| Manichitrathazhu | |
| Director: | Fazil |
| Producer: | Swargachitra Appachan |
| Starring: | |
| Music: | Songs: M. G. Radhakrishnan Background Score: Johnson Lyrics: Bichu Thirumala |
| Cinematography: | |
| Editing: | T. R. Shekar |
| Studio: | Swargachitra films |
| Distributor: | Swargachitra Release |
| Runtime: | 157 minutes |
| Country: | India |
| Language: | Malayalam |
| Gross: | 7 crore |
Manichitrathazhu 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]
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.
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]
Shobana's voice was dubbed by two dubbing artistesBhagyalakshmi 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]
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 | |
| Type: | Soundtrack |
| Artist: | M. G. Radhakrishnan |
| Caption: | Digital Soundtrack Cover Art |
| 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 |
| Prev Title: | Meghasangeetham |
| Prev Year: | 1993 |
| Next Title: | Kashmeeram |
| Next Year: | 1994 |
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] It ran for more than 365 days in some centres.[26] The film had a collection of 7 crore.[27]
| Award | Ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Film Awards | 41st National Film Awards | Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Swargachitra Appachan, Fazil | [28] | |
| Best Actress | Shobana | ||||
| Kerala State Film Awards | 34th Kerala State Film Awards | Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value | Swargachitra Appachan, Fazil | [29] | |
| Best Actress | Shobana | ||||
| Best Makeup Artist | P. N. Mani | ||||
| Kerala Film Critics Association Awards | 17th Kerala Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actor | Suresh Gopi | [30] | |
| Best Actress | Shobana | ||||
| Best Music Director | M. G. Radhakrishnan | ||||
| Special Jury Award | Fazil |
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.[31]
Manichitrathazhu is considered as a classic and is hailed as one of the best films ever made in Malayalam cinema. The film has consistently fetched maximum ratings for its television screenings. 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. 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.[32] For many Malayalis, Manichitrathazhu is a part of their cultural lives.[33]
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.[34] 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]
| 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 |
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]