Short answer: Hridayam was shot mainly in Chennai, with KCG College of Technology standing in for Arun's campus, plus schedules in Kochi and Palakkad and a song filmed in Andhra Pradesh. Written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, the film's official trailer is the best first look at those places.
Hridayam follows Arun Neelakandan from carefree college days to life as a wedding photographer, as JioHotstar's synopsis puts it. The places follow that journey: a campus in Chennai, the city around it, and Kerala in between. This guide lists only locations we could confirm from crew posts or at least two reliable reports, and it marks single-source details as reported.
Hridayam shooting locations: quick facts
- Film: Hridayam (2022), released in theatres on January 21, 2022
- Director: Vineeth Sreenivasan, who also wrote it
- Producer: Visakh Subramaniam, Merryland Cinemas
- Cast: Pranav Mohanlal, Darshana Rajendran, Kalyani Priyadarshan
- Runtime: 2 hours 51 minutes, per JioHotstar
- Where to watch: JioHotstar (as of Oct 31, 2026)
- Key locations: KCG College of Technology, Chennai; Chennai city; Kochi; Kollengode, Palakkad; a song shoot in Andhra Pradesh
- Shoot period: Main shoot February 2020 to March 2021, with a Covid break, and a song in July 2021
1. KCG College of Technology, Chennai
The college at the heart of Hridayam is real. OTTplay's preview reported that the film was shot at Vineeth Sreenivasan's alma mater, KCG College of Technology in Chennai. That makes the campus scenes partly autobiographical in setting, if not in story.
The link runs deeper than the director. Aju Varghese, a longtime Vineeth collaborator, studied at the same college, and Indian Express Malayalam reported on his post about his time there.
- Where it is: Karapakkam, on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), Chennai
- What it stands in for: Arun's engineering college, where the first half of the film is set
Our take: This is the location most fans want to see, and the reason the film feels lived-in. Vineeth was not recreating a generic campus; he went back to his own. The corridors, the canteen culture and the hostel energy all feel specific because they are. If you only know one Hridayam location, this is it.
2. Chennai, the main location
Beyond the campus, Chennai carries most of the film. In February 2020, The Times of India described the city as reportedly the main location for the shoot, and OTTplay's preview also placed much of the film there. That fits the story: Arun is a Malayali student who builds his early adult life in Tamil Nadu's capital.
- Status: Main location, reported by The Times of India and OTTplay
- What we do not list: Individual streets, cafes or flats. No crew post or two reliable reports name them, so we have left them out
Our take: Hridayam is one of the few big Malayalam hits of its decade where Chennai is not a backdrop but a home. That choice gives the film its outsider-meets-city warmth, and it is why so many Malayali viewers who studied there saw themselves in it.
3. Kochi, the first schedule
Kochi was the first schedule. The Times of India's report on the start of filming said the film had a schedule in Kochi before moving to Palakkad and then Chennai, and OTTplay noted Vineeth's own post after the Kochi portion wrapped.
- Status: Confirmed by The Times of India and OTTplay, including Vineeth Sreenivasan's post
- When: February 2020, at the start of the shoot
Our take: We know Kochi was a schedule, but not which scenes were shot where. Rather than guess from frames, we have kept this section to what was reported. It is a reminder that a location guide should follow the crew, not fan theories.
Watch the trailer from JioHotstar:
4. Kollengode, Palakkad
The Palakkad leg came in February 2020. The Times of India reported that the film began filming in Kollengode on February 15, 2020, after the Kochi schedule. Onmanorama reported, two days later, that Pranav Mohanlal was seen shooting at Kollengode railway station.
- Status: Kollengode schedule confirmed by The Times of India and Onmanorama. The railway station detail is reported, based on Onmanorama alone
- Note: Some reports call Kollengode the first schedule. The Times of India places the Kochi schedule first, so we do not
Our take: Kollengode is the most visit-friendly place on this list, a small town in Palakkad district that is easy to reach. If the railway station is on your list, treat it as a reported location rather than a confirmed one, and enjoy the drive anyway.
Watch the official trailer:
5. The song shoot in Andhra Pradesh
The last piece of the shoot came much later. In July 2021, during a Covid ban on film shoots in Kerala, Onmanorama reported that the team shifted to Andhra Pradesh to complete five days of song shooting. Another report placed the song in Hyderabad, which is in Telangana, but we follow Onmanorama's report from the time.
- Status: Andhra Pradesh, per Onmanorama (July 15, 2021). No exact spot has been confirmed
- Why it moved: Kerala's Covid restrictions on shooting at the time
Our take: This is the least visitable stop, since no one has named the exact place. It is still a good story: a film about one young man's long journey had to make its own detour to finish. Vineeth has said the team finished 100 planned shooting days in about 60, as OTTplay reported.
Watch an official song video from the film:
Visiting tips
KCG College of Technology is a working campus, so do not walk in expecting a film tour. Contact the college first and ask for permission before you visit or take photos. For Kollengode, Palakkad Junction is the nearest major rail hub, and the town is easy to reach by road. Chennai and Kochi are big cities, so there is no single spot to tick off; enjoy them as the film does, as places to live in.
FAQs
Where was Hridayam shot?
Hridayam was shot mainly in Chennai, with KCG College of Technology as the college. The first schedule was in Kochi, followed by Kollengode in Palakkad in February 2020, and a song was filmed in Andhra Pradesh in July 2021, during Kerala's Covid ban on film shoots.
Which college is shown in Hridayam?
The college scenes were shot at KCG College of Technology in Chennai, Vineeth Sreenivasan's alma mater, as OTTplay reported. It is on Old Mahabalipuram Road in Karapakkam. It is a working campus, so get permission from the college before visiting.
Was Hridayam shot in Palakkad?
Yes. The Times of India reported that the film began shooting in Kollengode, Palakkad, on February 15, 2020, after an earlier Kochi schedule. Onmanorama reported that Pranav Mohanlal was seen at Kollengode railway station, but that detail rests on one report.
Where was the Hridayam song shot in Andhra Pradesh?
Onmanorama reported in July 2021 that the team moved to Andhra Pradesh for five days of song shooting during Kerala's Covid ban on film shoots. No exact location has been confirmed. Reports that place the song in Hyderabad are not backed by a second source.
Where can I watch Hridayam?
Hridayam is streaming on JioHotstar in India as of Oct 31, 2026. It was released in theatres on January 21, 2022, and the platform lists it with a runtime of 2 hours 51 minutes.
Malayalam summary
ഹൃദയം പ്രധാനമായും ചെന്നൈയിലാണ് ചിത്രീകരിച്ചത്; കെ.സി.ജി. കോളേജ് ഓഫ് ടെക്നോളജിയാണ് സിനിമയിലെ കോളേജ്. 2020 ഫെബ്രുവരിയിൽ കൊച്ചിയിലെ ആദ്യ ഷെഡ്യൂളിനു ശേഷം പാലക്കാട് കൊല്ലങ്കോട്ടും ചിത്രീകരണം നടന്നു. 2021 ജൂലൈയിൽ ഒരു ഗാനം ആന്ധ്രപ്രദേശിലാണ് ചിത്രീകരിച്ചത്.
