A prodigy of the Lijo Jose Pellissery school of filmmaking, Tinu Pappachan is known for his relentlessly paced, slick action thrillers like Swathanthryam Ardharathriyil (2018) and Ajagajantharam (2021). His next Chaaver (2023) stars Kunchako Boban, Anthony Varghese Pepe, Arjun Ashokan and yesteryear actress Sangeetha making her comeback in a prominent role. Set against the backdrop of Kannur politics, the film written by actor Joy Mathew is about a gang and how their life changes because of the events that take place over a night.
Joy Mathew is someone who is known for his politically dense films. Collaborating with Mathew has helped him make a completely different film, asserts Pappachan. “It was my long time dream to direct a script by Joy Mathew since I saw his film Shutter (2012). One day, I got his script and loved it. Even though it followed the fingerprints of a Joy Mathew film with major emphasis on contemporary political ideas, I felt that I could mold the script into something that fits my vision. That's how Chaaver happened. This will be an entirely different film for the audience in terms of the experience that we are trying to capture and will be a different Joy Mathew film too.”
Pappachan further explains that the action sequences in Chaaver are very different. “Chaaver is not a film like my previous outings, in terms of the content or action. It does not feature a man to man fight like in Swathanthryam Ardharathriyil or back to back set pieces like in Ajagajantharam, but the film has an action mood and there are sequences that are very exciting. There is a proper emotional arc that connects the film. It was borne out of my wish to do a film based out of Kannur for a very long time. Chaaver has been in my hands for a long time and I have been making minor tweaks here and there. I think it's a director's job to work on the film till the last moment it releases, since after that you can't do anything else for the film."
Chaaver is being bankrolled by Arun Narayanan Productions and Kavya Films. Justin Varghese has composed the music while Jinto George has cranked the camera. The film is slated to hit the screens on October 5.