Nivin Pauly's upcoming film Prathichaya will be released on March 26, the actor announced on X recently. "A father’s legacy. A son’s destiny. #Prathichaya arrives in cinemas on March 26. Written & Directed by Unnikrishnan B Produced by Sree Gokulam Movies & RD Illuminations LLP," Pauly wrote, captioning a poster of the film.
The makers dropped a 140-second trailer of Prathichaya recently, marking Pauly’s return to the political genre after having done films such as Saghavu, Padavettu and Thuramukham. The trailer was released a few months before the Kerala state Assembly Elections, adding to the intrigue.
The trailer introduces Pauly’s character, who appears to be a political outsider at first. We see him on the sidelines of a major upheaval when he steps into a powerful post. “Am I successful?” he asks rhetorically, as he assumes this post, reiterating that this film will not be another ‘success story’ about the chosen one. We also see glimpses of a cash-rich opponent, too, played by Sharaf U Dheen, who seems to rival Pauly’s rise to power.
Speaking to THR India, in an earlier interaction, the filmmaker said, "It’s a film that is sure to create debate, arguments and discussions about the state and its politics. It cannot be looked at as a regular political film. Prathichaya is written to lead to several interpretations and layers.”
Prathichaya is being produced by Gokulam Gopalan, apart from Unnikrishnan. Chandru Selvaraj is the film’s DOP and Justin Varghese is handling the film’s music. Manoj is the editor. Last year, Empuraan also dealt with the topic of Kerala’s bipolar politics and went on to become the highest-grossing Malayalam film at the time of its release.
Pauly’s last film for Gokulam Gopalan, Kayamkulam Kochunni, was a blockbuster as well. He recently starred in the hit Sarvam Maya and the middling Baby Girl. The release date of Prathichaya will be announced soon.
