Writer Paulo Coelho shares Malayalam film's first look

The makers of the upcoming Malayalam film Kochavva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho have surely generated interest with its title, which nods to acclaimed Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho.

But on Thursday, their promotional campaign for the film hit a surprise high after the film’s first look was shared on Twitter by the writer himself.

“Kochavva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho First Look Poster Is Out!”, author of The Alchemist tweeted along with a news report and images from the poster. The movie, starring and produced by popular Malayalam actor Kunchakko Boban and directed by national award-winner Siddharth Siva, reportedly traces the life of a character inspired by the works of Paulo Coelho.

Elated members of the film’s crew have taken to social media to share news about the surprise celebrity endorsement. “The real Paulo Coelho has retweeted the official first look poster of Kochavva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho. Thank you Sir,” Kunchakko posted on his official Facebook page. Music composer Shaan Rahman posted on Facebook—“GOOD LORD! Paulo Coelho just tweeted our first look poster!!”
With the news going viral on social media, spoofy takes on Coelho’s support for the movie started doing the rounds.

On the writer’s Twitter page, there was the now-familiar Malayali buzz, which surfaces around any global link to anything from Kerala.

Some of the tweeters hailed it as a “proud Malayali moment”, while others wondered if Coelho had any clue of what he tweeted about. One wanted to know who had “hacked” into the writer’s account on the microblogging site.

Sixty-eight-year-old Coelho is a hugely popular writer in Kerala and many of his works have been translated into Malayalam.