Udalazham, a film about a tribal transgender person in Kerala, will release in theatres in Kerala on December 6. This was announced at a press meet in Thiruvananthapuram by its director Unnikrishnan Alava.
The film has received critics’ appreciation at various international film festivals, including the International Film Festival of Kerala last year. Director Aashiq Abu is presenting the film.
Mani plays Unnikrishnan’s hero, Gulikan. Mani was last seen in Mohanlal’s little noticed but critically acclaimed film Photographer, where he played a tribal child. Mani too hails from a tribal family in Nilambur. Despite the attention and the state award for best child actor he got that year (2006), Mani could not take up more offers, because of a few personal tragedies. When Unnikrishnan tried to reach him, he was a married man with two children and a third on the way, reluctant to act anymore. But after some time and training, he opened up, acted once again, loving the art.
In Udalazham, he plays Gulikan who suffers as a woman trapped in a man's body and complains to god for creating her "like this". At 13, she gets married to the girl promised to her, Mathi. Remya as Mathi fits so easily into the life and culture of a young tribal woman married to a trans woman who can't make love to her. She even picked up the tribal language, Paniya Basha. There are known faces too - Anumol, Joy Mathew, Sajitha Madathil and Indrans.
Remya was at the Thiruvananthapuram press meet. So were two doctors – Dr Manoj KT and Dr Sajish M – who co produced the film. There is a third doctor too in the team, Dr Rajeshkumar. They came together to form Doctor’s Dilemma to produce films because of their passion for cinema. Music of the film is composed by Dr Sajish’s wife and popular playback singer Sithara Krishnakumar, along with another singer, Mithun Jayaraj. The background score is by Bijibal.