After playing Sita in Ramayana, Sai Pallavi turns CBI officer to crack red sandalwood smuggling case in Dhanush and Mammootty's OM: Chapter 1

After playing Sita in Ramayana, which hits theatres on November 6, Sai Pallavi is set to explore a very different role in OM: Chapter 1 – Udhiram: The Blood Wood. The makers of the upcoming action thriller unveiled her character, Nithya Reddy, on Monday. She plays a CBI officer tasked with investigating the illegal red sandalwood trade. The first glimpse offers a look at her character's past and the personal loss that drives her investigation, bringing her into the orbit of characters played by Dhanush and Mammootty.

Sai Pallavi's first look as CBI officer Nithya Reddy

The promotional video describes Nithya as a mix of “honesty, smartness and experience in young blood”. However, her pursuit of criminals is not just another assignment. Her father, an Indian Forest Service officer from Naidupet in Andhra Pradesh's Nellore district, was killed while on duty. His death gives Nithya a personal reason to go after those responsible for forest crimes and protect the environment her father fought to safeguard.

Nithya began her career as an Assistant Superintendent of Police in the Andhra Pradesh cadre before moving up to the rank of Additional Superintendent of Police in the CBI. She is later assigned to work with Interpol and takes charge of Operation OM, which leads her into the illegal red sandalwood trade. Her investigation brings her face to face with Dhanush's character, a woodcutter caught up in the business. Mammootty's role, meanwhile, remains under wraps

Dhanush, Mammootty and Naseeruddin Shah feature in the film

Directed by Rajkumar Periasamy, OM: Chapter 1 stars Dhanush as a woodcutter, with Mammootty in a pivotal role. The cast also includes Sreeleela and Sanjay Swaroop. Naseeruddin Shah is part of the project too, marking his debut in Tamil cinema.

Dhanush is producing the film under his Wunderbar Films banner, alongside Shraddha Agrawal and Azmat Jagmag, with RTake Studios backing the project. The technical team includes composer Sai Abhyankkar, cinematographer Ezhil Arasu K and editor R. Kalaivanan. Yannick Ben and Kecha Khamphakdee are choreographing the action sequences.