Aarkkariyam trailer: Biju Menon and Parvathy set up an intriguing lockdown tale

Biju Menon plays the acerbic, bitter old man perfectly as he faces down a pandemic in this enticing new trailer for Aarkkariyam.

Directed by Sanu John Varghese, the film is written by Varghese, Rajesh Ravi and Arun Janardanan and also features Parvathy Thiruvothu and Sharaf Ud Deen.

The trailer does not reveal much except to throw light on the key character of Menon's Chaachan. A fatalistic, god-fearing old man, he is acerbic and difficult to get along with. Trapped with him are two younger relatives, Shirley (Parvathy) and her husband (Sharaf Ud Deen) who had come to pay a visit. Things get complicated when the pandemic strikes and all three are forced to live together in the lockdown.

The trailer moves on with different people shedding light on Chaachan's character. A few reminisce how strict he was as a maths teacher. Others remember how biting his comments can be.

One thing is for sure: this is a man who is hiding his own troubles. When the need for money arises, Chaachan is forced to face the fact that he can no longer leave it all up to god. The trailer hints that the film is Chaachan's journey towards change through his experiences with the couple.

The film brings Biju Menon and Parvathy together for the first time and is enlivened by it. Menon is compelling throughout the trailer, while Parvathy plays the stoic foil of Shirley well.

Aarkkariyam also marks Varghese's debut as director. Varghese has been a cinematographer on films like Vishwaroopam 2 (2018, Tamil), Jersey (2019, Telugu) and Android Kunjappan Version 5.25 (2019, Malayalam).

Aarkkariyam is set to be released on 3 April. Watch the trailer below and let us know if you are interested in watching this film.