Mysore kalyanam, the infamous interstate marraige, has always been one of Kerala’s dirty secrets. Every year thousands of girls enter wedlock only to be abused and abandoned after a period miserable matrimony. Built on this shocking-but-true premise is Mysore 150 km, Thufayil’s social drama starring Anumol in the lead. “This practice is still rampant in Malabar where young Muslim girls undergo a lot of torture in the name of marriage,” says the actress.
In the film she plays Tahira, one of the dumped brides who is thrown to a life of never-ending struggle. “One of the victims of Mysore kalyanam, the film portrays her struggle and survival,” she says. The film is set in Nilambur and the title indicates the distance between Tahira’s home town and Mysore. She says though the film is not based on any particular real-life story, it’s not a total fictional account as well. “If we check the stats in 2014 we can see that nearly 10,000 girls were married off to Mysore and it’s not a negligible figure. A lot of research has gone into the film making it more fact than imagination,” she adds.
Anumol, who has been part of a slew of socially-relevant films, says she always wanted to play a girl caught in the clutches of this evil practice. “Though a couple of projects dealing with the same subject came my way, only this one had a proper and foolproof form. The film will go on floors by mid July,” she says. Meanwhile the actress is busy with kalavoor Ravikumar’s Kuttikalundu Sookshikkuka for which she gets into the garb of a police officer. “I play ACP Merin Mathew and it will my first cop role. So far I have played soft, homely women mostly and Merin will be a break from that. Later I will be joining a non-Malayalam film that will be announced soon,” she says.
Though a couple of projects dealing with the same subject came my way, only this one had a proper and foolproof form. The film will go on floors by mid July, — Anumol, actor