Much like Bollywood, Mollywood too is fixated with certain stereotypes, a fair and handsome hero being one of them. But at times, some directors dare to be different, just like Unnikrishnan Avala who cast a dusky hero for his upcoming flick, Udalazham.
And Avala’s hero, Mani, is not a newbie to acting. The actor, who famously debuted alongside Mohanlal in Photographer, had even won the state award for the best child artiste for his performance in the movie.
But when Udalazham’s first-look poster was released online the other day by actor Anumol, the female lead opposite Mani, a Facebook user was visibly upset with the hero’s dark skin and came up with a vicious comment. The Facebook user wrote, “If such an ugly guy can be a hero, I too can become one.” A few users even ‘liked’ his comment.
Annoyed by the display of such unrestrained racism, Anumol, who rarely replies to the comments on her Facebook page, gave the small-minded bigot a piece of her mind. "A bit of decency would be greatly appreciated. Cinema needs those who are talented in acting, not the ones who have loose tongues," she replied. Ashamed by the actor’s cutting retort, the comment was later deleted by the user.
A film by Doctors’ Dilemma, an alumni group of Kozhikode Medical College, the movie revolves around Gulikan, a 24-year-old physically challenged tribal, whose subsistence is in question.
The plot is set in the lap of forest and involves wildlife, tribals, and society in general. Joy Mathew, Indrans, Sajitha Madathil, among others, essay prominent roles in the film. While the film's background score is by Bijibal, the music is composed by Sithara and Mithun Jayaraj.