Taking a look at Malayalam film Spanish Masala that hits theatres on January 20.

Director Lal Jose has teamed up with old pal Dileep and Kunchacko Boban in his new Malayalam film Spanish Masala. Austrian beauty Daniela Zacherl is the heroine. The cast also includes Biju Menon, Vinayaprasad and a couple of foreign artistes.

Produced by Naushad, Spanish Masala has been scripted by Benny P Nayarambalam and shot almost entirely in Spain.

The cinematographer is Lokanathan and the music director is Vidyasagar.

Dileep plays Charlie, a struggling mimicry artiste, who goes to Spain along with a group of performers from Kerala and stays back illegally.

His parents run a small tea shop in a village in Kerala, so he knows how to make some local dishes. It helps him find a job as a chef in Spain.

Life takes a different turn for Charlie after he meets Camilla, the daughter of a Spanish diplomat. Camilla has fond memories of her childhood days in India, when her father was the Spanish ambassador.

Kunchacko Boban plays Rahul, who was in love with Camilla at a certain point of time. Biju Menon plays the diplomat's manager while Vinayaprasad is doing the role of her domestic servant.

Daniela Zacherl, the heroine of the film, is a professional dancer and was spotted during an audition held in Austria. She has had no prior experience in acting.

It was never an easy experience shooting abroad, according to Lal Jose.

"My plan was not really to make Spanish Masala visually spectacular but to narrate the story by showing the culture and emotions in an attractive way. When we shot the festival of La Tomatina, bull fights and flamenco, we were trying to capture the mindset and emotions of a country. Spanish Masala is a perfect mix of several such emotions," he says.

Scenarist Benny P Nayarambalam says, "Spanish Masala is a musical love story. Real romance has a universal flavour and can happen beyond countries and languages. It is not a comedy like my earlier ones but there are humorous moments in this story, especially the problems Charlie faces in Spain."