[2][3] The story is inspired by a tragedy that happened in an Ezhava tharavad, the Alummoottil meda (an old traditional mansion) located at Muttom (near Haripad), belonging to a central Travancore Channar family, in the 19th century.
[4] The inheritor of the Alummoottil property and his domestic worker girl were murdered by the son-in-law after he had been written-off due to the marumakkathayam system of inheritance prevalent in Kerala at the time.
The murder gave rise to many local legends which serve as the basis for the film.
[5] "Vijanaveedhi", a Malayalam horror novel by Aswathi Thirunal, has been listed by some as an inspiration for the film, though director Fazil and Madhu both deny this.
[6] Bharathan Effect (2007), for which he wrote the screenplay, is the second venture by the director Anil Das who debuted with Sargavasantham in 1995.