Asif Ali, Madonna to unite for an 80s musical comedy
One of the few experimental movies apart from Angamaly Diaries that found support from the audience this year was director Rohith V S' Adventures of Omanakuttan. Spurred on by the encouragement, the filmmaker has now decided to make another such effort with Asif Ali and Madonna in the lead.
The film titled Ibilis is set in a village in the 80s. "It's got four main characters played by Asif, Madonna, Lal and Master Adish Praveen. It's a musical adventure-comedy, something that is new to Malayalam cinema," says Rohith, explaining that they are planning something on the lines of Ranbir Kapoor's Jagga Jasoos.
Unlike his previous venture, the characters of this film will be "extremely animated". "It's a rustic tale with comical characters who are almost caricaturish in their emotions and body language. The movie is very cinematic with loads of saccharine, feel-good scenes and from the first to the last scene, it would be a musical montage," he says.
Will it also have the singer-actress Madonna singing? "Yes, of course," says Rohith. "She has been listening to a few scripts and found her character and the genre interesting; that's why she signed a Malayalam movie after a long time."
Ibilis, which is co-scripted by Rohith and Sameer Abdul, is expected to go on floors next year, after Asif wraps up filming Vijesh Vijay's Mandaram and Mridul Nair's BTech.