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Sheena Chohan to Star in Tamil Folk Drama ‘Arjunanin Allirani,’ Lilith Tale ‘Bhaayava’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Published

4 months ago

December 28, 2025

Sheena Chohan to Star in Tamil Folk Drama ‘Arjunanin Allirani,’ Lilith Tale ‘Bhaayava’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Indian actor Sheena Chohan, who made her Hindi-language feature film debut in the biopic “Sant Tukaram” earlier this year, has been cast as the lead in “Arjunanin Allirani,” a Tamil-language drama centered on folk artists and caste discrimination.

The film, written by acclaimed Tamil author B. Jeyamohan and directed by Vino Vikraman Pillai (“Kafir”), will feature music by legendary composer Ilaiyaraaja. The project marks Chohan’s entry into Tamil cinema after acting across Malayalam, Hindi and international productions.

“Arjunanin Allirani” follows two impoverished artists — a folk dance performer and a Dalit singer — whose relationship forms the heart of the narrative. The story traces the female lead’s journey through family tragedy and her eventual pursuit of justice through her art.

In the film, produced by Irfan Khan for EBG Films, Chohan will portray Rani, a character whose arc spans from her teenage years to middle age across four distinct life phases. The role requires extensive martial arts training, including Chilambattam, a traditional Tamil stick-fighting technique.

“Rani is a young woman who spends her formative years immersed in devotion, singing hymns to God in temples,” Pillai tells Variety. “Beginning with the vibrancy and innocence of her twenties, her life unfolds across four distinct phases, tracing her journey from youth to middle age. To authentically portray this evolution, the actress taking on the role must master martial arts, including Chilambattam. As the narrative moves through different eras, the character undergoes significant physical and emotional transformations, requiring the actress to adapt her appearance and presence accordingly.”

The director says that casting Chohan was “entirely serendipitous.” “From our very first conversation, I was struck by her deep passion and dedication to her craft,” he says. “When I shared the story of Allirani, she showed a genuine and immediate interest. The character of Rani is a powerful and resilient woman, whose journey spans from her teenage years to middle age. The role also demands extensive martial arts sequences, a challenge Sheena is exceptionally well suited for, given her many years of training and experience in martial arts.”

For Chohan, the role aligns with her longstanding commitment to socially grounded material. “I did so much theatre and acting training, that it’s a waste to do a flat character,” she tells Variety. “Also, if you have your acting skills sharpened, you can, and should, give what appears to be a one-note character more depth – of course the most important thing is to be a blank page for your director and give them what they want for the story, but no real people are shallow and morally simple, so I don’t like any of my characters to be.”

Chohan, who serves as United for Human Rights South Asia Ambassador, adds that her human rights advocacy has directly influenced her project choices. “I turn down so many films because of derogatory or degrading roles,” she says. “But the good news is that the industry is changing – with all of the good work of women like the Women’s Collective in Kerala, and women and men across the country and world pushing against discrimination – new characters and stories are being written which show women as equal citizens – real-life, breathing, thinking humans, not just pretty Christmas tree decorations.”

Chohan’s recent work includes Aditya Om’s “Sant Tukaram,” in which she portrayed Avali Jijabai opposite the title character in the Hindi biopic. The film was widely described as showcasing her quiet power and emotional depth. She describes her performance approach as rooted in thorough character research and technique developed during intensive training at The Acting Center in Los Angeles while working on the Hollywood film “Nomad.”

“What I learned was how to develop a character in terms of understanding their inner thoughts and motivations overall and in each scene,” she says. “So, while I read and watched everything connected to Avali Jijabai, including having the original 17th century historical texts read to me and working and eating with the village women who still work the fields Avali worked in, I then used all of that gathered information to truly understand and fit into her character, so that my reactions were natural.”

Reflecting on her Hindi debut, Chohan notes the significance of seeing the film play across theaters in Mumbai, where she is based. “After doing five years of theater, training in my craft, martial arts and dance in Kolkata, I shifted to Mumbai keeping it as a base but working pan India in different languages with legendary directors nationally and internationally,” she says. “But living in Mumbai, it was deeply special to see ‘Sant Tukaram’ playing across theatres here and release nationwide. Having friends and colleagues join me at the Mumbai – national premiere did feel like an arrival. But creatively, it was never a reset – it was a continuation.”

The actor has also completed J.D. Chakravarthy’s pan-India thriller “Jatasya Maranam Dhruvam,” in which she plays a police officer. “I literally followed a policewoman around into her dangerous job, in her home life – I did so much to get into the head-space of that character, and that too in such a dark, complex thriller, that I can only feel what I brought to the character gave the director an insight that he was desperate for,” she says.

Her upcoming slate includes the VFX-heavy streaming series “Bhaayava,” in which she portrays Lilith. The platform has not yet been locked as the production team completes extensive visual effects work. “I went from playing the wife of a saint, to a devil, and perhaps that’s what made me take the role – it was so different – I went from the most simple scenes in fields where we’ve worked in saris for a thousand years, to being flung out of a car in a harness for a flying scene after five hours of prosthetics in front of one of the biggest green screens in Mumbai,” she says. “However, again, the character was so rich – Lilith was Adam’s first wife in the bible – she was banished from Eden for refusing to be dominated by and obey every word from Adam – so that was a character I had to sink my teeth into.”

Chohan’s international credits include “Ant Story” (2013) directed by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, which played at the Shanghai and Dubai International Film Festivals. She has also appeared alongside Madhuri Dixit in Netflix series “The Fame Game” (2022) and Kajol in JioHotstar show “The Trial” (2023).

Her career began with a debut opposite Mammootty in the Malayalam-language film “The Train” (2011), directed by Jayaraj. Reflecting on her work with renowned actors including Mammootty, Dixit and Kajol, Chohan notes how different directors have shaped her approach. “Acting in India has changed a lot since I was launched by Mammootty – what my director Jayaraj wanted in terms of restraint on the set of ‘The Train’ was quite opposite to what Suparn Varma wanted on the set of ‘The Trial,’” she says. “For Jayaraj I was much more expressive but for Suparn I had to keep it subtle and do so much character research to get into her mind and be my character, without ‘acting.’ What I learned from these legends in terms of command and screen presence in many ways tie in with professionalism – they are really there, doing what they’re doing while they’re doing it.”

On balancing wider reach through big platforms versus roles that leave a lasting cultural impact, Chohan says, “What I care most about is character and story, so that’s what matters most, but of course, a rich, nuanced character in a well-told, original, larger-than-life, rooted story, that reaches the whole world – that’s the dream – and I want to live the dream.”

Related Topics:Featured Ilaiyaraaja Sheena Chohan

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World

How Sheila the three-wheeler dodged danger on a record 14,000-mile journey to tip of South Africa

Published

7 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

How Sheila the three-wheeler dodged danger on a record 14,000-mile journey to tip of South Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Englishman Ollie Jenks remembers when his friend first pitched the idea to him.

“It was so ridiculous I couldn’t say no,” Jenks said.

The proposal by Canadian buddy Seth Scott, a fellow lover of cars and crazy adventures, was for them to drive a decades-old British-made Reliant Robin car from London to the southern tip of Africa — a 14,000-mile (22,500-kilometer) journey through 22 countries — to set a record for the longest trip in a three-wheeled vehicle.

Reliant Robins have cultlike status in the U.K. as humble three-wheelers that, in Jenks’ words, were designed to go to the shops and back in 1970s Britain. They went out of production in the early 2000s but remain loved in British culture, especially after a Reliant appeared as the Trotter brothers’ trusty but battered yellow van in the hugely popular sitcom “Only Fools and Horses.”

Yet you couldn’t find a less suitable vehicle to take thousands of miles through tropical jungles, mountain ranges and deserts down the west side of Africa. And that’s precisely why Jenks went for the absurd plan.

Sheila the three-wheeler

Sheila, the silver three-wheeler — one of the last Reliant Robins to be built — was acquired specifically for the adventure. Jenks and Scott set off in October with a can of fuel and a few essential supplies strapped to Sheila’s small roof, and a large amount of blind hope that they would somehow make it to Cape Town, South Africa, near the bottom of the world.

“No power steering, no air con, and it doesn’t do well up hills or down them. It is the most unsuitable car for probably any journey,” Jenks said in an unkind assessment of Sheila’s abilities. “We made friends with the designer of this car, and he’s scared to take it any more than 20 miles.”

Jenks and Scott ignored all the advice and took Sheila on the epic journey over four-and-a-half months that cost in the region of $40,000 to $50,000, Jenks said. They had help from sponsors and crowd funding, and documented the journey on an Instagram page that pulled in nearly 100,000 followers under the title: “14,000 miles, 3 wheels, 0 common sense.”

Attempted coups and airstrikes

They arrived in Benin during an attempted coup. They skirted through northern Nigeria as the U.S. launched airstrikes on Islamic State targets. They were given a military escort for about 300 miles (480 kilometers) through a region of separatist violence in Cameroon.

“Imagine this car in a military convoy,” Jenks said.

And there were many brushes with traffic-related danger, including when an overtaking bus almost flattened Sheila against a cliff face in Congo.

True to form that Reliants are sometimes not so reliable, there were also countless breakdowns on the punishing roads.

Sheila needed her wheel springs replaced in the first two weeks. The gearbox broke in Ghana, leaving them with only fourth gear. In Cameroon, there were clutch and distributor problems and then the big one: the engine blew up.

Through all the technical problems, the kindness of strangers and the intrepidness of Jenks and Scott kept them going. One man got a new gearbox shipped to Ghana. Reliant enthusiasts in the U.K. helped find a new engine to send to Cameroon.

After one breakdown, people helped load Sheila onto a cattle truck so she could be taken to a garage. Mechanics across the continent screwed, hammered and welded Sheila to keep her together, sometimes shaking their heads at the madness of it all.

Where no Reliant Robin has gone before

But there were also majestic moments, the kind that Jenks and Scott had envisioned to make it all worth it.

Sheila cruised through stunning mountain ranges and vast deserts — where surely no Reliant Robin has gone before. She went on safari, driving alongside galloping giraffes, spotting endangered rhinos, and posing for a picture next to a giant elephant.

More than 120 days after setting off, she rattled into Cape Town last month on an engine that began badly overheating in the Namibian desert and had been touch and go for about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers).

“This is a great underdog story,” said Graeme Hurst, a South African car lover who followed them on Instagram and came to see Sheila. “I see the farcical kind of comical nature of it … but also the sheer admiration. I mean, they have utter tenacity.”

In South Africa, Sheila was put on temporary display in a showroom for high-end cars and was the center of attention ahead of the glittering Porsches and Mercedes, showing off her broken side window, her petrol-stained windshield, her bent tire rims, and her countless dents and scratches.

She will rest now and be given the thorough service she deserves, Jenks said. Eventually, she’ll be driven to Kenya, put on a ship to Turkey, then make one last trip back to the U.K. to find a home at the London Transport Museum.

Jenks said he felt triumphant after reaching Cape Town, but relieved to have survived and finally be out of the tiny two-seater.

“It was like driving a motorized coffin,” he said.

___

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

World

Pope Leo urges Africans to stay and ‘serve your country’ instead of migrating as displacement climbs

Published

8 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Pope Leo urges Africans to stay and ‘serve your country’ instead of migrating as displacement climbs

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Pope Leo XIV last Friday urged African youth to work toward improving their own countries rather than migrating elsewhere in search of better opportunities.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church directed his remarks to university students at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, during an 11-day apostolic journey in Africa.

“In the face of the understandable tendency to migrate — which may lead one to believe that elsewhere a better future may be more easily found — I invite you, first and foremost, to respond with an ardent desire to serve your country and to apply the knowledge you are acquiring here to the benefit of your fellow citizens,” Leo said.

While displacement in Africa has steadily increased in recent years amid economic and political challenges, Leo said each country’s rising generations should be “committed to society,” reflect their nations’ needs and confront systemic issues at home.

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Pope Leo XIV speaks as he meets with the community of Bamenda at Saint Joseph’s Cathedral in Bamenda on the fourth day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa April 16, 2026. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)

“Africa, indeed, must be freed from the scourge of corruption. For young people, this awareness must take root from their years of formation,” he said.

“These are the witnesses of wisdom and justice, of which the African continent needs.”

He added that through education and spiritual formation, “you learn to become builders of the future of your respective countries and of a world that is more just and humane.”

POPE LEO SAYS HE’S UNAFRAID OF THE TRUMP ADMIN AFTER PRESIDENT CALLS HIM ‘TERRIBLE’ ON FOREIGN POLICY

Pope Leo XIV delivers a speech during his visit to Central African Catholic University as part of his Africa tour April 17, 2026, in Yaoundé, Cameroon. (Ahmet Emin Donmez/Anadolu)

According to the World Migration Report, most of Africa’s displacement occurs internally within the continent, with 21 million Africans recorded as living in another African country in 2020.

Overseas African migration has also steadily increased, with figures more than doubling between 1990 and 2020.

In 2020, roughly 11 million Africans reportedly migrated to Europe, 5 million to Asia and 3 million to Northern America.

MORNING GLORY: LEO’S LAUNCH

Pope Leo XIV visits Central African Catholic University as part of his Africa tour April 17, 2026, in Yaoundé, Cameroon. (Ahmet Emin Donmez/Anadolu)

The causes of displacement are largely attributed to political conflict, corruption, violence and economic hardship, including widespread poverty.

These factors are particularly pronounced in countries such as Somalia, one of Africa’s largest sources of refugees; Nigeria, which is riddled with natural disasters and economic pressures; and Sudan’s surrounding areas, where civil war, political instability and food insecurity have driven large-scale displacement.

The Pope’s remarks come just days after President Donald Trump criticized Leo on Truth Social, calling him “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy.”

The backlash followed the pontiff’s criticism of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and his appeal for a return to peace.

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Tensions between the two boiled over several days before the Pope said last Saturday that it was “not in my interest at all” to debate the president.

Leo has insisted that his position is focused on bridging divides among nations and promoting peace and reconciliation.

Bonny Chu is a Digital Production Assistant at Fox News Digital.