India, May 14 -- A few weeks ago, during the promotions of Tharun Moorthy's film with Mohanlal, Thudarum, the buzz was that his next directorial venture had already been fixed. Operation Java maker Tharun was, according to reports, set to collaborate with Rekhachitram fame Asif Ali, the actor who has been having a dream run at the Kerala box office, with consecutive successful films. This was supposedly based on a story by actor Binu Pappu, who is a regular Tharun collaborator, in front of and behind the camera.

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But then, days after the release of Thudarum, which is still raking in the moolah at the box office, Tharun's next was officially announced...