04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Udumbanchola Vision brings Salaam Bukhari's 20-year directorial dream to life; Mathew Thomas promises a gripping watch
As Udumbanchola Vision gears up for release, it also marks the realisation of Salaam Bukhari's 20-year dream of donning the director's hat. At the movie's audio launch event in Kochi recently, Salaam spoke about his long journey. Mentioning that, over the years, he had narrated several stories to actor Siddique with the dream of turning at least one into a film and giving the thespian a substantial role, the filmmaker expressed his happiness at finally achieving that with Udumbanchola Vision, featuring Mathew Thomas and Sreenath Bhasi in the lead roles.
Recalling narrating the story to actor Mathew Thomas, Salaam said that he agreed to do the movie within two days of their meeting. Stating that Udumbanchola Vision is a special project for him and he's very excited for its impending release, Mathew Thomas shared that he got to work closely with the film's team, including the director, in the months leading up to the commencement of the filming, thus getting the absolute taste of the pre-production experience. 'Before we began the shoot, I got to sit with the director and discuss the project in-depth for almost a year. Spending all that time with the director and the remaining members of the crew proved helpful during the filming. As a result, I had no confusion once the shooting began,' he said.
Renowned Malayalam actor Asif Ali with director Salaam Bukhari and others at the audio launch of Udumbanchola Vision. Actor Mathew Thomas with renowned directors Amal Neerad and Anwar Rasheed at the audio launch of Udumbanchola Vision. Besides Mathew Thomas, Udumbanchola Vision also features Sreenath Bhasi in a key role.
Stating that Udumbanchola Vision has been conceived in a very fun manner, Mathew Thomas revealed that his character's name is Mithun. However, he refrained from revealing more details about his role or the project, thus leaving the anticipation high. 'The movie won't disappoint anyone. It features a lot of different moments. Hence, it won't be easy to predict how the movie is going to unfold. You can rest assured that Udumbanchola Vision will offer an exciting, edge-of-the-seat experience,' he added. Actors Asif Ali and Joju George were also present during the audio launch event.
A former associate of acclaimed filmmaker Anwar Rasheed – known for helming movies such as Rajamanikyam (2005), Chotta Mumbai (2007), Ustad Hotel (2012) and Trance (2020) – Salaam Bukhari has also worked as an actor in movies such as Chaappa Kurish (2011), Sapthamashree Thaskaraha (2014), Iyobinte Pusthakam (2014), Aadu (2015) and Bro Daddy (2022).
Besides Mathew and Sreenath Bhasi, the film also stars Milind Soman, Dileesh Pothan, Siddique, Ashokan, Babu Antony, Sudev Nair, Jinu Joseph, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Hasli, Chaitanya Prakash, Jijina Radhakrishnan, Srindaa and Neena Kurup in key roles. Penned by Alan Rodney, Udumbanchola Vision boasts cinematography by Vishnu Thandassery, editing by Vivek Harshan and music by Gopi Sundar. Meanwhile, ahead of the release of the movie, its makers unveiled 'Jodi No 1', the first track from the Udumbanchola Vision on Saturday.
