Mammootty does not wing it on set. Before a single camera rolled for OM – Chapter 1: Udhiram – The Blood Wood, the veteran star locked director Rajkumar Periasamy in a room for two and a half days to pull the script apart piece by piece.
Periasamy traveled straight to Kochi on the actor's call. What followed was an exacting, uninterrupted breakdown of the entire film from opening line to closing beat.
The veteran actor wanted to hear every character's arc out loud before committing to his own cues. The marathon session ran during daylight hours across sixty continuous hours, pausing only when night fell. Periasamy read through the entire first half, followed by the second half, before spending the final half-day zeroing in on Mammootty’s specific scenes and cues.
Along the way, the actor stopped the reading to question plot mechanics, probe motivations, and interrogate minor screenplay nuances.
Periasamy recounted the Kochi sessions:
He called me to Kochi and spent two and a half days, except for the night hours, where he wanted me to read the script and he would just listen to it. The full first half and then the second half, and the half day for his scenes, so that was his process.
The filmmaker noted that Mammootty arrived on set fully armed with an understanding of every gear turning inside the story.
He would want to know more about these... so when he came [to set] he was fully prepared.
Mammootty anchors the feature as an international smuggler. Dhanush plays a syndicate operative working under him, tangled deep in his illicit operations. The ensemble cast expands further with Sai Pallavi and Naseeruddin Shah in major roles.
The production lines up experienced technicians across stunts and visuals, tapping international stunt directors Yannick Ben and Kecha Khamphakdee to design the film's action set pieces.
| Production Department | Lead Technician / Personnel | Details / Assignment |
|---|---|---|
| Direction & Screenplay | Rajkumar Periasamy | Script read completed in Kochi |
| Lead Cast | Mammootty | International smuggler role |
| Co-Leads | Dhanush, Sai Pallavi | Dhanush plays operative under Mammootty |
| Supporting Cast | Naseeruddin Shah | Prominent character role |
| Action Choreography |
Financed by Shraddha Agrawal, Dhanush, and Azmat Jagmag, OM – Chapter 1: Udhiram – The Blood Wood arrives in theatres worldwide on November 20.
| Yannick Ben & Kecha Khamphakdee |
| Action set-piece design |
| Cinematography | Ezhil Arasu K. | Director of photography |
| Music | Sai Abhyankkar | Original score and songs |
| Editing | R Kalaivanan | Chief editor |
| Art Direction | A. Pannerselvam | Production design and sets |
| Producers | Shraddha Agrawal, Dhanush, Azmat Jagmag | Theatrical rollout set for Nov 20 |