Actor Raj Thirandasu entered the world of Malayalam cinema after his brilliant performance in Allu Arjun’s Pushpa: The Rise. The actor plays the role of Al-Ma’arri in the film “Kattalan”, which takes place against the backdrop of violent ivory smuggling operations and gang rivalries. Talking about the project, Raj spoke to ETimes about one of the most difficult aspects of filming. According to the actor, shooting action scenes alongside real elephants became one of the most challenging experiences of his career.The scenes were reportedly filmed in Bangkok using trained elephants that had previously appeared in film productions.
One small mistake could have gone wrong, says Raj Terandasso
Recalling his risky experience, Raj Terandasso admitted that the situation was often frightening due to the unpredictability while working with live animals.
“It was really scary at times because we were working with real elephants that had already been part of other film shoots. One little mistake and things could have gone completely wrong,” he told us.
Despite the pressure and fear, the actor explained that the unpredictability brought a different energy to the action scenes. He felt that realism could not be recreated artificially.“Somewhere, the unpredictability gave the work a completely different energy.
“You can’t fake those reactions or emotions on screen,” Raj added.The actor noted that the filmmakers deliberately chose real environments to make the event feel natural and immersive to viewers.
The makers of ‘Catalan’ focused on realistic action sequences
Raj Terandasu also shared that the team avoided exaggerated choreography and instead focused on grounded storytelling throughout the film.“We wanted each fight sequence to feel raw, grounded and believable rather than overly stylized.
Working in real conditions helped us achieve that authenticity.The actor also praised the efforts of the crew and crew for managing such large-scale sequences under difficult conditions. According to him, the audience will be able to feel the realism and intensity once they watch the film on the big screen.He concluded his speech by saying: “The effort made by everyone in these scenes was enormous. When the audience watches the film, they will truly feel the power and realism of those moments.”
Kattalan opens up to the audience’s decent reactions
Directed by debutant director Paul George, Catalan finally arrives in theaters on May 28, 2026. The film generated significant buzz prior to its release due to its stated narrative ties to the world established in “Marco.”Soon after the first shows concluded, social media platforms were flooded with good feedback regarding the script, performance, narration style and Rafi Basirur’s background score.One user posted, “The plot of the first half review of #Kattalan is ivory smuggling and gang rivalry. Setting up a neat introduction to the main characters, Strong Villians BGM by Ravi Basrur is a great middle introduction to Baby.”
“No high moments so far, the interval needs a strong second half, just a good first half.”Another reaction from the audience read: “#Kattalan got great response after the first half! Nice action blocks full of spine chills and storytelling gets interesting and intense in the second half. All eyes towards the second half! Ravi Basore reaches his climax at the right time.”
Unni Mukundan issues clarification
Amid speculation surrounding a larger cinematic universe linked to ‘Marco’, actor Unni Mukundan recently clarified that he is not attached to Catalan or any associated franchise plans.A statement issued through his production banner read: “We would like to make it clear that Unni Mukundan is not a part of this project or any universe. We humbly request our fans and audience to refrain from questioning us further on any association with the project in question.” For the unversed, Unni Mukundan’s film ‘Marco’ ended with a cliffhanger where a child raised by Marco is seen kidnapped by a group of thugs.
Promotional posters for “Kattalan” hinted at a possible connection to this scene.
“Katalan” vs “Drishyam 3”
Apart from Anthony Varghese and Raj Thirandasu, the film also stars Dushara Vijayan, Jagadish, Siddique, Sunil, Kabir Duhan Singh, Anson Paul, Parth Tiwari and Harishankar Narayanan in important roles.Meanwhile, the audience is eagerly waiting whether ‘Kattalan’ will be able to surpass the collections of Mohanlal’s ‘Drishyam 3’ which is running in full house shows in theatres.
