Real to Reel: Who Played Who In the Malayalam Film ‘Virus’
Characters in the Malayalam film ‘Virus’ are inspired by these real heroes.
Aashiq Abu’s medical thriller Virus has got rave reviews across. The film deals with the Nipah virus outbreak that took place in Kerala last year. Featuring an ensemble cast which includes Rima Kallingal, Revathy, Tovino Thomas, Parvathy and Indrajith Sukumaran among others, Virus seamlessly ties in real incidents and real people with fictional elements to tell a gripping tale.
Virus celebrates the real heroes of Kerala who stepped up, strategised and combated the deadly outbreak of the virus, which claimed 17 lives in the state. Here’s a look at some of the real life characters that the film borrowed from to tell an inspiring story.
Revathy as KK Shailaja
Veteran actor Revathy plays Kerala’s Health Minister KK Shailaja, who led the battle against the virus from the front in the state.
Rima Kallingal as Lini Puthuserry
Popular actor Rima Kallingal plays Lini Puthuserry, the 28-year-old nurse who died fighting the virus having contracted the disease while treating the first patient from the Nipah virus outbreak before diagnosis.
Tovino Thomas as UV Jose
Tovino Thomas plays UV Jose who was the Calicut District Collector during the Nipah virus outbreak and played a major role in bringing together the state, various communities and organisations to contain the virus.
Parvathy as Dr Seethu Ponnu Thambi
After her soaring performance in Uyare, Parvathy plays Dr Seethu Poonu Thambi in Virus. It’s Dr Thambi’s meticulous investigation that helped the team to track likely patients of the Nipah virus and contain the spread of the disease.
Indrajith Sukumaran as Dr RS Gopakumar
Indrajith Sukumaran plays Dr RS Gopakumar, a member of the task force constituted to tackle the Nipah virus in Calicut. Dr Gopakumar personally performed the last rites of several Nipah victims when no one stepped up.
Kunjchacko Boban as Dr G Arun Kumar
Actor Kunjchacko Boban plays microbiologist Dr G Arun Kumar, who heads the Manipal Centre for Virus Research (MCVR) under Manipal Academy of Higher Education. It was Dr Arun Kumar who had the presence of mind to test samples sent to him for a rare virus like Nipah.
Rahman as Dr Anoop Kumar AS
Rahman plays Dr Anoop Kumar AS, a critical care specialist at the Baby Memorial Hospital, Calicut who first realised that the patients being admitted there had strange symptoms and raised a red flag about the critical nature of the disease.
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