Aditi Rao Hydari, who played one of the supporting roles in director Ranjith Balakrishnan’s Prajapathi (2006), is returning to the Malayalam film industry through Sufiyum Sujathayum, a romantic drama directed by Naranipuzha Shanavas. Jayasurya plays the male lead in the film, which is produced by Vijay Babu of Friday Film House.
Other members of the cast are Siddique, Hareesh Kanaran, Vijay Babu, Mamukkoya, Manikandan Pattambi, Kalaranjini and Navas Vallikkunnu. Anu Moothedath is the cinematographer and M Jayachandran will compose the songs.
Shanavas made his directorial debut through Karie (2015), an offbeat indie drama that explored casteism in north Kerala through the tale of two men in search of a Karinkaliyattam artiste. Introducing the film on social media, Vijay Babu described it as “possibly our best film till date”.
After Prajapathi, which was her debut in the film industry, Aditi Rao Hydari then went on to be a part of the critically-acclaimed Sringaram by Sharada Ramanathan. The film depicted the life of a devadasi in the 1920s, and the role suited Aditi, a dancer who trained for many years with Leela Samson. Later, she worked in Mani Ratnam’s Tamil films Kaatru Veliyidai and Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, Omung Kumar’s Bhoomi and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bollywood film Padmavat. She has also worked in Telugu and Marathi film industries. Her Telugu film Sammohanam, directed by Mohanakrishna Indraganti in which she played an actress, was a big hit in 2018.
Sufiyum Sujathayum is the fifth movie collaboration of Jayasurya and Vijay Babu after Philips And The Monkey Pen, Aadu, Aadu Oru Bheekarajeeviyaanu and the ongoing Thrissur Pooram.
Friday Film House is also bankrolling the recently-announced biopic of legendary actor Sathyan in which Jayasurya plays the protagonist. The actor recently wrapped up Anveshanam, a crime-drama directed by Prashob Vijayan, which is scheduled to hit the marquee on November 1.
