# Bazooka (film)

Bazooka is an upcoming Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film written and directed by Deeno Dennis in his directorial debut. It's a story about a cop and a businessman who team up on a mission to capture a serial killer, using a series of elaborate games to track him down. It is produced by Yoodlee Films and Theatre of Dreams, starring Mammootty and Gautham Vasudev Menon in the lead roles.
The official title was announced in April 2023. Principal photography began in May 2023 in Kochi and concluded in October 2024. The film's music was composed by Saeed Abbas. Bazooka is scheduled to be released on 10 April 2025.

## Plot

It's a story about a cop and a businessman who team up on a mission to capture a serial killer, using a series of elaborate games to track him down.

## Cast

* Mammootty as Vinod Menon
* Gautham Vasudev Menon as Benjamin Joshua IPS
* Babu Antony
* Neeta Pillai
* Gayathiri Iyer
* Divya Pillai
* Sharaf U Dheen
* Jagadish
* Sidharth Bharathan
* Iswarya Menon
* Shine Tom Chacko
* Spadikam George
* Shammi Thilakan
* Mime Gopi
* George Maryan
* Vaiyapuri
* Bhama Arun
* Hakkim Shah
* Abin Bino
* Joemon Jyothir
* Khalid Rahman
* V. K. Prakash
* Vasisht Umesh

## Production
### Development

The film marks the directorial debut of Deeno Dennis, son of screenwriter Kaloor Dennis, who also wrote the script. He worked on the script for three years, and it was immediately accepted by Mammootty. Mammootty said that he was instantly drawn to the script which he believes to have a tight narrative and well-rounded characters. The film is being produced by Dolwin Kuriakose and Jinu V. Abraham under the banner of Yoodlee Films, along with Vikram Mehra and Sidharth Anand Kumar under the banner of Theatre of Dreams. The official title, Bazooka, was announced by the makers on 9 April 2023.

### Casting

In March 2023, Gautham Vasudev Menon was signed to play a prominent role. In May 2023, Neeta Pillai joined the cast as one of the female leads. Divya Pillai and Iswarya Menon were chosen for key female roles. The other female actors include Gayathiri Iyer and Bhama Arun. Sidharth Bharathan and Shine Tom Chacko were cast in significant roles. Other key roles are played by Jagadish, Sharfuddin, Deen Dennis, Sphadikam George and Sunny Wayne. Sumith Naval, known for appearing in early Amal Neerad films, is making a comeback and joined the cast in July 2023. In July 2023, Babu Antony was reported to play the role of an antagonist. Abin Bino was cast to play a role in the film.

### Filming

It was reported that the filming would begin by the end of April 2023 and was expected to be completed by July–August, with 90–100 days of shooting in Coimbatore, Kochi and Bangalore. Filming was later postponed following the death of Mammootty's mother. Principal photography began on 10 May 2023 with a puja ceremony at the Samudrika Convention Centre in Willingdon Island. Mammootty joined the sets on May 12, 2023. Mammootty completed his shooting portions on 5 August 2023. In August 2023, Hakkim Shah met with an accident on the set while riding a bike as part of a chase sequence. Mammootty shot for 45 days for the film.
The final shooting schedule started on Feb 21, 2024 progressing in Kochi, primarily filming the scenes featuring Gautham Vasudev Menon. It was reported that shooting concluded after 90 days on March 22, 2024. However, the filmmakers revealed that some scenes involving Gautham Vasudev Menon were yet to be completed, with plans for a short 2-3 day schedule. The delay has been due to scheduling conflicts, as both Mammootty and Gautham are currently working on an untitled upcoming project. The entire filming was wrapped up in October 2024. The cinematography will be handled by Nimish Ravi. Stunt Silva is in charge of choreographing action sequences.

### Post production

The post-production works started in July 2024. The patchwork shoots were conducted in Kochi in September 2024.

## Music

The film's music was composed by Saeed Abbas.

## Marketing

On 15 August 2024, the teaser of Bazooka was released to coincide with India's Independence Day. A promotional poster was also released, revealing the film's official release date.

## Release

Earlier reports indicated that Bazooka would be released alongside Mohanlal's directorial debut Barroz in December 2023, during Christmas. However, it was delayed and pushed to 2024. It was later reported that Bazooka and Barroz would release on the same day, 12 September 2024, during Onam. Despite these plans, the film was further delayed and is now scheduled for release on 10 April 2025.