Deepak and Vineetha Koshy to play a married couple

The film Ottamuri Vellicham sheds light on marital rape
Deepak and Vineetha Koshy to play a married couple

Deepak Parambole is usually seen playing the affable sidekick in Malayalam films, but it looks like he is not shying away from taking up serious characters that lend him dark shades. In debut feature film director Rahul Riji Nair's Ottamuri Vellicham, Deepak is seen playing Chandran, an introvert husband who does not seem to be sensitive to his wife's needs. In turn, there is Aanandam-fame Vineetha Koshy playing the underprivileged wife Sudha who moves into her husband's one-room shack in an isolated village.

Inside the shack, the privacy of the couple is ripped apart by a window which cannot be locked and a strange light which does not have a switch. "Chandran calls this light his invention. However, Sudha is aghast and offended that her husband does not take any effort to make their life easier. The situation becomes worse when her husband starts to physically abuse her," says Rahul, who earned fame for his documentary, The Human Boundaries.

The 100-minute feature film has touched upon marital rape, a subject which has not been explored by many filmmakers. "It was an unconscious effort. Though we planned to tell a story of survival, we soon realised we would have to tackle marital rape also," he says.

Rahul has made use of the UN Population Fund report which states that 75 per cent of the women in India, between the age group of 15 to 49 years has suffered some kind of sexual abuse by their husband. "However, in India, marital rape is not considered a criminal offence and is always looked upon as a matter of privacy concerning two individuals. though there are many campaigns taking place," adds Rahul.

Rajesh Sharma, Renjith Sekhar and Pouly Valsan also play prominent roles in the film. The director hopes to show the movie in various international film festivals.

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