'Sufiyum Sujatayum' maker reveals how he roped in Aditi Rao Hydari for the film

Defying the archaic norms of Malayalam cinema, producer-actor Vijay Babu's upcoming production Sufiyum Sujatayum will become the first Malayalam movie to release on an OTT platform. In a tête-à-tête conversation with an online portal, Vijay Babu revealed that it took him three years to find an actor to play the role of Sujata in the upcoming film.

Sujata is a beautiful Kathak player, and he wanted an actor who could portray Sujata at 22 and 32, said Vijay. He recalled that after watching Aditi Rao Hydari's Kathak performance at a public event, he decided to approach her to essay the part in Sufiyum Sujatayum. 

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Vijay Babu on getting Aditi Rao Hydari on-board for Sufiyum Sujatayum 

Vijay Babu, in the interview with a portal, revealed that he gave Aditi a brief narration of Sufiyum Sujatayum at the public event where he saw her Kathak performance. Aditi loved the script, said Sufiyum Sujatayum producer. Soon, Vijay flew to Mumbai and gave Aditi Rao Hydari full narration. She agreed to be a part of the film, marking her return to Malayalam movies after a decade. 

Although Sufiyum Sujatayum has famous actors like Jayasurya and Siddiqui in the cast, Vijay Babu said he believes Aditi Rao Hydari's role in the upcoming film will be the highlight of the film. The movie also marks the directorial debut of Naranipuzha Shanavas, whom Vijay Babu met at his short film Karie's screening. Shanavas approached Vijay Babu with a raw and unfinished script of Sufiyum Sujatayum revealed the producer in the interview. 

With time the script evolved into a heartwrenching love story of a girl and a Sufi saint. Sufiyum Sujatayum is produced by Vijay Babu under his banner Friday Film House. The Aditi Rao Hydari starrer is slated to release on Amazon Prime Video on July 3, 2020. Interestingly, Sufiyum Sujatayum is the first Malayalam movie to release on an OTT platform. 

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Sufiyum Sujatayum to release on Amazon Prime Video 

Talking about Sufiyum Sujatayum release on Amazon Prime Video, Vijay Babu said that he decided to release the film on the platform because of the uncertainty over the reopening of theatres. He added that even if the theatres were to open soon, it is difficult to predict whether the audience will be coming to the theatres or not. So, he decided to sell the theatrical rights of Sufiyum Sujatayum to Amazon Prime Video. 

Lastly, Vijay Babu talked about the threat OTT poses to theatres. He said that OTT platforms would never be a threat to theatres. However, the power and existence of OTT platforms cannot be undermined, said Vijay in the interview. He lastly exclaimed that OTT platforms have changed the way Malayali audiences look at entertainment. 

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