Archive · 4 Sep 2026
Nana Patekar’s The Confession of Mary to Premiere at TIFF
The Confession of Mary is a new film directed by Ananth Narayan Mahadevan.
Nana Patekar has a leading role in it.
The story is based on a real murder case from Kerala in 1966.
A woman named Mariyakutty was found dead near a stream.
A priest named Father Benedict was accused of killing her.
A court first sentenced him to death.
Later, the Kerala High Court acquitted him because there was not enough circumstantial evidence.
The film will be shown for the first time at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Nana Patekar’s The Confession of Mary will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The film is based on the 1966 murder of Mariyakutty, a 43-year-old widow and mother of five in Kerala.
Father Benedict was accused of killing Mariyakutty, allegedly to end their affair.
A sessions court sentenced the priest to death, but the Kerala High Court acquitted him in 1967 on technical grounds.
Directed by Ananth Narayan Mahadevan, the film also stars Adil Hussain, Ashish Vidyarthi and Gautam Rode.
- Who
- Nana Patekar, director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan, and the cast of The Confession of Mary; the story concerns Mariyakutty and Father Benedict.
- What
- The Confession of Mary, a film based on Mariyakutty’s 1966 murder case, will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
- When
- The underlying murder occurred in the summer of 1966; the article does not specify the festival premiere date.
- Where
- The murder occurred in Madatharuvi, Kerala, and the film will premiere in Toronto.
- Why
- The film dramatizes a widely reported murder case in which a priest was accused, sentenced to death, and later acquitted.
Prosecution’s Case
Court’s Finding
Alleged motive and responsibility
Prosecution’s Case
The prosecution alleged that Father Benedict killed Mariyakutty to end their affair.
Court’s Finding
The Kerala High Court acquitted Father Benedict, finding that the circumstantial evidence was insufficient to establish his guilt.
Legal outcome
Prosecution’s Case
A sessions court initially sentenced the priest to death for the alleged murder.
Court’s Finding
The death sentence did not stand after the Kerala High Court acquitted him on technical grounds in the following year.
- Film
- The Confession of Mary
- Director
- Ananth Narayan Mahadevan
- Premiere
- Toronto International Film Festival
- Case setting
- Madatharuvi, Kerala, in the summer of 1966
- Victim
- Mariyakutty, a 43-year-old widow and mother of five
- Accused
- Father Benedict
- Earlier film adaptations
- Mynatharuvi Kolakase and Madatharuvi, both released in Malayalam in 1967