Ajay and Gayatri. Telegraph picture

Thiruvananthapuram, March 11: The groom strained a bit as he garlanded the bride. Then a thousand-watt smile lit up his face. Ajay Kumar, barely two feet and seven inches, had just netted his dream bride, Gayatri, who is exactly double his height.

It was an arranged marriage but there had been no family pressure. The five-foot-two Gayatri had liked the proposal as soon as it came from one of Ajay’s relatives.

After all, she was marrying an upcoming film star and gifted comedian.

Ajay, 29, is an economics graduate and holds a certificate in computer applications. He recently won a special jury mention for his lead role in a Malayali film.

The blockbuster Atbhuta Dweep (Wonder Island) is a first in world cinema, with a cast of 300-odd “small men” acting alongside some of the biggest stars of the Kerala film industry.

But Ajay’s fans, who took delight in his comic acts, would have had no clue to the actor’s deepest secret: he wanted to marry a girl of normal height.

“That has been one of my long-cherished dreams,” Ajay said as he led the bride into his new home, Akshaya, in Kottayam on Thursday.

The families had tried to keep the marriage under wraps lest the fans, or the curious public, play spoilsport. The relatives at the wedding, from both sides, together numbered just about 50.

But the news somehow leaked and as Ajay stood up to tie the knot with a seated Gayatri, cameras were flashing all around him.

The brief function over, the newlyweds left the venue in a car.

Ajay, nicknamed Unda Pakru (Little Naughty) for his role under a similar name in a film, has announced he’ll take time off his honeymoon for a public reception on March 12 at Kochi.

The actor’s life has been a struggle. He believes his growth had been stunted by a wrong injection at infancy, but medical experts do not endorse the claim.

The boy from a lower-middle-class family excelled in mimicry and shone at competitions in school and college.

After graduation, he began giving stage performances and his shows became a huge hit at temple festivals.

The break came when a local television channel hired him to do a regular skit show. Film director Vinayan, who watched his TV programme Savari Giri Giri, signed him up for Atbhuta Dweep.

Ajay now has roles in many TV serials but carries on with his entertainment programmes, including Thattukada, the most popular fun show on Asianet TV.

“I think the hero’s image has totally changed now. I am not glamorous like other superstars but viewers like the talented artiste in me,” he said.

Ajay, who played jilted lover to a tall princess in Atbhuta Dweep, is preparing to leave for Australia on March 15 and later on a month-long tour of the Gulf. With his real-life heroine by his side, of course.