| Mazha Peyyunnu Maddalam Kottunnu | |
| Director: | Priyadarshan |
| Producer: | Edappazhanji Velappan |
| Screenplay: | Sreenivasan |
| Story: | Jagadish |
| Starring: | Mohanlal Mukesh Lissy Sreenivasan Jagathi Sreekumar Kuthiravattam Pappu Maniyanpilla Raju |
| Music: | K. J. Joy |
| Cinematography: | S. Kumar |
| Editing: | N. Gopalakrishnan |
| Studio: | Chithradesham Productions |
| Distributor: | Saj Movies |
| Runtime: | 129 minutes |
| Country: | India |
| Language: | Malayalam |
Mazha Peyyunnu Maddalam Kottunnu is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language comedy film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Sreenivasan from a story by Jagadish. It stars an ensemble cast led by Mohanlal, Mukesh, Sreenivasan, Jagathi Sreekumar, Maniyanpilla Raju, Kuthiravattam Pappu, and Lissy. Mammootty appears in a brief cameo role. The film was one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year. It is now considered one of the best comedy films in Malayalam cinema.[1] [2] [3] The film was remade in Telugu as Saradaga Kasepu (2010) and in Tamil as Manandhal Mahadevan (1989).
Madhavan is back in Kerala after completing his business studies in the United States and now addresses himself as M. A Dhavan. His schoolmate, Shambhu, works as a chauffeur at his house, and the now vain and snobbish Madhavan treats him with disdain. Madhavan's parents want him to marry Shobha, the only daughter of Sardar Krishna Kurup, a wealthy and aristocratic businessman. Madhavan, who wants to observe his fiancée from a distance, decides to go to her house disguised as the driver and makes his driver act as Madhavan.
Just minutes after they set out from their house, his parents telephone Krishna Kurup about their son's scheme. Various mishaps on the way end up with Madhavan discarding his plan and deciding to visit as himself. Unaware of the change in plan, Sardar Krishna Kurup and his wife have the driver Shambhu mistaken for the prospective groom and Madhavan as the driver. The prospective in-laws dote over Shambhu, ignoring Madhavan, who is unaware of the impression that Kurup and his wife are under. The situation gets tougher for Madhavan due to his innate eccentric behavior towards the Kurup family.
In the meantime, Shobha, who also mistakes Shambhu for the fiancé, falls in love with him. At the same time, Sardar Koma Kurup, cousin to Sardar Krishna Kurup, has been in constant fight with Krishna Kurup for many years. Both are trying to capture the power at the Nethaji Club, a reputed social club, for personal reasons. Damodaran, a.k.a. Damu, impersonates a lawyer, enters Koma Kurup's house, and wins his trust. The real intention of Damu is to kill Koma Kurup with the help of a doctor, making it look like an accident, and marry his daughter, Aruna, so that he could grab the whole property. But one after another, Damu's attempts to kill Koma Kurup fail, with each time Damu getting himself nearly killed in the process. Shivan, a friend to both Damu and Shambhu, arrives at Koma Kurup's house, under the guise of Damu's imaginary brother who is a heart patient. He instantly succeeds in winning the heart of Aruna, destroying Damu's plans.
Thus the two love stories, one between Shambhu and Shobha and the other between Shivan and Aruna, bloom side by side. This chain of events pits Shambhu and Shivan against Madhavan and Damu, respectively. Unable to bear Shambhu's progress, Madhavan hires Kadathanatt Pappan Gurukkal, a known goon to beat up Shambhu, but instead, the goons themselves get beaten up by the adept Shambhu. This incident makes Shambhu go all out against Madhavan and force Krishna Kurup to conduct the marriage within three days. But, everything turns more messy as the parents of Madhavan make a surprise visit to Sardar Krishna Kurup's house. They find the foul play of Shambhu, and Krishna Kurup, who realizes the mistake decides to get his daughter married to Madhavan.
Shobha, who is in love with Shambhu, is adamant that she will not marry Madhavan. The marriage venue and date are fixed. At the same time, Sardar Koma Kurup also finds out that his daughter is in love with Shivan, who is rather an adamant sickly fellow, falls for Damu's words and drives Shivan out. At the marriage venue, both Shambhu and Shivan are denied entry. They call up the police by informing there is gold hidden by Krishna Kurup at the marriage hall. The Police enter the venue and then a long fight packed with several comic incidents occur. In the end, with the help of the police inspector, Shambhu marries Shobha and Shivan marries Aruna. Everything ends well and both couples start their married life with the blessings of all others, including the then dejected Madhavan and Damu.
The story of this film was by Jagadish.[4]
The music was composed by K. J. Joy and the lyrics were written by Panthalam Sudhakaran.
| No. | Song | Singers | Length (m:ss) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Dhanumaasakkulirala" | P. Jayachandran, K. S. Chithra, Chorus | |
| 2 | "Thumbi Manchaleri Vaa" | ||
Upon release, this film was a huge hit at the box office. It is a senseless comedy flick without a strong plot or any emotional scenes. It is usually categorized as one of the best comedy films to have ever made in Malayalam cinema. The repeated telecasts on TV channels have made it a cult film.