Mohanlal’s Odiyan is a very tough and challenging project: Peter Hein

Odiyan, the much awaited Mohanlal starrer, is currently in its pre-production stage. The makers are busy with location scouting, assembling the crew members and other technical works before the project actually goes on floors next month.

Director VA Sreekuamr Menon, Antony Perumbavoor, cameraman Shaji Kumar, stunt coordinator Peter Hein and some other crew members were recently in Palakkad for finalizing the locations.

While speaking to the media present there, Peter Hein revealed how challenging it is to choreograph the stunts in Odiyan. Peter Hein has previously worked with Mohanlal in Pulimurugan, for which he won the inaugral National award for best stunt choreographer.

However, the demands of both these projects are entirely different and Odiyan is a lot more challenging.

Peter Hein said, “Working on Pulimurugan was different. It was a man vs wild subject where Mohanlal sir played a hunter who used to hunt down tigers. But Odiyan is differnt. Here, he has to transform into various animals and that is quite a challenging task.”

Odiyan is a fantasy film that will have a mix of action, romance and magical realism. The movie, written by National award winner Harikrishnan is primarily about Odividya, a black magic practice, and people who practice it, called Odiyan. There are a lot of stories and myths about Odiyans and their life in Kerala’s folklore.

An Odiyan is someone who can transform into any shape; like an animal or a reptile. Mohanlal is playing the role of Manikyan, a man who is mastered in Odividya. He is a fabulous athlete who can run on four legs and jump higher than normal people. He will be seen from the age of 30 to 65 in multiple looks in the movie.

Since the character demands tremendous flexibility and agility, Mohanlal will be shedding close to 15 kilos. The movie’s first look poster had Mohanlal in a clean shaven look with a lot trimmer physique. It is learnt that the 57-year-old superstar will be training hard to achieve a similar look.

Odiyan also stars Manju Warrier and Sathya Raj in prominent roles. Pre-production works for the movie is currently progressing in full swing. Sabu Cyril is in charge of Odiyan’s production design. Mohanlal’s own banner Aashirvad Cinemas is funding this big budget movie. Palakkad, Pollachi, Hyderabad and Varanasi have been finalized as the major locations.