Prithviraj starrer Vaariyamkunnan will go on floors in 2021.
Prithviraj Sukumaran and director Aashiq Abu are set to bring a forgotten hero of the freedom struggle alive on the big screen. Prithviraj on Monday announced that he will be essaying the role of Variyamkunnath Kunjahammed Haji, who became the face of the 1921 Malabar Revolution, in Vaariyamkunnan.
“He stood up against an empire that ruled a quarter of the world. Etched out his own country with an army that waged a never before war against the British. Though history was burned and buried, the legend lived on! The legend of a leader, a soldier, a patriot. A film on the man who became the face of the 1921 Malabar revolution. #Vaariyamkunnan. Filming begins in 2021. On the 100th anniversary (sic),” Prithviraj wrote on his Facebook page.
Variyamkunnath Kunjahammed Haji is an important figure in the history of Kerala’s freedom struggle against the British Raj. It is said that he used his talent in music and poetry to mobilize support for his fight against the colonial forces.
Variyamkunnath led the rebellion and captured the lands that were controlled by the British in Ernad and Valluvanad taluks. The territory was declared an ‘independent state’, with Haji as its undisputed ruler. For nearly six months, Haji ran a parallel Khilafat regime headquartered in Nilambur. However, his regime did not last long as in a matter of months, he was captured by the British and was sentenced to death.
Vaariyamkunnan will mark the maiden collaboration between Prithviraj and Aashiq Abu.