said filming would begin by mid-August, "we will be shooting in locations such as Thasarak, Kollengode, Alathur, Nemmara, and Pollachi, where it is believed that Odiyans lived", additionally it will also have Varanasi as a location. He said many special effects would be utilised in the film and the post-production would last close to six months. It was also revealed the plan is to simultaneously release the film in Tamil and Telugu languages along with the original Malayalam version. In August, Prashanth Madhav began the film's set work in Palakkad by creating the Thenkurissi village which pass through three eras in the story. The crew went for location recce in Palakkad and Varanasi in the month. Menon said that Odiyan Manikyan's journey starts from the holy Ghats in Varanasi, where he spend 15 years before returning to Thenkurissi. For the climax fight sequence set inside an Indian banyan tree, the team traveled across India to find a suitable tree, in places such as Cumbum, Theni, Mysore and almost finalised a tree called Dodda Alada Mara in Bangalore Urban. However, they were unable to obtain permission for night shooting there. The team finally able to find a tree in Kerala itself, in Palakkad. Casting Both Harikrishnan and Menon wanted Mohanlal in the lead role from the film's initial discussion itself and the screenplay was later tailor-made with Mohanlal in mind. His character Odiyan Manikyan has two stages, one at present and the other 30 years ago. Describing him, Menon said: "Manikyan is considered the greatest Odiyan that ever lived. He has mastered the skills that have been passed down by his forefathers of the clan". Soon after the film's confirmation by Mohanlal in March 2017, Menon revealed to media outlets that Raj would be portraying the antagonist and Warrier will have an equally important role as that of Mohanlal, while a leading Bollywood actor would also play a pivotal role. Raj plays the character of Ravunni. The characters of Mohanlal, Warrier and Raj pass through three stages of their life. Warrier portrays the character of Prabha. In the film, Prabha is shown in her late 20s, at 35 and in her 50s and so will have three looks. In April, Menon confirmed Siddique and Nandhu in the cast. In the same month, it was reported Appani Sarath would be part of the cast, but was not present in the final cast.