Wanted to keep it personal & beautiful: Malayalam directors & actors who opted for simple weddings

Wedding season seems to have taken over Mollywood, and interestingly, while there are some big starry events, it looks like some industry hands are eschewing the huge festivities for simple ceremonies.

‘We wanted to keep the occasion personal’

Editor-director Appu Bhattathiri got married to ophthalmologist Abha Varadaraj at the Killipalam sub-registrar office on April 24. “Basically, when the formalities take just about 10 minutes, I felt it would be too much to drag people from around the state to come to what is our personal occasion. Also, we were bound to miss someone out of the guest list and that would land us in trouble(laughs),” says the director of Nayanthara-Kunchacko Boban starrer Nizhal.

Appu explains that Abha had shared with a close friend while in college that she would only opt for a register marriage. And interestingly, the friend, who had then told Abha she would sign as a witness, was present at the wedding as one.

“It was good to find someone who had a mutual outlook. I am not comfortable around crowds; except while working or in a theatre. Abha, too, said she was relieved that we kept it a small ceremony, without even a reception. We just had a lunch for our closest family and friends who attended. And we had a very relaxed, peaceful evening,” he says.

‘There was beauty in keeping the wedding simple’

Bheeshma Parvam writer Devadath Shaji married Shyna Radhakrishna, who works as a research assistant in the training division of the Kerala Forest Research Institute, in Peechi, in a civil ceremony in Palakkad earlier this month. Devadath met Shyna through her identical twin, Raina, who is an actress.

“The ceremony, where we signed the register and exchanged garlands, was attended by only our closest family and friends, followed by lunch at a restaurant. We were both quite clear that we did not want the thaalikettu and other rituals; in fact, Shyna suggested that we do it this way and I was happy to go along with it. Our families, too, were chill about it. I felt there was great beauty in keeping the occasion simple,” says Devadath. This seems to be a year of new beginnings for Devadath as he is set to make his directorial debut with a family entertainer he has scripted.

‘People at the temple just joined our ceremony’

Actor Sudev Nair and model Amardeep Kaur Syan, who met through work in Mumbai, tied the knot at Guruvayur temple on February 17, at a low-key ceremony attended by family and close friends. Apparently, it was an unexpected surprise for temple-goers to see the celeb couple, who were dressed in traditional Kerala kasavu. Sudev had told us, “I am a very private person, so I wanted to keep it small. It was Amardeep’s wish to have the wedding at the Guruvayur temple. When we were there, people took photos and joined in the ceremony. That was very nice and special.”

‘A bit between big & small’

Premalu actor Sangeeth Pratap got married to German teacher, Ancy Annam, just before the movie was released. “Our ceremony and reception was somewhere between big and small, but that was mostly because I wasn’t Amal Davis yet,” says Sangeeth.