Arjun, Anaswara and Balu are a fun combo in the film: Mahesh Madhu

Director Mahesh Madhu’s 'Ennu Swantham Punyalan', starring Arjun Ashokan, Anaswara Rajan and Balu Varghese, is a comedy-fantasy-thriller.

Mahesh says, “It is a story about a priest, played by Balu chetan, and a thief, essayed by Arjun. The thief comes to the church with a particular intention and a young woman gets stuck between them. All three actors are playing characters that they haven’t done before, and their combo works very well.”

The debut director, who previously worked in advertising, says that while he likes thrillers that are told in a non-linear narrative, he wanted to reach out to a wider audience through a film that had other elements as well, and zeroed in on this script by Samji M Antony. “It is a film that will appeal to youth and family audiences. The settings are also very beautiful, which was possible thanks to the support of the production,” he says.

The film is bankrolled by Ligo John under the Truthseekers Movie Productions banner. “It is a feel-good film that will stay with the audience and can be enjoyed even in repeated viewings,” says Ligo.

Speaking about the cast, Mahesh explains, “Balu chetan has largely done comedy characters and then, we saw him in Jan.E.Man in a different role, which was well appreciated. So, we decided to try something new with him and he’s done an amazing job as Fr Thomas, a playful priest, who is given a ‘punishment transfer’ to a beautiful, ancient church, surrounded by myth and fantasy, in Kuttikkanam. Anaswara is a brilliant actress, who portrays emotions really well. She did not even need glycerin in a particularly emotional scene. Arjun brings an amazing energy to his role as an eccentric thief.”

Mahesh says that the story does not delve into reli gion. “It is just an entertaining plot that takes place in a church. It is a film that even priests will enjoy,” he says.

The music is by Sam CS and the film has five songs, including travel, devotional and Arabic songs.
Ennu Swantham Punyalan is running in theatres now.