No, Sai Pallavi was not the first choice for Nivin Pauly's Premam; this actress was

Did you know Sai Pallavi was not the first choice for Nivin Pauly's Premam, the film director Alphonse Puthren reveals details
 

It is known to every Sai Pallavi's fans that Malayalam hit film Premam had marked its debut, and since then, there is no stopping of the talented actress. It is also reported that, Sai Pallavi might make her Bollywood debut with a remake of a Telugu film, Chatrapathi. 

Coming back to Premam, the film featured Nivin Pauly, Madonna Sebastian, Anupama Parameswaran, Shabareesh Varma, Krishna Sankar and Siju Wilson in key roles directed by Alphonse Puthren.

Sai Pallavi's character of Malar was loved by critics and audiences. Her innocent and straightforward looks have made men crazy. But did you know that she was not the first choice for the film?

During a chat session on social media with fans, a fan asked  Premam director Alphonse Puthren,"I noticed in your past films, the influence of Tamil language eg. malar character and Tamil background songs etc. I am sure that during your Chennai life, friend circle and surrounding might influence you, that reflected in your movies as well. How do you see the influence of Tamil language in Malayalam movies and what is your opinion if malar character is replaced with a Malayalam speaking character?"

To which Alphonse replied, "In the beginning when I wrote the script it (Malar's character) was Malayalam. I wanted Asin to act in Malar's Malayalam version. The character was from Fort Kochi." He then said that he and actor Nivin Pauly tried getting in touch with her, and gave up eventually. "This is in the beginning stage of the script. I studied in Ooty when I was too young and then did my film studies in Chennai. That is why the strong Tamizh connection"