Parvathy, Roshan Mathew’s film Varthamanam, directed by Sidhartha Siva, to have theatrical release on 12 March

Varthamanam, the delayed drama starring Parvathy and Roshan Mathew, is slated to release across 300 Indian cinemas on 12 March. In December last year, the film directed by Sidhartha Siva was denied a screening certificate from the Kerala Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and was only recently green-lit by the revising committee of the central censor board. Varthamanam, set against the current political ongoings in the country, revolves around a young woman from Kozhikode who goes to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to research on freedom fighter Mohammed Abdu Rahiman. The film’s writer and producer, Aryadan Shoukath, a Congress leader had previously told The News Minute that the story will show how students with different political leanings learn to coexist on campus. TNM writes that Parvathy will play a researcher named Faiza Sufiya, while Roshan will be seen as a student activist. Joining the two actors are Siddique, Dain Davis, Nirmal Palazhi and Sanju Sivram. The film was reportedly denied a go-ahead to release by two members of the Kerala CBFC, including a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sandeep Kumar, on the claims that the themes condemned right wing politics. He had also reportedly called Varthamanam “anti-national” in a tweet. Besides Varthamanam, Parvathy will share screen space with Mammootty for the first time in Puzhu, produced by Dulquer Salmaan’s Wayfarer Films.