Following K. Prasana’s much-appreciated Kalyana Samayal Saadham which showcases the traditions and rituals of a Brahmin wedding, director Anis’ Thirumanam Ennum Nikkah seeks to present the vibrant Islamic culture. But unlike the former, Anis clarifies that his film is not about wedding but a simple story of a couple, belonging to different religions falling in love. “Wedding is just a part of the film, which is more about how the couple (played by Jai and Nazriya) learn about each other’s faiths,” he says.
Though Anis did not want to reveal much about the film, he was appreciative of Jai’s (popular for speaking the Chennai slang) effort to get the Vadakalai Iyengar dialect right. “You can’t believe how realistically he has performed,” says Anis.
Thirumanam Ennum Nikkah is the first film that Nazriya Nazim signed in Tamil, but three of her Tamil films have released before this. What caused the film’s delay? “Because I wanted to shoot the celebrations of Islamic and Hindu festivals. We managed to capture the Ramadan and Moharram festivities that happen in neighbourhoods of Royappettah and the avani avattam ceremonies in Triplicane. Since, festivals happen only once a year, the movie has taken a long time to complete,” he says.
