Krishand unveils his next Malayalam film, 'Manchiyam: The Botany of a Crime,' with a striking title-look poster. Produced by Spire Productions, the film promises a crime narrative set against a mossy, rainy backdrop featuring wildlife and prison imagery. With a stellar cast and technical crew, the project is set to begin filming this month.
Award-winning director Krishand announced his next Malayalam film on November 9, titled Manchiyam: The Botany of a Crime, by launching a title-look poster. Sanju Unnithan is producing the film under the Spire Productions banner, along with Krishand Films.
Set in a moss-covered rainy landscape with a leopard emerging, the poster also features a visual of the Thondimadam prison in the backdrop. Also on the poster is the film's tagline, which reads, "The Axe Forgets, But The Tree Remembers".
The first-look poster suggests a crime narrative with a thematic interplay between wildlife, nature and criminal investigation, though the makers have not released any plot details.
Manchiyam, The Botany of a Crime stars Sanju Sivaram, Sudhi Koppa, Maniyanpilla Raju, Vincy Aloysius and Niranj Maniyanpilla Raju. Also in the cast are Rahul Rajeev, Nandu, Divya Prabha, Radha Gomathi, Nishant Sagar, Vineeth Thattil David, and more.
The film will be Krishand's sixth feature directorial. Reports suggest that the film will go on floors this month. With story by Unni Karthikeyan and screenplay by Krishand and actor Sanju Sivaram, Lijeesh Kumar and Rahul Rajeev are credited as additional screenwriters.
The technical crew further includes music and original score by Mujeeb Majeed, cinematography by Prayag Mukundan and editing by Sasikumar. Binu Nair and Rahul Rajagopal are the film's executive producers.
Krishand is a National Film Award-winning filmmaker whose previous projects include Masthishka Maranam (2026), Purusha Pretham (2023), Aavasavyuham (2022). He has also received Kerala State Film Awards for his work.
Masthishka Maranam, Krishand's most recent directorial venture, was released in February this year. A Malayalam-language cyberpunk comedy film, the film starred Rajisha Vijayan, Niranj Maniyanpilla Raju, Divya Prabha, Jagadish and Suresh Krishna. Written and directed by Krishand, the film followed a grieving father who enters a virtual reality game to connect with his dead daughter, ultimately bringing on a scandal.