Malabar to Australia: Forgotten Kalarippayattu saga of two Muslim men set for big screen

Kozhikode: A little-known, tragic chapter in the history of Malayali migration has come to light through new historical research into the extraordinary lives of two Muslim kalarippayattu practitioners from Malabar who travelled to 19th-century Australia. The story is also being explored for a major international film.

Mahomet Cassim and Mahomet Abdallah, believed to have come from the Thalassery region of present-day Kannur district, travelled to Australia in the late 1850s. There, they amazed audiences with spectacular feats of kalarippayattu, swordsmanship and acrobatics before becoming entangled in a murder case that ended with Cassim's execution and Abdallah's imprisonment.

Their story, which remained largely buried in archival records for more than 160 years, has now been documented in a scholarly book.

The story is documented in the chapter “Travelling Musicians Meet Indian Acrobats: Michael Gilcher, Mahomet Cassim, and Mahomet Abdallah in the Australia of the 1860s”, in the book 'Faith, Commerce, and Cultural Exchange in the World of Ibn Battuta', edited by Kerala researcher Dr Abbas Panakkal.

American writer and producer William Gilcher came across the lives of Cassim and Abdallah while researching the Australian journey of his own ancestor, German bandmaster Michael Gilcher (1822–1899).

His research, carried out through archives, newspapers, parliamentary records and field visits in Australia and Kerala, unexpectedly led him to the story of the two Malayali martial artists.

The findings reveal the lives of two young men who left Malabar hoping to earn a living abroad but eventually became celebrated performers in Australia before their lives took a tragic turn.

Gilcher now believes their story has the potential to become a major international motion picture. He has been exploring plans for a big-budget film that could bring together actors and creative talent from Hollywood and Mollywood, connecting Kerala, Australia, Germany and the United States through the historical narrative.

The film project is expected to bring the largely forgotten story of Cassim and Abdallah to a wider audience. Gilcher has already held discussions with Hollywood and Malayalam film production companies and is expected to visit Kerala within weeks for further discussions.

A Sydney report from 1861, cited in the book, described an Indian performer attracting a crowd in Hyde Park with “flying somersaults”, jumping over an assistant surrounded by knives and performing other extraordinary feats. The research identifies the performer as most probably Mahomet Cassim, with Abdallah serving as his younger assistant. Their skills soon became a means of survival in a foreign land. They performed before settlers, gold-diggers and others seeking entertainment across the Australian colonies.

In January 1863, their extraordinary story turned into tragedy when human remains were discovered at Sawpit Gully, a remote area near Queanbeyan.

A boy searching for cattle found a jacket hanging from a tree. Further investigation revealed a skull, bones and clothing. Among the papers and objects found at the site were items linking the remains to the Malayali men and to the man who had disappeared with their money in November 1861. The authorities concluded that the unidentified dead man was their former manager and that Cassim and Abdallah had murdered him.

The two were arrested and taken to Queanbeyan for questioning. The book says the investigation itself exposed the enormous disadvantage under which they were placed. The historical research indicates that the two Malabaris were forced to navigate an unfamiliar legal system through a language they themselves did not properly speak. At the Goulburn trial in March 1863, the Crown's case was largely circumstantial. The two men had been seen with the missing man; they had been angry after losing their money; clothing was said to belong to the victim; and Cassim possessed a sword capable of causing serious wounds.

There was no eyewitness to the killing and, according to the research, the identity of the dead man was never conclusively established. Nevertheless, the jury found both men guilty.

After the guilty verdict, both men were initially sentenced to death. Cassim, however, faced the gallows while Abdallah's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, later involving hard labour.

Dr Abbas Panakkal, editor of the book and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of St Andrews in the UK, said Cassim and Abdallah are believed to have come from the Thalassery region of present-day Kannur district. He said they most likely became victims of a colonial system in which their language, religion, skin colour and unfamiliarity with British law counted against them.

“More than 160 years later, the book on their history is expected to bring light to more facts regarding the migration of Malayalis during that period. William Gilcher has already held discussions with the Hollywood and Malayalam film production companies to make a movie on the real-life story of Cassim and Abdullah as he wants to bring the real-life adventure of that era to more people. He is expected to visit Kerala within two weeks for the discussions on the movie,” he said.