Manichitrathazhu
- Mohanlal
- Suresh Gopi
- Shobana
- Venu
- Anandakuttan
- Sunny Joseph
M. G. Radhakrishnan
Background Score:
Johnson
Lyrics:
Bichu Thirumala
company
- 25 December 1993 (1993-12-25)
Manichitrathazhu (transl. The Ornate Lock) is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language epic psychological horror film directed by Fazil, written by Madhu Muttam, and produced by Swargachitra Appachan.[1] The film stars Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi and Shobana in addition to Nedumudi Venu, Innocent, Vinaya Prasad, K.P.A.C.Lalitha, Sridhar, K.B. Ganesh Kumar, Sudheesh, Thilakan and others in supporting roles.[2] The story is inspired by a tragedy that happened in a Ezhava tharavad, the Alummoottil meda (an old traditional mansion), located at Muttom (near Haripad), belonging to a central Travancore Channar family, in the 19th century.[3] The writer of the film, Madhu K Panicker or Madhu Muttam, is a member of the Alummoottil Tharavad.[4]
Directors Sibi Malayil, Priyadarshan and Siddique–Lal served as the second-unit directors.[5] The cinematography was by Venu, Anandakuttan and Sunny Joseph served as the second-unit cinematographers, the film was edited by T. R. Shekar. The original songs featured in the movie were composed by M. G. Radhakrishnan, while the original score was composed by Johnson. The film won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Shobhana was awarded the National Film Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Ganga / Nagavalli.[6][7]
The film dealt with an unusual theme which was not common in Indian cinema at the time.[8] The film completed 300 days of run in many theatres.[9] Manichitrathazhu was remade in four languages – in Kannada as Apthamitra which in turn was remade in Tamil as Chandramukhi (with some plot changes), in Bengali as Rajmohol and in Hindi as Bhool Bhulaiyaa – all being commercially successful. Geethaanjali, a spin-off directed by Priyadarshan and Mohanlal reprising the role of Dr. Sunny Joseph was made in 2013.
Manichitrathazhu is considered by many critics as 'One of the best films ever made in Malayalam Cinema' and developed a cult following, years after its release.[10] It is often regarded as the 'Best psychological thriller ever made in Indian Cinema'.[11] A digitally remastered 4K Dolby Atmos version of Manichitrathazhu was released on August 17, 2024.[12]
Plot
Nakulan and his wife Ganga are on a holiday in their Kerala village. Nakulan plans to stay at the Madampalli mansion, his ancestral house, despite attempts from the locals to dissuade them. The couple moves in, and later Nakulan's maternal uncle Thambi warns Ganga to keep away from certain corners of the house. Bhasura, Nakulan's maternal aunt and Thambi's sister, reveals the reason why. Around 150 years before, the family's patriarch, "Karanavar" Sankaran Thambi travelled to Tanjore in Tamil Nadu, where he met and lusted after danseuse Nagavalli. However, she was in love with fellow dancer Ramanathan. As a result, the Karanavar took her back to his palace by force. Nagavalli secretly made arrangements for Ramanathan to stay in a house outside the mansion and met him secretly. When the Karanavar discovered this, he slayed Nagavalli, whose bloodthirsty spirit started wreaking havoc in the village. The Karanavar, aided by priests and sorcerers from all over the state, tamed Nagavalli's spirit by locking it in a room in the palace's south-west corner, which later came to be known as the Thekkini. The Karanavar committed suicide weeks later.
Ganga believes that Nagavalli's story was fabricated to keep thieves away, but wishes to check it out. Ganga, aided by Bhasura's daughter Alli, gets a duplicate key to the Thekkini and opens the door. Strange things then begin to happen in the household, like an apparition frightening people at night, things inexplicably breaking, and Ganga's saree catching fire. Suspicion falls on Thambi's daughter Sridevi, who is known to have a troubled past featuring a broken marriage and spends most of the time with Ganga. Nakulan calls renowned psychiatrist Dr. Sunny to solve the case. When Sunny comes, a mysterious being tries to kill Alli. Sunny investigates other incidents, such as attempts to harm Nakulan by poisoning his tea and someone singing and dancing almost every night inside Nagavalli's locked room.
Ganga disappears during a Kathakali dance which is attended by the entire family. Sunny searches for her, only to find Ganga, who is supposedly being harassed by Alli's fiancé Mahadevan. Nakulan enters too and beats Mahadevan, not knowing that the latter is innocent. Sunny thinks that Ganga suffers from split personality disorder following an abandoned childhood and has further faced trauma after her parents took her away from her village and grandmother to whom she was attached. Ganga's mind is attracted to folklore and fantasy, resulting in her imagining herself in Nagavalli's shoes. Her mind also pictures Mahadevan as Nagavalli's lover Ramanathan, as the former is staying at the latter's house.
To cure Ganga, she must believe that Nagavalli killed the Karanavar on Durgashtami, which is a problem, as Ganga started picturing Nakulan as the Karavanar. Meanwhile, Thambi and family, having lost faith in Sunny, call Pullattuparam Brahmadathan Namboodiri, a Tantric expert, to suggest another solution. Here, it is revealed that Namboodiri and Sunny are old friends, when both of them hug each other. Despite initially brushing off Sunny's ideas to cure Ganga (while letting Nakulan stay intact) as impractical, Namboodiri agrees to lend a hand.
On Durgashtami eve, before carrying out his plan, Sunny asks Nakulan to trigger Ganga and see for himself. When Nakulan does so, she displays Nagavalli's anger. Nakulan shouts at Ganga, stunning her back to normal. She falls unconscious and Nakulan lets her rest. Later that night, Sunny, Nakulan and Mahadevan witness Ganga transforming into Nagavalli, wearing the danseuse's attire and dancing. Mahadevan, whom Ganga believes is Ramanathan, leads her to the rituals performed by Brahmadathan Namboodiri. The Namboodiri converses with Nagavalli and assures that she will behead the Karanavar and take her revenge. Nakulan is brought before "Nagavalli" and before she attempts to slice him, Namboodiri sprays smoke before her and while she is distracted, Sunny turns the platform over, revealing a dummy in Nakulan's place. Nakulan escapes while Ganga slays the dummy, calming Nagavalli as she has her revenge. Ganga falls unconscious as Nagavalli leaves her and Sunny makes her aware of who she actually is.
Nakulan and Ganga are all set to return to Kolkata while Sunny reveals to Sridevi that he wishes to marry her, and also asks Thambi for his blessing. He leaves with the couple while Sridevi watches them through a window from upstairs.
Cast
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Shobhana_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Shobhana_%28cropped%29.jpg)
- Mohanlal as Dr. Sunny,[13] the psychiatrist friend of Nakulan, from America, who solves Ganga's personality disorder
- Suresh Gopi as Nakulan, Ganga's husband and The village chief in Ganga's hallucination of Nagavalli[13]
- Shobana as in a dual roles:
- as Ganga Nakulan, a slightly modern lady from Kolkata who grows curious about the legends heard from Nakulan's ancestoral house, later develop's split personality disorder (voiceover by Bhagyalakshmi)
- as Nagavalli, the dancer from the legends[13] (voiceover by Durga)[14]
- Vinaya Prasad as Sreedevi, Thampi's elder daughter[13] who was earlier to have been Nakulan's bride before his marriage to Ganga, Dr. Sunny's Love interest (voiceover by Anandavally)
- Nedumudi Venu as Thampi, maternal uncle of Nakulan
- Kuttyedathi Vilasini as Thampi's wife
- Sridhar as Mahadevan, professor living next door to Madampally Meda and dancer Ramanathan in Ganga's hallucination, engaged to Alli
- Rudra as Alli,[13] daughter of Unnithan engaged to Mahadevan, (voiceover by Ambily)
- Sudheesh as Chandhu, Thampi's son, Sridevi's younger brother
- Innocent as Unnithan[13] Nakulan's another maternal uncle
- K. P. A. C. Lalitha as Bhasura, Nakulan's maternal aunt, wife of Unnithan
- Thilakan as Pullattuparam Brahmadathan Namboothiripad, the sorcerer who locked Nagavally's spirit in Thekkini and later comes in helping solve Ganga's disorder
- Kuthiravattam Pappu as Kattuparamban.
- K. B. Ganesh Kumar as Dasappan Kutty[13] helper of Unnithan and their relative.
- Vaijayanthi as Jayasree,[13] Thampi's younger daughter
- Kottayam Santha as School Headmistress
Production
Filming
The haunting Thekkini was created inside the Vasan House in Chennai, the house of late S. S. Vasan, the founder of Gemini Studios. It was one of the film’s key locations apart from Padmanabhapuram Palace and Hill Palace. The major parts of the film were filmed at Hill Palace, Tripunithura and the climax was filmed at Padmanabhapuram Palace.[15] The painting of Nagavalli was made by artist Shri R. Madhavan, drawn without a live model.[16]
Dubbing credits
Shobana's voice was dubbed by two dubbing artistes—Bhagyalakshmi and Durga. Bhagyalakshmi dubbed her voice for Ganga, while Durga gave voice to the character's alter-ego, Nagavalli. Nagavalli's voice is heard only in the minor part of the film compared to Ganga's. Durga was not credited in the film or its publicity material and until 2016, the popular belief was that Bhagyalakshmi solely dubbed both voices.[17][18]
In January 2016, in an article Ormapookkal published by Manorama Weekly, Fazil revealed that initially Bhagyalakshmi dubbed for both Ganga and Nagavalli, but during post-production, some of the crew, including editor Shekar, had a feeling that both voices sounded somewhat similar even though Bhagyalakshmi tried altering her voice for Nagavalli. Since Nagavalli's dialogue are in Tamil language, Fazil hired Tamil dubbing artist Durga for the part. But he forgot to inform it to Bhagyalakshmi, hence she was also unaware of it for a long time. Fazil did not credit Durga in the film; according to him, it was a difficult to make changes in the titles at that time, which was already prepared and her portion in the film was minor. The credits included only Bhagyalakshmi as the dubbing artiste for Shobana.[19] Other dubbing artistes were Anandavally and Ambili, who dubbed for Vinaya Prasad and Rudra.[20]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for the film was composed by M. G. Radhakrishnan which went on to become one of the most popular film albums in Malayalam.[21] The album consists of nine tracks. The lyrics sung are in Malayalam and Tamil written by Bichu Thirumala and Madhu Muttam for Malayalam and Vaali for Tamil.[22]
Manichitrathazhu | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | 24 December 1993 | |||
Recorded | 1993 | |||
Venue | Chennai | |||
Studio | Kodandapani Audio Laboratories | |||
Genre | Film Soundtrack | |||
Length | 64:50 | |||
Label | Wilson Audios | |||
Producer | M. G. Radhakrishnan | |||
M. G. Radhakrishnan chronology | ||||
|
No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Pazham Tamil" | Bichu Thirumala | K. J. Yesudas | |
2. | "Varuvaanillaruminn" | Madhu Muttam | K. S. Chithra | |
3. | "Oru Murai Vanthu" | Vaali (Tamil), Bichu Thirumala | K. J. Yesudas, K. S. Chithra | |
4. | "Kumbham Kulathil Ariyathe" | Bichu Thirumala | K. J. Yesudas | |
5. | "Akkuthikkuthanakkombil" | Bichu Thirumala | G. Venugopal, K. S. Chithra, Sujatha Mohan, M. G. Radhakrishnan | |
6. | "Palavattam Pookkaalam" | Madhu Muttam | K. J. Yesudas | |
7. | "Uthunga Sailangalkkum" | Bichu Thirumala | Sujatha Mohan | |
8. | "Oru Murai (Reprise)" | Vaali | Sujatha Mohan | |
9. | "Varuvaanillarumee Vayizhe" | Madhu Muttam | K. S. Chithra | |
10. | ""Oru Murai" (Tamil Version)" | Vaali | Sujatha Mohan |
Release
Manichitrathazhu was released on 25 December 1993,[23] and performed well at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever, to that date.[24][25][26] It ran for more than 365 days in some centres.[27] The film had a collection of ₹7 crore.[28]
Awards
Award | Ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National Film Awards | 41st National Film Awards | Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Swargachitra Appachan, Fazil | Won | [29] |
Best Actress | Shobana | Won | |||
Kerala State Film Awards | 34th Kerala State Film Awards | Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value | Swargachitra Appachan, Fazil | Won | [30] |
Best Actress | Shobana | Won | |||
Best Makeup Artist | P. N. Mani | Won | |||
Kerala Film Critics Association Awards | 17th Kerala Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actor | Suresh Gopi | Won | [31] |
Best Actress | Shobana | Won | |||
Best Music Director | M. G. Radhakrishnan | Won | |||
Special Jury Award | Fazil | Won |
Themes
Certain themes that were discussed in the movie were Ganga’s yearning for intimacy with her husband Nakulan, Mental health disorders and why it’s important to turn to science rather than trust conventional modes of treatments as well as Dr Sunny and Ganga’s passionate friendship, all of which were rare in Indian cinema. These themes were not established in the later adaptations in other languages.[32]
Legacy
Manichitrathazhu is considered as a classic and is hailed as one of the best films ever made in Malayalam cinema.[8] The film has consistently fetched maximum ratings for its television screenings.[8] Even twenty years after its release it has been screened more than 12 times a year on an average on Kerala's leading TV channel, Asianet.[8] The film has received the maximum TRP rating on every screening; TRP ratings have increased every year, a rare record for a film produced in Kerala.[8][33] For many Malayalis, Manichitrathazhu is a part of their cultural lives.[34]
In a 2013 online poll in India by IBN Live, Manichitrathazhu was voted second among India's Greatest Films, by audience. The poll was conducted as part of the celebration of Indian cinema completing 100 years. The poll constituted a list of 100 films from different Indian languages.[26] A saree featuring Shobhana in a song scene from this film was released in the market as the Nagavali saree.[35]
One of the most memorable or defining scenes of the movie where Nakulan provokes Ganga to transform into the Nagavalli persona was recreated in later Malayalam films like Om Shanti Oshana.[36] The film was re-released in theatres after 30 years on August 2024.[37]
Remakes
Language | Title | Year | Cast | Director | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kannada | Apthamitra | 2004 | Vishnuvardhan, Soundarya | P. Vasu | Some Plot Changes made according to the director |
Tamil | Chandramukhi | 2005 | Rajinikanth, Jyothika | ||
Bengali | Rajmohol | 2005 | Prosenjit Chatterjee, Anu Choudhury | Swapan Saha | |
Hindi | Bhool Bhulaiyaa | 2007 | Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan | Priyadarshan |
Spin-off
A spin-off titled Geethaanjali was released on 14 November 2013, directed by Priyadarshan with Mohanlal reprising his role as Sunny in lead role and Suresh Gopi returned as Nakulan but in a cameo appearance.[38]
See also
- Dissociative identity disorder
- Identity formation
- List of Malayalam horror films
- Mental illness in film
References
- ^ "Made in Malayalam". The Times of India. 6 March 2016. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
- ^ "High five". The Hindu. 16 June 2016. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
- ^ Social Mobility in Kerala: Modernity and Identity in Conflict. Pluto Press. 2000. p. 264. ISBN 0-7453-1693-X. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
{{cite book}}
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ignored (help) - ^ "'Romancham' to 'Manichitrathazhu': Horror films based on real events". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ Nair, Sree Prasad (22 April 2016). "4 Mohanlal film remakes that Akshay Kumar owned". CatchNews.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "30 years on, 'Manichitrathazhu' still a blockbuster at Keraleeyam!". Onmanorama. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Staff, T. N. M. (4 November 2023). "Thirty years later, Manichitrathazhu has 2000 people waiting in queue for four hours". The News Minute. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Of Bhool Bhulaiya, and a classic dumbed down". Rediff.com. 16 October 2007. Archived from the original on 27 June 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ George, A. B. (14 April 2020). "Highest Grossing Malayalam Movies (Year 1980–1999)". FilmBiopsy. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ "Best Malayalam Movies: 10 Malayalam films to watch before you die". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
- ^ "India's 'best' psychological thriller turns 25". The Week. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Bureau, The Hindu (18 July 2024). "'Manichitrathazhu': 4K restored version of Shobana, Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi starrer gets a release date". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
{{cite news}}
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has generic name (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h Rajan, Silpa (24 September 2021). "#FilmyFriday: Manichitrathazhu: A classic psychological thriller, weaved with elements of horror". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ "Durga, the crouching Nagavalli in 'Manichithrathazhu'". OnManorama. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ Menon, Neelima (24 December 2018). ""It Will Be A Huge Flop". 20 Fascinating Facts About The Making Of Manichitrathazhu, In Fazil's Words". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "നാഗവല്ലിയെ വരച്ചത് ആര്, ഇതാ ഉത്തരവുമായി ഒരു കുറിപ്പ്". Asianet News (in Malayalam). 6 June 2020. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ James, Anu (9 January 2016). "It wasn't Bhagyalakshmi who dubbed for classic character Nagavalli in Manichitrathazhu, director Fazil reveals". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ "Fazil gives dubbing artist Durga her due after 23 years, maybe she should have said 'Vidamaate'". thenewsminute.com. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- ^ James, Anu (11 January 2016). "Nagavalli-Manichitrathazhu controversy: Dubbing artist Bhagyalakshmi, director Fazil break their silence". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ Biscoot Regional (20 September 2013). "Manichitrathazhu 1993: Malayalam Full Movie | #Malayalam Movie Online | Mohanlal Movies | Shobana". YouTube. Biscoot Regional. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "Revisiting Manichitrathazhu ahead of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2: How Shobana's Nagavalli can make a million Manjulikas pale". The Indian Express. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "Manichitrathazhu at MSI". Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
- ^ Nathan, Archana (20 December 2018). "Fazil on his classic 'Manichithrathazhu': 'Everything came together to make the film happen'". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ James, Anu (5 December 2016). "Mohanlal's Manichitrathazhu gets a trailer after 23 years". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ "25 Years Of Manichithrathazhu: Shobhana, Director Fazil Pay Tribute To Iconic Malayalam Film". HuffPost. 24 December 2018. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
- ^ a b IBN Live (12 May 2013). "'Mayabazar' is India's greatest film ever: IBNLive poll". News18. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "10 Mollywood films that ran for the longest time". The Times of India. Times News Network. 31 May 2016. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "Malayalam cinema faces a threat" (PDF). The Statesman. 24 September 1994. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ^ "41st National Film Awards". International Film Festival of India. Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "State Film Awards". prd.kerala.gov.in. Department of Information and Public Relations. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "Kerala Film Critics Association Awards - 1977-2012". Kerala Film Critics Association. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Antony, Arun. "The timeless legacy of 'Manichithrathazhu'". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Manichithrathazhu has received the maximum TRP rating!". The Times of India. Times News Network. 17 November 2014. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "The women of 'Manichitrathazhu': How the Malayalam classic tames the 'shrew'". The News Minute. 6 January 2018. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ "മണിച്ചിത്രത്താഴ്". M3DB. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ "25 years of Manichitrathazhu: Why this Malayalam classic remains unsurpassed". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
- ^ "Mohanlal-starrer Manichitrathazhu Re-Releases In Theatres After 30 Years". News18. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Nagarajan, Saraswathy (1 August 2013). "Return of Dr. Sunny". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
External links
- Manichitrathazhu at IMDb
- alummoottil.com The inspiration for the screenplay came from Alumoottil, an ezhava family in Kerala.
- v
- t
- e
- Apthamitra (2004)
- Chandramukhi (2005)
- Rajmohol (2005)
- Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007)