Thiruvananthapuram, March 11 Monalisa Bhonsle, a young woman who gained fame during the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela, married her friend, a Muslim man, at a temple in nearby Poovar, hours after seeking police protection to avoid pressure from her family.
With a captivating smile and beautiful eyes, the girl from Indore had gained fame after a virtual content creator shared a video of her selling rudraksh garlands at the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh last year.
The wedding ceremony took place at the Nainar Temple in Arumanoor in Poovar, in the presence of Kerala's General Education Minister V Sivankutty, the ruling CPI (M) state secretary M V Govindan, Rajya Sabha MP A A Rahim, and other prominent leaders of the Marxist party.
While the bride wore a red saree with sindhoor, the groom, an actor from Maharashtra, chose to wear a white shirt and mundu (dhoti).
The couple later said they liked Kerala very much and were happy to get married here.
Bhonsle said her family did not approve of their relationship and pressured her to marry someone else.
"That's why we decided to get married here. I am feeling very happy now. Kerala is a state that supports people beyond religion and caste. Here, anyone can marry according to their choice and live happily. That's why we came here," she said.
She said she has offers in Malayalam cinema and is considering settling in the southern state.
The groom said they became friends through social media, and it was a six-month love story.
While participating in the ceremony, Sivankutty said it was a proud moment for the state.
"Marriage happens in heaven, and that heaven is Kerala. It is the real Kerala story," Sivankutty told reporters.
Earlier in the day, Bhonsle, after arriving at the Thampanoor police station here, alleged that her father was trying to forcibly take her back to her hometown.
She was in the Kerala capital as part of a film shooting, police said.
According to police, Bhonsle and her boyfriend arrived at the police station, accompanied by the crew members of the film, alleging that her father was attempting to take her back against her will.
The couple had arrived in nearby Poovar recently in connection with the film shoot, they said.
"She insisted that she wouldn't go with her father and made it clear that she was going to marry her boyfriend. As she is a major, she can act according to her choice," a police officer said.
Later, she left with the boyfriend and crew members, the officer added.
Her father reportedly returned to his hometown.