11 brothers from Theni debut with a Malayalam film & enter ₹50 crore club

For 11 brothers and cousins from Theni, cinema was always a shared passion. Turning that passion into a film production house, however, was never part of an elaborate career plan. It began with conversations among the brothers, a desire to do something together and, eventually, a decision to take a chance on a Malayalam thriller that several producers had already rejected.

Today, their first production, ‘Prathama Drishtya Kuttakkar’, made on a budget of Rs 15 crore and starring Parvathy Thiruvothu and Vijayaraghavan, has entered the Rs 50 crore club. But for the family behind 11 Icons Film Productions, the film's success is also the beginning of a journey into cinema.
“We have been involved in several businesses together. We equally love cinema and decided that we should start a film production house. That is how 11 Icons came into being,” Arjun Selva tells Onmanorama.

They had no prior experience in film production, come from different professional backgrounds. Their decision to enter cinema was rooted in a relationship that had developed long before they thought of becoming producers: they had grown up together, built businesses together and were accustomed to sharing responsibilities.

For Arjun, the decision became more serious during the Covid lockdown. A civil engineer by profession, he was also involved in several businesses, including government contracts and a studio. The uncertainty during the pandemic made him think about pursuing his interest in cinema more seriously.

“I was 29 when I started working on this. During the Covid lockdown, there was a lot of uncertainty about jobs. At that time, I was a civil engineer and was also involved in business and government contracts. I had several businesses, including a studio, and I was managing all of them together. My cousins have always supported me, and I balance everything with their support,” he says.
Interestingly, Arjun's initial ambition was not to become a producer. He had wanted to direct a film. But as the brothers explored the possibility of entering the industry, producing became the first step. The opportunity came through a story developed by cop-turned-screenwriter P S Subramanian along with Vijesh. The thriller had already been turned down by several producers when production controller Sanoop introduced the project to Arjun and his brothers. For Subramanian, their interest came at a crucial point.

“To be honest, my confidence had weakened by then because many producers had rejected the script. But I was relieved when Arjun Selva and his brothers showed so much patience and were willing to be part of the project,” he tells Onmanorama.

Eleven brothers, different responsibilities
The brothers' involvement was never simply about pooling their money to make a film. They divided responsibilities among themselves, with each member contributing to the larger family enterprise. Arjun took the lead as producer, while one of his cousins became the executive producer and another handled the day-to-day production responsibilities as the line producer. The brothers collectively discuss stories, analyse projects and offer their opinions, but Arjun takes the final responsibility for the production.

That arrangement works largely because their relationship predates their businesses. “We have been together since childhood. If they can help, they will. We support each other,” Arjun says. When asked how 11 cousins manage the dynamics of working together, he says their familiarity with each other makes the arrangement easier. “Whether there are 11 or 12 people or just two or three, it is not possible to do everything in exactly the same way. In any business, there has to be someone who takes the final responsibility. In our case, we are family, so there is no major issue about sharing responsibilities or authority. We have grown up together, and we understand each other,” he says.

That understanding also meant knowing when to be involved and when to step aside. Director Shahad, who previously helmed ‘Anuragam’ and ‘Prakashan Parakkatte’, says the brothers were closely involved in the pre-production and post-production stages but did not interfere with the shoot.
“Only two of them, Manoj and Deepak, were present during the shoot. The others, including Arjun Selva, stayed away and gave us the space to work. At the same time, they were very willing to support us with their money and time,” Shahad says.

Although the project was narrated to the team more than a year ago, the production had to wait around nine months for Parvathy Thiruvothu’s dates. According to Shahad, the fact that the first-time producers were willing to wait showed their faith in the story.

“They understood the importance of content and approached the project with that perspective,” he says, adding that their understanding of Malayalam cinema came from years of watching films. "Arjun and his brothers were not newbies to Malayalam cinema. They have been appreciating our content for years, by watching Malayalam films. Their knowledge of Malayalam movies was also impressive," he states.