Aashiq Abu – Popular Malayalam film director with movies like 22 Female Kottayam, Mayaanadhi and Virus to his credit

Aashiq Abu is a very popular and successful film director, producer and screenwriter associated with Malayalam cinema. He is also a film distributor, and does cameo roles on big screen. As a director Salt N’ Pepper (2011), 22 Female Kottayam (2012), Mayaanadhi (2017) and Virus (2019) are the major hits of his career. He frequently collaborates with screenwriters Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair for his production and directorial ventures. He owns a production and distribution company, OPM and OPM Dream Mill Cinemas. He is married to noted Malayalam film actress Rima Kallingal.

Aashiq Abu was born in 1978 in Edappally, Kochi. During his college days at Maharajas College he was involved with union activities as a student leader. He started his film journey as an assistant director of Kamal and worked under him for 5 long years before making his directorial debut in 2009. The movie Daddy Cool starring Mammootty was a flop. He joined hands with the debutant screenwriters Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair for a movie based on food and taste, Salt N’ Pepper (2011) which was critically and commercially well acclaimed.

After the success of the film, he made his second film – 22 Female Kottayam (2012), loosely inspired from Bollywood flick, Ek Haseena Thi, and the movie also met with critical and commercial success. With this movie, Aashiq Abu cemented his position in Malayalam film industry, and became a representative of new generation filmmakers. Da Thadiya, Gangster, Rani Padmini, Mayaanadhi and Virus are his releases later. He also directed the segment – Sethulaksmi for the movie, 5 Sundarikal. Apart from films, he has also directed ad films. His movie – Salt N’ Pepper (2011) won Kerala State Film Awards for Best Popular Film.

Aashiq Abu – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. He was an elected member to Students’ Union at Maharajas College, Kochi for four consecutive years during his college days.

2. He married woman activist and actress Rima Kallingal in 2013, in a simple function held in Kakkanad Registration office. They donated the money equivalent to marriage expenses to a charity home. The bride also wore simple ornaments, as a protest to dowry system.

3. A musical concert of a band easily connected Aashiq Babu with his future wife Rima. Later they did 22 Female Kottayam together and got married soon

4. He made his first cameo appearance as an actor in the role of a photographer for 2006 film Raapakal directed by Kamal. He was working as an assistant director under him those days. He later made cameo appearances in movies such as Theevram, Annayum Rasoolum, Iyobinte Pusthakam and Parava, not directed by him.

5. He collaborated with screenwriters Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair for the movies – Salt N’ Pepper, Da Thadiya, Idukki Gold and Mayanadhi.

6. He is to mark his Bollywood debut with Shah Rukh Khan, and he joins hands with Syam Pushkaran also for the project. Shah Rukh Khan was deeply impressed by his work in Malayalam especially Virus. After the flop of Zero in 2018 it’s the first project of SRK though official announcement is yet to be made. As per buzz, it’s a fresh script, and not a remake.

7. He has often been accused of taking plots from Hollywood films, though during his early phase in cinema.