Haridas is back with a sequel

In 1997, Haridas became popular for his direction in Kannur. The film zoomed in on the political happenings and clashes in Kannur,one of the most volatile places in Kerala,as regards politics-related violence. He is now back with Veendum Kannur,which once again focuses on the district and its politics-related happenings
What is Veendum Kannur,the sequel to Kannur,about?
First of all,Id like to say that we need not see Veendum Kannur as a mere sequel. Rather than a continuation of the story narrated in Kannur,Veendum Kannur attempts to be a much bolder portrayal of realities pertaining to Kannur. The film zooms in on the lives of common people and their families against the backdrop of politics and violence. In Kannur,too, I had tried to do that,but this time we are making it louder and more powerful. There will be a lot of personal and political drama in Veendum Kannur. There will also be a healthy mix of family drama,romance and humour.

What about the cast? Would the key players be those who had done the lead roles in Kannur?
Manoj.K.Jayan,Vani Viswanath,Riza Bawa and Vijayaraghavan who had acted in Kannur are reprising their roles in Veendum Kannur. The lead players are Kailash (of Neelathamara fame),Prakashan (who made his debut recently with Malarvadi Arts Club) and Bala. We also have a new heroine. Suraaj Venjaramoodu,Augustine,Narayanan Nair,Jagathy Sreekumar,Salim Kumar,Urmila Unni,Ponnamma Babu,debutant actor Nazar,Manraj,Anil Murali and Tony comprise the rest of the cast.

Robin Thirumala is writing the script. Senthil Kumar is the cinematographer while Musafir has composed the films music. Nazar Tirur is producing the film.

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How is the film relevant today?
The elections are drawing near,but that doesnt mean that the film is aiming at promoting a political message or ideology. Veendum Kannur takes a look at how the socio-political events affect our lives. If you remember,a lot of effort had gone in to contain the political violence in Kannur in the late 1990s. The film fraternity and socially-prominent figures tried hard to bring things back to normal. It all seemed to get normal,but soon it became volatile.

And now,we are living in rather unsafe and uncertain times. Today things have changed. We are living in constant fear.

Veendum Kannur has an impressive array of artistes and has all the ingredients for a perfect masala entertainer. But its also an honest attempt to unravel some rather unpleasant realities of today society.

So,when is the film set to roll? And when are you planning to release it?
We start shooting on November 1. The film will be shot at Delhi,Kannur,Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram. We plan to release it in January 2011.