Jagathy Sreekumar finally returns to Mollywood with the highly experimental 'Vala'

The newly released teaser of the movie 'Vala' can be seen as a turning point for Mollywood as it brings back comedy legend Jagathy Sreekumar, and is Mollywood's major entry into the zombie genre.

 

An old veteran returns

After an extended hiatus following a severe accident in 2012, Jagathy Sreekumar makes a remarkable comeback as Professor Ambili (a nod to his nickname, with which every Malayali is familiar), aka Uncle Luna. The character is portrayed in a wheelchair, but he displays enough intellect to take on the mystery at hand. One of his celebrated dialogues—highly  recognisable for Malayalis across ages familiar with his films—is used in the trailer.

 

Breaking new ground

Directed by Arun Chandu, 'Vala' ventures into uncharted territory for Malayalam cinema, blending science fiction with a zombie apocalypse. His flair for innovative storytelling and genre exploration is already evident through his earlier works like ‘Gaganachari’, which was critically acclaimed for its visuals and witty dialogues.

 

Is it a shared universe?

With the release of the trailer, several speculations have started to surface, connecting 'Vala' with Arun Chandu’s earlier film 'Gaganachari', wondering whether they are from a shared universe or not. Fuelling these theories is the presence of many 'Gaganachari' cast members, including Anarkali Marikkar, K.B. Ganesh Kumar, and Gokul Suresh, among others. However, no official confirmations have been made by the team.

 

An ensemble cast

Beyond Jagathy Sreekumar’s pivotal role, 'Vala' also has other interesting cast members. The teaser shows Basil Joseph, Aju Varghese, Gokul Suresh and Madhav Suresh in important roles, under the leadership of Uncle Luna. 

Anarkali Marikkar plays the role of Tara, Uncle Luna's daughter. Vineeth Sreenivasan and K.B. Ganesh Kumar have become fan favourites in the trailer due to their comic timing and funny lines. 

Towards the end, it is revealed that an old friend of Jagathy will also be part of this film in the form of the cat Thankachan, voiced by none other than Janardhanan himself.

 

A visual treat

While there have been minor explorations into the zombie genre in Mollywood, such as 'Experiment 5' (2023), which is termed as the first-ever Malayalam zombie film, 'Vala' becomes the first mainstream film with a celebrity cast and top-notch visual effects. The film promises strong imagery along with solid CGI and special effects.

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