Malayalam blockbuster ‘Ayyappanum Koshiyum’ is finally getting a Bollywood makeover. PeepingMoon.com has exclusively learned that John Abraham is set to star in and produce the Hindi remake of the Prithviraj Sukumaran and Biju Mohan 2020 action thriller, five years after he acquired the Hindi remake rights to the film.

Abraham is collaborating with ‘Paatal Lok’ director Prosit Roy for this two-hero film revolving around the ego clashes between a wealthy, influential ex-hawaldar and an upright police officer. They have been discussing this project for months and are currently refining the script, which promises a gripping balance of action, suspense, and a compelling narrative. This yet-untitled project will mark Roy’s second theatrical feature following his 2018 supernatural thriller ‘Pari’, starring Anushka Sharma. Roy also directed Sharma’s sports biopic ‘Chakda Xpress’, but that film remains unreleased following Netflix’s withdrawal from the project.

The ‘Ayyappanum Koshiyum’ remake has been in development at Abraham’s production banner, JA Entertainment, for the past four years. Initially, in 2022, Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan were supposed to headline this film, with ‘Mission Mangal’ director Jagan Shakti helming it. However, Bachchan backed out due to scheduling conflicts, and Arjun Kapoor stepped in as his replacement. Despite this, the film was put on the back burner just one month before going on the floors in January 2022, as Abraham felt the script failed to capture the essence of the original, which was widely praised for its tightly written, dialogue-driven narrative and top-notch performances by Prithviraj and Biju.

Abraham has since been trying to revive this project and was reportedly in talks with Anurag Kashyap to direct it at some point, but that didn't happen. Now, with Roy at the helm, the project has gained fresh momentum. They are reinventing the remake from the ground up and are developing a script that retains the brilliance of the Malayalam original while infusing it with a fresh, commercial appeal tailored for a wider Indian audience. Casting for the parallel lead is yet to be finalized.

Shooting is expected to commence in the final quarter of 2025, once Abraham and Roy wrap up their current commitments. Abraham will first complete Rohit Shetty’s cop drama, scheduled to start filming next month, while Roy is finishing an Amazon Prime series featuring Ali Fazal and Sonali Bendre. On the release front, Abraham will next be seen in Dinesh Vijan’s political thriller ‘Tehran’, directed by Arun Gopalan, set to release in the second half of this year.