Veterans Nana Patekar, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Adil Hussain are joining forces for an upcoming crime drama titled The Confession Of Mary, which is officially set to make its grand premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival. Directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Ananth Narayan Mahadevan, the film delves into one of India’s most chilling real-life judicial mysteries: the infamous 1966 Madatharuvi murder case from Kerala.

Produced jointly by Subhash Kale and Narendra Hirawat under the banners of and Camera Take Films Production and N H Studioz respectively, the project features a powerhouse cast including Gautam Rode, Joy Sengupta, Neha Mahajan, Pankhuri Awasthi, and Meenakshi Martins. The screenplay has been penned by noted writer C P Surendran, with a score composed by Amar Mohile.

Set against the backdrop of June 1966, the film explores the sensational murder of Mariyakkutty, a 43-year-old widow and mother of five, whose body was discovered near the Madatharuvi stream in Ranni, Kerala. The case sent shockwaves across the nation when eyewitnesses reported seeing her with a Roman Catholic priest shortly before her death.

A week later, 37-year-old Father Benedict Onamkulam was arrested for the crime. Accused of luring Mariyakkutty under the guise of finding her employment, the priest was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death by the District Sessions Court, marking the first time a Catholic priest was sentenced to capital punishment for murder in India. But the story doesn’t end there and what happens next forms the crux of the movie.

The Confession Of Mary promises to be a gripping cinematic exploration of faith, institutional pressure, and the ultimate victory of truth. Following its showcase at Toronto, further details regarding the theatrical release date will be announced soon.

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