Jakes Bejoy is having a moment. The composer, whose work on the Lokah soundtrack was recently singled out by Ranbir Kapoor during a fan interaction, has become one of the most sought-after names in South Indian cinema. He scored both of Tovino Thomas’s most recent releases, Identity and Narivetta, and his work now spans Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam projects with equal ease. His latest offering is Kaattu Shenbagam, the Tamil version of the first single from Pallichattambi, a period film starring Tovino Thomas and directed by Dijo Jose Antony.
The song, which arrived on February 12, pairs the voices of Akhil J Chandh and Avani Malhar over a gentle romantic melody. Mohan Raja has written the Tamil lyrics, giving the track a distinct identity from its Malayalam original, Kaattuchembakam, which had already been generating attention among music fans. The video features Thomas and Kayadu Lohar in what looks like a 1950s Kerala backdrop, seated together on a wooden boat in period costume. It is a warm, unhurried sequence built around the chemistry between the two leads, leaning into the film’s romantic thread without giving away much of the story.
Pallichattambi marks the fourth collaboration between director Dijo Jose Antony and composer Jakes Bejoy, a partnership that has been quietly building one of the strongest track records in Malayalam cinema. Queen, their debut together in 2018, was a sleeper hit that established Dijo as a director worth watching. Jana Gana Mana, the 2022 courtroom thriller with Prithviraj Sukumaran, was a far more ambitious film and connected strongly with audiences across India. Malayalee From India followed. Each project has been tonally different, and the soundtracks have landed every time. That creative reliability across genres is uncommon, and it helps explain why Dijo keeps going back to Bejoy.
For Tovino Thomas, Pallichattambi continues a prolific stretch. His recent releases include Identity, an action thriller alongside Trisha Krishnan, and the political thriller Narivetta. Jakes Bejoy scored both those films, making Pallichattambi their third consecutive collaboration. Thomas, who broke through to a pan-Indian audience with the superhero film Minnal Murali on Netflix, has steadily established himself as one of Malayalam cinema’s most versatile leading men. A period setting in the 1950s and 60s gives him something new to work with.
The film’s plot details remain closely guarded, but it is written by S. Suresh Babu and shot by cinematographer Tijo Tomy. Produced under the World Wide Films banner by Noufal and Brijesh, alongside C Qube Bros Entertainment led by Chanukya Chaitanya Charan, the production wrapped shooting in early February 2026, putting the team on track for post-production ahead of the April release. That release, set for April 9, is planned across five languages.