 "Priya Anand paired opposite Nivin Pauly in upcoming period drama Kayamkulam Kochunni")
Priya Anand has had a fabulous year so far. After making a big splash in Malayalam filmdom with Prithviraj’s horror drama Ezra, which was a runaway hit, she has signed her next big outing in the language. Priya has been paired opposite Nivin Pauly in upcoming period drama Kayamkulam Kochunni, based on the story of famed highwayman Kochunni, which will bring on screen the life of Kerala’s most wanted thief, who was active in central Travancore during 19th century.
He robbed from the rich and gave it to the poor. The film is being directed by Roshan Andrrews, best known for Mumbai Police and 36 Vayadhinile.
[caption id=“attachment_4245057” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Priya Anand. Image from News 18.[/caption]
On signing the project, Priya told Firstpost: “It’s been extremely exciting for me. I had met Roshan a long time ago and we were supposed to work together but things somehow didn’t materialize. He went ahead and started working on this film. He called me again and asked if I’d be interested to be part of this project. I had actually signed a few projects in Kannada but I had to back out to accept Kochunni. It’s such an amazing project and it’s been my dream to work on a period film because everything is so different about it.”
Priya has already shot a couple of schedules and she’s eagerly looking forward to her family, friends and fans watching the film.
Priya’s character played a pivotal role in the life of Kochunni. While she remains tight-lipped about her character, she can’t stop gushing about her look in the film. “Roshan likes to edit on the sets. He keeps calling me to check my shots on the monitor and I feel so awkward because I’ve never looked that way and I can’t help but giggle at myself. Huge sets have been erected; sets of villages, towns and markets. It’s a world you’ll fall in love with,” she said.
Priya says she didn’t really have to prepare to essay her character. “The best thing about working in a Malayalam film is that the characters are so real one need not really have to try and get into the world. They’re so real; you can immediately connect with them. Although the story is set in 19th century, everything my character goes through happens even today. It was easier for me to connect. The challenging part was picking up the language, the dialect to be precise because it’s a period film,” she said.
Binod Pradhan of Rang De Basanti and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag fame has been roped in to crank the camera. Priya considers herself extremely lucky to be working with such great technicians. “You really have to be lucky to have cinematographers such as Binod ji light you up. I had the privilege to work with Santosh Shivan in the past. What more can I ask for? I’m getting to work with some best actors and technicians,” she said.
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