Veteran Australian actor Roger Ward to star in Malayalam film Thariode: The Lost City

Veteran Australian actor Roger Ward will be starring in Nirmal Baby Varghese’s Malayalam film Thariode: The Lost City (2022). The movie, based on Varghese’s documentary titled Thariode, is a period saga set in 19th century India.

Ward will be playing the character of Smith. According to an official statement from the makers, “The movie tells the story of Australian geologist Mr Smith, who arrives at Thariode, British India for gold mining in the 19th century. The Indian casting of this historical thriller has yet to be decided.” 

Besides Ward, the other international artistes in the film include Bill Hutchens, Luing Andrews, Courtney Sanello, Amelie Leroy, Brendan Byrne and Alexx O’Nell. The shooting for the film will begin in 2022.

Ward has been acting in Australian films and television since the 1960s. Some of his recent films include, Observance (2015), Boar (2017), The Faceless Man (2019), Choir Girl (2019) and The Shinjuku Five (2019). 

Not much is known about the film, but earlier this year, the director revealed some details about his documentary on which Thariode: The Lost City is based. "Thariode tells the story of gold mining in Thariode, one of the most ancient cities in the Malabar region, a long, narrow coastline on the south-western shore of the mainland Indian subcontinent. The film also charts the history of gold mining in other areas of Malabar in the 19th century,” he said.