The
Initial
Idea
The
idea
of
a
project
based
on
Kunjali
Marakkar's
life
developed
after
Mammootty
and
writer-actor
Shankar
Ramakrishnan
collaborated
for
a
light
and
sound
show
based
on
the
same
subject.
The
promo
video
of
the
show
had
gone
viral
on
social
media.
Initially,
it
was
reported
that
the
Kunjali
Marakkar
project
starring
Mammootty
will
be
written
and
directed
by
Shankar
Ramakrishnan
himself.
But
later,
it
was
revealed
to
be
false.
The
Official
Announcement
The
team
went
on
to
announce
the
project
On
November
1st,
2017,
Kerala
Piravi
Day,
thus
putting
an
end
to
the
speculations.
The
first
official
poster
of
the
movie,
which
has
been
titled
as
Kunjali
Marakkar
IV,
was
released
through
the
official
Facebook
page
of
August
Cinema.
Santhosh
Sivan,
the
cinematographer-director,
was
officially
introduced
as
the
director
of
the
project.
Mammootty
As
Kunjali
Marakkar
IV
It
was
revealed
that
Mammootty
will
appear
as
the
titular
character
Kunjali
Marakkar
IV
aka
Mohammed,
the
fourth
naval
chief
of
Samoothiri
kingdom.
The
team
also
confirmed
that
some
prominent
faces
of
South
Indian
film
industry
and
Bollywood
will
essay
the
other
vital
characters
in
the
movie,
which
has
been
jointly
scripted
by
Shankar
Ramakrishnan
and
TP
Rajeevan.
Mohanlal-Priyadarshan
Duo’s
Announcement
And
Rumours
Later,
Mohanlal-Priyadarshan
duo
announced
their
upcoming
project
based
on
Kunjali
Marakkar,
which
has
been
titled
as
Marakkar:
Arabikadalinte
Simham.
The
rumours
which
suggest
that
the
Mammootty's
Kunjali
Marakkar
IV
has
been
shelved
started
doing
rounds
immediately
after
the
official
announcement
of
Mohanlal-Priyadarshan
project.
Shockingly,
Priyadarshan
also
suggested
that
the
Mammootty
project
might
not
happen,
during
the
launch
of
his
directorial
venture.
Santhosh
Sivan’s
Clarifications
Santhosh
Sivan
immediately
dismissed
Priyadarshan's
suggestions
and
the
rumours,
stating
that
Kunjali
Marakkar
IV
has
not
been
shelved.
The
cinematographer-director
had
also
assured
the
team
has
already
started
the
pre-production
works
of
the
film.
Santhosh
Sivan
also
added
that
he
will
kickstart
the
Mammootty
project
only
after
wrapping
up
his
current
projects.
However,
it
has
been
confirmed
that
the
Mammootty
project,
which
was
expected
to
start
rolling
by
mid-2018,
is
delayed.
The
team
is
expected
to
reveal
the
actual
status
of
the
movie,
very
soon.