Bazooka is an upcoming Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film written and directed by Deeno Dennis in his directorial debut. The film is produced by Yoodlee Films and Theatre of Dreams. The film stars Mammootty.
The official title was announced in April 2023. Principal photography began in May 2023 in Kochi. The entire filming was wrapped up in October 2024. The music was composed by Midhun Mukundan and Saeed Abbas. Bazooka is scheduled to be released in January 2025.
The film marks the directorial debut of Deeno Dennis, son of screenwriter Kaloor Dennis, who also wrote the script.[6] He worked on the script for three years, which was immediately accepted by Mammootty.[7][8] Mammootty said that he was instantly drawn to the script which he believes to have a tight narrative and well-rounded characters.[9] The film would be produced by Dolwin Kuriakose and Jinu V. Abraham under the banner of Yoodlee Films, along with Vikram Mehra and Sidharth Anand Kumar under the banner of Theatre of Dreams.[10] The official title, Bazooka, was announced by the makers on 9 April 2023.[11]
Casting
In March 2023, Gautham Vasudev Menon was signed to play a prominent role.[12][13] In May 2023, Neeta Pillai joined the cast as one of the female leads.[14][15]Divya Pillai and Iswarya Menon were chosen to play the female characters.[16] The other female actors include Gayathiri Iyer and Bhama Arun.[17] Sidharth Bharathan and Shine Tom Chacko were cast in significant roles.[18] Other key roles are portrayed by Jagadish, Sharfuddin, Deen Dennis, Sphadikam George and Sunny Wayne.[19][20] Sumith Naval, known for appearing in early Amal Neerad films, is making a comeback and joined the cast in July 2023.[21] In July 2023, Babu Antony was reported to play the role of an antagonist.[22] Abin Bino was cast to play a role in the film.[23]
Filming
It was reported that the filming would begin by the end of April 2023 and was expected to be completed by July–August, with 90–100 days of shooting in Coimbatore, Kochi and Bangalore.[24][25] The filming was later pushed following the death of Mammootty's mother.[26]Principal photography began on 10 May 2023 with a puja ceremony at the Samudrika Convention Centre in Willingdon Island.[27][28] Mammootty joined the sets on May 12, 2023.[29] Mammootty completed his shooting portions on 5 August 2023.[30] In August 2023, Hakkim Shah met with an accident on the set while riding a bike as part of a chase sequence.[31][32] Mammootty shot for 45 days for the film.[33]
The final shooting schedule started on Feb 21, 2024 progressing in Kochi, primarily filming the scenes featuring Gautham Vasudev Menon.[34] It was reported that shooting was concluded after 90 days of shooting in 22, March 2024.[7] However, makers revealed that the film was yet to finish the remaining scenes, involving Gautham Vasudev Menon, and was planned to film in a short schedule of 2-3 days. The delay has been due to scheduling conflicts, as both Mammootty and Gautham are currently working on an untitled upcoming project.[35] The entire filming was wrapped up in October 2024.[36] The cinematography will be handled by Nimish Ravi.[37]Stunt Silva is in charge of choreographing action sequences.[38]
Post production
The post-production works started in July 2024.[39] The patch work shoot were conducted in Kochi in September 2024.[40]
Music
The music was composed by Midhun Mukundan and Saeed Abbas with the former composing the songs and latter, the score.[41][42][43]
Release
Earlier reports indicated that Bazooka would be released alongside Mohanlal's directorial debut Barroz in December 2023, during Christmas.[44] It was delayed and pushed to 2024.[45][46] It was again reported to be releasing with Barroz on the same day on 12 September 2024 during Onam.[47] Despite these plans, the film was postponed.[48] According to new reports, Bazooka will premiere in either December 2024 or January 2025.[49]
