Fahadh Faasil, Vadivelu's 'Maareesan' locks its release date
Faasil, the Malayalam actor with a penchant for taking up unconventional roles, and Vadivelu, a leading comedian in Tamil cinema for over three decades, faced off in Mamannan, a searing take on the influence of caste and class in Indian politics. While Faasil won laurels for his portrayal as the antagonist, Vadivelu, used to generating laughs on-screen, made heads turn with a sobering role as the legislator seeking to carve a path of his own amid great odds. The movie, directed by Maari Selvaraj, had Academy Award winner AR Rahman as its music composer and was a hit at the box office.
Scheduled to release on July 25, Maareesan has the duo in equally unconventional roles. The movie's teaser, which dropped recently, sees them as professionals, ostensibly salesmen, who travel across picturesque rural Tamil Nadu on a two-wheeler.
In the one-and-half minute teaser, set in the backdrop of the melodious song Aaha inba nilavinile, from the 1957 classic Maya Bazaar, Faasil and Vadivelu get to display various emotions. The men walk through lush green fields, queue up outside ATMs, share a chai at a roadside stall and ultimately into an argument and fisticuffs, revealing mood shifts and plot twists.
Comedienne Kovai Sarala, who formed a hit pair with Vadivelu through the 90s and 2000s, unites with him in Maareesan, directed by theTamil and Malayalam filmmaker Sudheesh Sankar and produced by RB Choudhary under his Super Good Films banner. Yuvan Shankar Raja is its music director. The film has cinematography by Kalaiselvan Sivaji and editing by Sreejith Sarang.
Vivek Prasanna, best known for his roles in the rom-com Meyaadha Maan, Vikram Vedha and Sethupathi, film producer-turned-actor PL Thenappan and Livingston round off the film's cast.
Faasil was last seen in the blockbusters Pushpa 2: The Rule and the Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Vettaiyan. Vadivelu's last role was in the action comedy Gangers, which saw him unite with director C Sundar after 15 years.
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