In 2020, director Aashiq Abu had announced a movie with actor Prithviraj, titled ‘Vaariyamkunnan’, a biopic on Variyamkunnathu Kunjammed Haji a leader of the 1921 Malabar rebellion. The team had planned to start shooting on the eve of 100th anniversary of the Malabar rebellion. Now, the latest is that the duo had decided the withdraw the project following a difference of opinion with the producer. The film was to be produced by Zikandar and Moideen under the banner of Compassion Movies.

When announcing the project in 2020, Prithviraj wrote, “He stood up against an empire that ruled a quarter of the world. Etched out his own country with an army that waged a never before war against the British. Though history was burned and buried, the legend lived on! The legend of a leader, a soldier, a patriot. A film on the man who became the face of the 1921 Malabar revolution. #Vaariyamkunnan. Filming begins in 2021. On the 100th anniversary (sic)."

The announcement of the film created an outrage on social media and both the actor and director were attacked by netizens and right-wing activists over their decision to make a movie glorifying the life of Haji, claiming that he was a leader of fanatics who targeted Hindus. The decision to withdraw the project comes a week after news reports came out that the names of Malabar Rebellion leaders Variamkunnath Kunjahammed Haji, Ali Musaliar and 387 other 'Moplah martyrs' would be removed from the Dictionary of Martyrs of India’s Freedom Struggle.