Mollywood Times teaser: Aspiring director Naslen wants to save Malayalam cinema

The teaser of the upcoming Malayalam drama Mollywood Times is here, and it packs filmmaking dreams, horror references and a cheeky nod to Malayalam cinema into one quirky first look. Released on Sunday, the teaser introduces Naslen as a young man determined to become the greatest horror filmmaker Mollywood has ever seen.

Directed by Abhinav Sunder Nayak, best known for Mukundan Unni Associates, the film appears to blend comedy with a self-aware take on cinema culture and ambition.

The teaser opens with a reference to M. Night Shyamalan, the Hollywood director known for films like The Sixth Sense and Signs. Abhinav had recently spoken about including the reference because of Shyamalan’s Kerala roots.

In one scene, a young boy asks his father to buy him a camera so he can grow up to become a filmmaker like Shyamalan. His father dismisses the dream, saying it is too big for the “small world” of Malayalam cinema. But the ambition stays with him into adulthood.

The teaser later shows Naslen’s character dramatically declaring, “I am coming to save Malayalam cinema,” in a moment that visually echoes a popular scene from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood featuring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Watch the teaser here:

About Mollywood Times

Written by Ramu Sun, Mollywood Times also stars Sangeeth Prathap and Sharaf U Dheen in key roles. The film reunites Naslen and Sangeeth after their successful collaboration in Premalu. The supporting cast includes Prashanth Alexander, Chandu Salimkumar and Rajesh Madhavan.

The technical crew features cinematographer Viswajith Odukkathil, music composer Jakes Bejoy, and editors Abhinav Sunder Nayak and Nidhin Raj Arol. Sound design and mixing have been handled by Vishnu Govind.

Produced by Ashiq Usman under the banner of Ashiq Usman Productions, Mollywood Times is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on June 5.