Jeethu Joseph
Jeethu Joseph (born 10 November 1972) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. Jeethu made his directional debut with the ...
. It stars
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...
in the title role alongside an
ensemble cast
In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17
Structure
In contrast to ...
including
Trisha
Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia.
Notable people and characters with the name include:
People
*Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983)
* Trisha Baptie (born 197 ...
,
Indrajith Sukumaran
Indrajith Sukumaran (born 17 December 1978) is an Indian actor and singer. He predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Indrajith was born to the actors Sukumaran and Mallika Sukumaran and is the elder brother of Prithviraj Sukumaran.
Indrajit ...
,
Samyuktha Menon
Samyuktha Menon (born 11 September 1995) is an Indian actress and model who mainly appears in Malayalam films along with a few Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films.Her debut in the Malayalam film Industry was through the 2016 film ''Popcorn''.
Earl ...
,
Adil Hussain
Adil Hussain () is an Indian actor who has worked in Indian cinema, including art house cinema and mainstream Bollywood, as well as international cinema, in films such as ''The Reluctant Fundamentalist'' and ''Life of Pi'' (both 2012).
He rece ...
,
Durga Krishna
Durga Krishna (born 25 October 1996) is an Indian actress who works in Malayalam films.
Career
Krishna made her debut in 2017 as Janaki in Pradeep M. Nair's ''Vimaanam''. Her other major roles include Anjaly Junior in ''Kuttymama'' (2019) an ...
,
Prachi Tehlan
Prachi Tehlan (born 2 October 1993) is an Indian former netball and basketball player, and an actress. Prachi is the former captain of the India national netball team which represented India in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and in other major Asia ...
,
Anoop Menon
Anoop Menon (born 3 August 1976) is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter and lyricist. He worked in television before acting in Malayalam films and has acted in more than 75 films.
Menon won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Supportin ...
,
Saikumar,
Suman,
Chandhunadh
Chandunath G. Nair, professionally credited as Chandhunadh, is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam cinema.
Early life
His father retired as a forest range officer and mother was a Hindi language professor at University of Kerala. Chandhun ...
, and
Siddique. Vishnu Shyam, a protege of veteran
Vidyasagar, composes the film's music.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
of the film began on 6 January 2020. After a schedule break in February, filming was halted for around three years due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. During the delay, Jeethu scaled-up the film's size. It resumed filming in August 2022.
Premise
Ram Mohan, a former
R&AW
The Research and Analysis Wing (abbreviated R&AW; hi, ) is the foreign intelligence agency of India. The agency's primary function is gathering foreign intelligence, counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, advising Indian policymakers, a ...
operative who went rogue, is called back to deal with ''Bael'', a terrorist organization which possesses
nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...
s capable of destroying India.
Cast
*
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...
as Ram Mohan, a former
RAW
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
agent
*
Trisha
Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia.
Notable people and characters with the name include:
People
*Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983)
* Trisha Baptie (born 197 ...
as Dr. Vineetha M. D, Ram's wife
*
Indrajith Sukumaran
Indrajith Sukumaran (born 17 December 1978) is an Indian actor and singer. He predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Indrajith was born to the actors Sukumaran and Mallika Sukumaran and is the elder brother of Prithviraj Sukumaran.
Indrajit ...
as Moncy Kurian
*
Samyuktha Menon
Samyuktha Menon (born 11 September 1995) is an Indian actress and model who mainly appears in Malayalam films along with a few Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films.Her debut in the Malayalam film Industry was through the 2016 film ''Popcorn''.
Earl ...
*
Durga Krishna
Durga Krishna (born 25 October 1996) is an Indian actress who works in Malayalam films.
Career
Krishna made her debut in 2017 as Janaki in Pradeep M. Nair's ''Vimaanam''. Her other major roles include Anjaly Junior in ''Kuttymama'' (2019) an ...
as Meera
*
Anoop Menon
Anoop Menon (born 3 August 1976) is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter and lyricist. He worked in television before acting in Malayalam films and has acted in more than 75 films.
Menon won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Supportin ...
*
Suman as Dhananjay
*
Prachi Tehlan
Prachi Tehlan (born 2 October 1993) is an Indian former netball and basketball player, and an actress. Prachi is the former captain of the India national netball team which represented India in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and in other major Asia ...
*
Siddique
*
Sai Kumar
*
Vinay Forrt
Vinay Kumar, professionally credited as Vinay Forrt is an Indian film and stage actor. He hails from Fort Kochi, Kerala and is a theatre activist with more than a decade's worth of experience in the theatrical field as well as a postgraduate in ...
*
Chandhunadh
Chandunath G. Nair, professionally credited as Chandhunadh, is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam cinema.
Early life
His father retired as a forest range officer and mother was a Hindi language professor at University of Kerala. Chandhun ...
as Vivek, a journalist
*
Suresh Chandra Menon
Suresh Chandra Menon is an Indian actor, cinematographer and film director of Tamil and Malayalam films.
Personal life
After meeting the popular actress Revathi during a film shoot of Marumagal Tamil movie (1986), they fell in love and were ...
as Sreenivas
*
Adil Hussain
Adil Hussain () is an Indian actor who has worked in Indian cinema, including art house cinema and mainstream Bollywood, as well as international cinema, in films such as ''The Reluctant Fundamentalist'' and ''Life of Pi'' (both 2012).
He rece ...
* Simarjeet Singh Nagra
*
Priyanka Nair
Priyanka Nair is an Indian model-turned-actress who predominantly works in Malayalam film industry. She made her debut in the Tamil film ''Veyyil'' in 2006. She gained critical acclaim for her roles in '' Bhoomi Malayalam'', ''Vilapangalkappura ...
*
Kalabhavan Shajohn
Shaji John, professionally credited by his stage name Kalabhavan Shajohn is an Indian actor, director and comedian who works primarily in Malayalam cinema. He started his career as a mimicry artist in Kalabhavan, Kochi. Making his debut in 1999 ...
*
Anjali Nair
*
Leona Lishoy
Leona Lishoy is an Indian actress and model who is known for her works primarily in Malayalam cinema. She is the daughter of Malayalam actor Lishoy.
Personal life
Leona is the daughter of Malayalam movie and television actor Lishoy. She did ...
*
Anant Mahadevan
Anant Mahadevan (born 28 August 1950), also credited as Ananth Narayan Mahadevan, is an Indian screenwriter, actor, and film director of Malayalam, Hindi, Marathi language, Marathi, Tamil language, Tamil films and television shows. Having been ...
*
G. Suresh Kumar
*
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
* Shobhi Thilakan
* Tosh Christy
*
Santhosh Keezhattoor
Santhosh Keezhattoor (a.k.a. Maranan, will die in 9/10 movies) is an Indian film & theatre actor. He had acted in many leading and supportive roles. He won acclaim though doing character roles. Before entering into the film industry, he was wo ...
*
Hima Shankar
Hima Shankar (born 2 June 1987) known as Hima Shankar Sheematty, is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films and short films. She has also directed and performed in many theatrical works. She took a part in the reality show Bigg Boss M ...
* Santhi Priya
Production
Development
Jeethu Joseph
Jeethu Joseph (born 10 November 1972) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. Jeethu made his directional debut with the ...
began the pre-production work of ''Ram'' by late 2019 at the same time he was overseeing the post-production work of ''
The Body'' and ''
Thambi''. In September 2019, it was reported that
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...
and
Trisha
Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia.
Notable people and characters with the name include:
People
*Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983)
* Trisha Baptie (born 197 ...
would be starring in Jeethu's high-budget thriller film produced by
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
-based Abhishek Films, to be shot in India and abroad, with filming set to begin in November lasting 100 days. Filming date was pushed to late December to begin during the releasing week of ''Thambi''. Jeethu described the film as an
action-thriller
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
with a story spanning several countries. A
pooja function for the film and a press meet was held on 16 December 2019, where the film's title was revealed. While interacting with the press, Jeethu said he was approached by the producers three years ago to make a second film with Mohanlal after ''
Drishyam
''Drishyam'' () is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. It stars Mohanlal and Meena, with Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Asha Sharath, Siddique, Roshan Basheer and N ...
'' (2013), "I was tensed about doing another film with Lalettan (Mohanlal) because it's a huge responsibility. It took me three years to come up with the right subject".
Casting
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...
reportedly plays a
R&AW
The Research and Analysis Wing (abbreviated R&AW; hi, ) is the foreign intelligence agency of India. The agency's primary function is gathering foreign intelligence, counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, advising Indian policymakers, a ...
agent in the film. During the casting process,
Trisha
Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia.
Notable people and characters with the name include:
People
*Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983)
* Trisha Baptie (born 197 ...
was suggested for the role by Mohanlal.
[ Trisha plays one of the lead roles in the film. She plays Vineetha, a doctor. Mohanlal also suggested ]Prachi Tehlan
Prachi Tehlan (born 2 October 1993) is an Indian former netball and basketball player, and an actress. Prachi is the former captain of the India national netball team which represented India in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and in other major Asia ...
for a role, who was in talks in January 2020. Tehlan reportedly joined the film that month. Anoop Menon
Anoop Menon (born 3 August 1976) is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter and lyricist. He worked in television before acting in Malayalam films and has acted in more than 75 films.
Menon won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Supportin ...
also joined in January. Chandhunadh
Chandunath G. Nair, professionally credited as Chandhunadh, is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam cinema.
Early life
His father retired as a forest range officer and mother was a Hindi language professor at University of Kerala. Chandhun ...
plays Vivek, a journalist. Adil Hussain
Adil Hussain () is an Indian actor who has worked in Indian cinema, including art house cinema and mainstream Bollywood, as well as international cinema, in films such as ''The Reluctant Fundamentalist'' and ''Life of Pi'' (both 2012).
He rece ...
was cast in a brief but crucial role, while Indrajith Sukumaran
Indrajith Sukumaran (born 17 December 1978) is an Indian actor and singer. He predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Indrajith was born to the actors Sukumaran and Mallika Sukumaran and is the elder brother of Prithviraj Sukumaran.
Indrajit ...
was cast in a role with ample screen time. Suresh Chandra Menon
Suresh Chandra Menon is an Indian actor, cinematographer and film director of Tamil and Malayalam films.
Personal life
After meeting the popular actress Revathi during a film shoot of Marumagal Tamil movie (1986), they fell in love and were ...
was cast in the role of a villain. Durga Krishna
Durga Krishna (born 25 October 1996) is an Indian actress who works in Malayalam films.
Career
Krishna made her debut in 2017 as Janaki in Pradeep M. Nair's ''Vimaanam''. Her other major roles include Anjaly Junior in ''Kuttymama'' (2019) an ...
played the character of Meera in the first schedule of filming. Meera is sister to Vineetha. David John, who had contested in the Mohanlal-hosted reality TV show ''Bigg Boss
''Bigg Boss'' is an Indian reality television game show franchise based on the Dutch reality show '' Big Brother''. It is produced by Endemol Shine India through Viacom18 and Disney Star. Subsequently, the various versions of the show are made ...
'' was cast in a negative role, he was suggested by Mohanlal. Samyuktha Menon
Samyuktha Menon (born 11 September 1995) is an Indian actress and model who mainly appears in Malayalam films along with a few Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films.Her debut in the Malayalam film Industry was through the 2016 film ''Popcorn''.
Earl ...
joined the film's shoot in September 2022 at London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. Her character was created after the film was scaled-up after the schedule break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Priyanka Nair
Priyanka Nair is an Indian model-turned-actress who predominantly works in Malayalam film industry. She made her debut in the Tamil film ''Veyyil'' in 2006. She gained critical acclaim for her roles in '' Bhoomi Malayalam'', ''Vilapangalkappura ...
also joined the shoot in London.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began on 6 January 2020. First phase of filming took place at Ernakulam
Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...
. Another schedule in Dhanushkodi
Dhanushkodi is an abandoned town at the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is south-east of Pamban and is about west of Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. The town was destroyed during the 1964 Rameswaram cyclo ...
was completed on 20 February. The film was also shot in Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
and Shimla
Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, List of renamed Indian cities and states#Himachal Pradesh, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the States and union territories of India, northern Indian state of Himachal Prade ...
. The film had completed its shoot in India in February. However, their plans to shoot the film in other countries for the remaining portions was hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, which would delay the production for two years. In May that year, Jeethu said the filming would resume in the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...
once the virus spread is controlled. Meanwhile, he decided to move on to another film which can be shot entirely in Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
. Editing of ''Ram'' began in November along with the post-production work of ''Drishyam 2
''Drishyam 2: The Resumption'', or simply ''Drishyam 2'' is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film written and directed by Jeethu Joseph and produced by Antony Perumbavoor through the company Aashirvad Cinemas.A sequel to thei ...
'' (2021). Till then, ₹14 crore was spent on the film and needed another ₹14 crore to complete filming, as per the estimate at that time. Due to prolonged restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, at one time they thought of shifting location to France, since it was costlier, they decided to wait until the restrictions are lifted. They also wanted to shoot the film in the Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
for which location scouting
Location scouting is a vital process in the pre-production stage of filmmaking and commercial photography. Once scriptwriters, producers or directors have decided what general kind of scenery they require for the various parts of their work t ...
begin in May 2022. Jeethu scaled up the size of the film during the pandemic break. As per media reports, ''Ram'' has been split into a two-part film. Jeethu told that ''Ram'' was the most expensive film he had done till then.
For the remaining schedule, Jeethu started location scouting in mid-2022. London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
and Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
were picked, with filming set to begin in mid-August 2022. After almost three years of halt, filming resumed on 6 August 2022 at Ernakulam
Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...
for a 10-day schedule. Mohanlal, Indrajith, and Trisha performed in these portions. Filming was shifted to London following that. London schedule was held in September. Hollywood stunt director Peter Pedrero choreographed the action scenes, he joined the film in October in London. London scheduled is planned for 40 days.
Music
Vishnu Shyam, a disciple of composer Vidyasagar, makes his debut as a music director in the film. The lyrics for songs were written by Vinayak Sasikumar
Vinayak Sasikumar (born 13 June 1994) is an Indian lyricist, who works in Malayalam cinema.
Personal life
He was born in Trivandrum, Kerala to S. Sasikumar and Asha Sasikumar. At the age of 12, he started writing poetry. Later, he moved to Ch ...
.
Release
Before production, ''Ram'' was planned as to release in Onam
Onam ( ) is an annual Indian harvest festival celebrated predominantly by the Hindus of Kerala. A major annual event for Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events.
Onam commemorates Vamana ...
2020. With filming delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in May 2022, Jeethu said that they want to release the film in theatres itself and that is why they pushed the shooting dates to get the desired locations.
References
External links
*
{{Jeethu Joseph
Upcoming films
Upcoming Malayalam-language films
Indian action thriller films