Aishwarya Lekshmi’s Kumari is a mythological horror film

There is something gripping, immersive and intriguing about the motion poster of Nirmal Sahadev’s upcoming venture,

Kumari

, featuring Aishwarya Lekshmi. The animated clip gives a tour of burning mountains, a sacred grove (sarpa kavu) and a haunted forest at dusk. Aishwarya Lekshmi, playing the titular Kumari, appears amidst this, holding a lantern.

It is a departure from the usual urban settings for the Ranam filmmaker, who has also written the script for the mythological

horror

film, that is set to start shoot in north Kerala in March. “I guess your childhood experiences mould you and I am making a return to my roots. This film is reminiscent of the stories that my mother and grandmother used to tell me. The motion poster reveals the world and soundscape that we are going to present, centred around our ancient myths and legends,” says Nirmal, who is currently in Atlanta.

Kumari will see the coming together of the Ranam crew, including DoP Jigme Tenzing and composer Jakes Bejoy. “I remember from my childhood people coming home singing pulluvan pattu. This is the song playing in the backdrop. It was the toughest script for me to write, but also the most fun that I had while writing,” he says.

When he is asked that it is not often that a woman is at the centre of a horror story, other than as the ghostly presence, Nirmal says that while he did not think in terms of gender, it was also probably because women were at the heart of the stories and myths that mothers narrated, even in legends of how the Odiyan affected pregnant women.

“There are important male characters, which we will reveal soon. We have eight prominent actors in the film, and a male lead, who is going to have a bit of a makeover for the film,” he says.