Ram (film)
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''Ram'' is an upcoming Indian
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
-language action thriller film. The film is written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. It is the first installment of a two-part film series. The film stars
Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...
in the title role, with an
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many 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 the po ...
including
Trisha Krishnan Trisha Krishnan (born 4 May 1983) is an Indian actress known for her work primarily in Tamil language, Tamil and Telugu language, Telugu cinema. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, she has sustained a successful career as a leading ...
, Chandhunadh,
Indrajith Sukumaran Indrajith Sukumaran (born 17 December 1979) is an Indian actor and playback singer. He predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Indrajith was born to the actors Sukumaran and Mallika Sukumaran and is the elder brother of actor Prithviraj Sukum ...
, Srikanth, Anoop Menon, Vasishta N. Simha, Samyuktha Menon, Krishna Kulasekharan, Suman, Durga Krishna,
Leona Lishoy Leona Lishoy (born 26 April 1991) is an Indian actress and model who works primarily in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. She is the daughter of Malayalam actor Lishoy. Personal life Leona is the daughter of Malayalam cinema, Malayalam film ...
, Adil Hussain, Prachi Tehlan and Saikumar. The film's music was composed by Vishnu Shyam.
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 the ...
of the film began in January 2020. It was shot for few days. The production has been delayed for over half a decade due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.


Premise

Ram Mohan, an efficient IPS officer and RAW field operative is summoned by the agency immediately. His mental and physical skills are required to tackle 'Bael', a terrorist group with nuclear arms in their arsenal which can destroy an entire nation.


Cast


Production


Development

Jeethu Joseph began working on the pre-production of ''Ram'' in early 2020 while simultaneously overseeing the post-production of '' The Body'' and '' Thambi''. In Nov-Dec that year, it was reported that
Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...
and Trisha would be starring in Jeethu's high-budget thriller film, which would be shot across various locations in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and overseas, with filming scheduled to begin in Dec-Jan and last for 60 days. It was jointly produced by the UK and
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
-based Peacock film Production as main film making company and Abhishek Films and Passion Studios as joint venturist. However, the filming date was postponed to late December to coincide with the release of ''Thambi''. Jeethu described the film as an action-thriller with a story spanning several countries. On 16 December, a pooja function and press meet were held for the film, during which its title was revealed. Jeethu shared that he was approached by the producers three years ago to makcond film with Mohanlal after the success of '' Drishyam'' (2013). He further added, "I was tensed about doing another film with Lalettan ohanlalbecause it's a huge responsibility. It took me three years to come up with the right subject". The production of the film faced a delay during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
in 2020. Utilizing the break, Jeethu expanded the film's scope, expanding it into a two-part film. As Jeethu explained, "we can't make a movie that is five hours long, and that's why it's been split into two parts. When I initially tried to compress everything into a single film, it turned out to be too long, and the editing process caused disruptions to the continuity of the film". He said that initially he had planned to limit Ram, a globetrotter, to a single film, "but following the success of '' Drishyam 2'', the subsequent expansion of Lal sir's market, and the delay of the film for about two years, I felt it could be done on a bigger canvas", which the producers agreed to.


Casting

Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...
reportedly plays a R&AW agent in the film. During the casting process, Trisha 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 for a role, who was in talks in January 2020. Tehlan reportedly joined the film that month. Anoop Menon also joined in January. Chandhunadh plays Vivek, a journalist. Adil Hussain was cast in a brief but crucial role, while
Indrajith Sukumaran Indrajith Sukumaran (born 17 December 1979) is an Indian actor and playback singer. He predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Indrajith was born to the actors Sukumaran and Mallika Sukumaran and is the elder brother of actor Prithviraj Sukum ...
was cast in a role with ample screen time. Suresh Chandra Menon was cast in the role of a villain. Durga Krishna 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'' was cast in a negative role, he was suggested by Mohanlal. Samyuktha Menon joined the film's shoot in September 2022 at
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Her character was created after the film was scaled-up after the schedule break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Priyanka Nair also joined the shoot in London.


Filming

Initially, ''Ram'' production by Peacock film Production was planned as a single film when the production began.
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 the ...
commenced on 6 January 2020, with the first phase of filming in India. Following this, the film was shot in
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...
. In February, the team completed the shoot in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. However, plans to shoot remaining portions in other countries were impeded by the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. In May, Jeethu announced that filming would resume in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and
Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...
once the spread of the virus was under control. Meanwhile, he also decided to direct another film that could be shot entirely in his home state of
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...
. Post-production work for ''Ram'' began in UK, along with '' Drishyam 2in india'' which he had completed by that time. The budget spent until then was approximately crore, with additional crore required to complete the film. The team contemplated moving the location to
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
due to prolonged restriction in the UK due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but decided to wait until the restrictions were lifted due to the higher cost. Jeethu said that ''Ram'' was his most expensive film to date. During the pandemic break, Jeethu increased the scope of the film and expanded it into a two-part film, with both parts planning to be shot
back-to-back Back to Back or back-to-back may refer to: Film and theatre *Back to Back (film), ''Back to Back'' (film), a 1996 American action film *Back-to-back film production, the practice of making two films as a unified production *Back to Back Theatre, ...
. In the meantime, Jeethu directed three more films—'' Drishyam 2'', '' 12th Man'', and '' Kooman'', between 2021 and 2022. In May 2022, Jeethu said that they are conducting location scouting in the
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and the UK that month. In July, the crew scouted in England and
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. After a two-year seven months production delay, filming resumed the film. These portions featured Mohanlal, Indrajith, and Trisha. The filming schedule in London was deferred due to the death of
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
on 8 September, four days before production was set to begin. Filming eventually resumed that month. American stunt director Peter Pedrero choreographed the action sequence for the London shoot. The schedule was completed in October. Following that, there was a 3-day shoot in Ernakulam. In the first week of December, the crew traveled to
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
for the next phase of filming. The Moroccan schedule was wrapped on 23 December. The film has pending schedules in
Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
, the UK, and Delhi. According to Jeethu, it may have a schedule in
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
too.


Music

Vishnu Shyam composed the film's music. ''Ram'' was his debut work as a music director, even though his second film '' Kooman'' was released ahead of it. The lyrics for the songs were written by Vinayak Sasikumar.


Release

Before production began, ''Ram'' was originally planned for release during Onam 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, filming was delayed. In May 2022, Jeethu revealed that they had to push the shooting dates to secure the desired locations.


References


External links

* {{Jeethu Joseph Unreleased Malayalam-language films Indian action thriller films