CASTING CALL – MRS THEN MR.

Description

Dates: 3rd & 4th December
Location: West Midlands, Cheshire

Logline:
A Dark Comedy, Social House Drama. A lonely migrant husband in rural England needs his wife to provide documents as proof of their marriage for extending his Spouse Visa, except she is nowhere to be seen. When he begins an affair with a younger co-worker, questions arise as to where his wife is. He finds himself at odds when their web of lies unravel – exposing not just infidelity, but the precarious line between love, legality and survival.


Character Profiles:

Vishnu:
A quiet, hardworking migrant trying to extend his UK Spouse Visa that relies on his wife Anika. Beneath his reserved demeanour lies exhaustion — both emotional and moral. His loyalty, guilt, and desperation constantly wrestle for dominance, which is brought to the forefront when he meets Niya, a younger woman that he feels inhabits the energy his wife used to have. He is capable of tenderness but burdened by silence, circumstance and ultimately selfishness.

Anika:
Vishnu’s wife — assertive, intelligent, and commanding but practical. A UK citizen who, unlike her husband, does not rely on a Visa to live there. She’s the anchor of their relationship, but her long absence exposes the emotional distance that’s crept in. She feels at times not listened to by Vishnu, getting frustrated with him easily. When she returns home, her warmth curdles into suspicion, heartbreak, and fury. Her love feels like control and her pain feels like truth.

Niya:
Mid 20s – Playful, energetic and flirtatious. A young cleaner working alongside Vishnu, evokes the essence of his wife at an earlier time. Shy soft-spoken, and visibly out of her depth, Niya’s naivety makes her both endearing and tragic. Her relationship with Vishnu begins as comfort and ends in catastrophe. Her character evokes charm.