A woman, who has done bit roles in TV serials and films, agreed to play wife to a man from Madhya Pradesh for five days for Rs. 5,000, but was shocked when her ‘husband of five days’ refused to let her return to Bombay, claiming that it was a genuine marriage that the two had taken part in. A 21-year-old from Bombay agreed to a proposal to marry and play wife for five days. The offer had come from her friend, Ayesha’s husband, Karan.
On March 12, the actress and Karan reached Mandsaur village bus stand in Madhya Pradesh, where Karan introduced her to his acquaintance, Mukesh, who took an instant liking for her. Mukesh had a discreet chat with Karan and told the lady that she would have to play his (Mukesh’s) wife in front of his family. Therefore, Mukesh and the actress got ‘married’ in a temple, with Mukesh’s family in attendance. She also moved into Mukesh’s home and acted like his wife.
On the sixth day, she was aghast when Mukesh refused to let her go, claiming that it was a genuine marriage which had been solemnised and that he had paid Karan. When the actress called up Karan, he was cagey. Feeling cheated and trapped, the lady clandestinely called up a friend in Bombay, who alerted the police. On reaching Mandsaur, the Bombay police asked the actress whether she had been sexually assaulted, which she denied. Mukesh and Karan, meanwhile, had escaped. The police brought back the actress to Bombay.
The incident mirrors a social problem of gender inequality. There are more men than women. In villages of Madhya Pradesh, middlemen arrange women for marriage for Rs. 50,000.