Bharat Gopi's Swan Song

It has been just seven months since Malayalam veteran actor Bharath Gopi had left us for ever. When he died in a private hospital at Thiruvananthapuram on January 29 due to a massive heart attack, his part in Balachandra Menon's De Ingottu Nokkiye was not even half-complete. Technically, De Ingottu Nokkiye is his last film in a career spanning nearly three decades; however, K.P. Kumaran's yet to be released Aakashagopuram calls special attention as his final venture.

In Aakashagopuram, an adaptation of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's classic Master Builder, Bharath Gopi will appear on screen as Abrahim Thomas, assistant to a middle-aged architect Albert Samson (Mohanlal), whose single-minded focus on his job has hardened him and prevented him from having a meaningful private life with his wife Alice (Shweta Menon).

Bharath Gopi, one of the most meticulous performers in India, had completed his role much earlier to his death and appears in a meaty role as Abrahim Thomas in the film to be released in August 22. Set in London among the Indian immigrant community, Aakashagopuram also stars veteran Sreenivasan, Manoj K. Jayan, Geethu Mohandas and Nithya.

Shot in various locations in the UK by cinematographer Santosh C. Thundiyil, the film has music by multiple Emmy award winner John Altman of Golden Eye, Titanic, Bhaji on the Beach and Shall We Dance.

Sound design is by Nigel Holland of Batman Begins, Braveheart and Resident Evil; rerecording is by Robert Farr (Star Wars: Episode II&III, Gangs of New York) and Matthew Gough (Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban and Cold Mountain). John Harvey and Jonathan Trussler of Kingdom of Heaven add visual effects to the film, produced by Manu S. Kumaran, Tutu Sharma and Taizoon F. Khorakiwala.