Director Rajkumar Periasamy reveals how actor Mammootty prepared for his role in OM

Director Rajkumar Periasamy has shared details about how veteran actor Mammootty prepared for his upcoming film OM – Chapter 1: Udhiram – The Blood Wood. The Tamil film stars Mammootty, Dhanush, and Sai Pallavi in the lead roles. Ahead of the release, Rajkumar spoke in an interview about the casting process and how Mammootty made sure he knew the script by heart before filming started.

Script Reading Process

Ten days before the shoot began, Mammootty called the director to his home in Kochi for a script reading session. The actor spent two and a half days listening to the full story, covering the first half, the second half, and a half day dedicated to his own scenes. It was not a normal reading, as Mammootty went through every plot point, character arc, story evolution, and dialogue from the very first line. He cleared his doubts and asked about small details so he would arrive on set fully prepared.

Cast and Crew

In the film, Mammootty plays an international smuggler and a powerful central figure who drives the story. Promotional materials show that Dhanush plays a character who works under Mammootty and is involved in his dealings. The movie also features veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah in a prominent role. This project marks Mammootty's return to Tamil cinema after a gap of seven years. The music is composed by Sai Abhyankkar, with Ezhil Arasu K. as cinematographer and R Kalaivanan as editor. A. Pannerselvam serves as art director, while Yannick Ben and Kecha Khamphakdee handle the action choreography. The film is produced by Shraddha Agrawal, Dhanush, and Azmat Jagmag.

Context

Actors often use script reading sessions with directors to understand their characters deeply before shooting starts. Large multi-star films in the Indian film industry frequently bring together notable actors from different language film industries.