Mangalavaaram

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Mangalavaaram
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAjay Bhupathi
Written byAjay Bhupathi
Story byAjay Bhupathi
Produced bySwathi Reddy Gunupati
Suresh Varma M.
Ajay Bhupathi
Starring
CinematographyDasaradhi Sivendra
Edited byMadhav Kumar Gullapalli
Music byB. Ajaneesh Loknath
Production
companies
Mudhra Media Works
A Creative Works
Release date
  • 17 November 2023 (2023-11-17)
Running time
143 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu
Box office₹16.25 Crore[2]

Mangalavaaram (transl.Tuesday) is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language psychological mystery thriller film written and directed by Ajay Bhupathi.[3] It was released on 17 November 2023.[4][5]

It is produced by Swathi Reddy Gunupati, Suresh Varma M., and Ajay Bhupathi, under Mudhra Media Works and A Creative Works. The music was composed by B. Ajaneesh Loknath.[6]

Plot[edit]

Set in 1996, four strange suicides occur in the rural town of Mahalakshmipuram, with someone writing confessions of illicit affairs between victims on random walls. Although everything appears to be fine in the village, there is a lot of conflict among the locals. The newly assigned SI Maaya begins investigating the suicides and realizes that they are murders. As the investigation progresses, she soon finds a link between the deaths and RMP Doctor Viswanatham, who is a kind-hearted man. When she catches him red-handed writing a confession on a wall, they both have a minor scuffle in which he manages to subdue and tie her up in his backyard.

She manages to break free and confronts him about his relationship with a woman named Sailaja, to which, he admits that Sailaja was a genuine victim of sexual abuse owing to her hormonal imbalance, which causes her to lose control over her sexual desires. While pursuing her degree, she falls for her English lecturer, Madan, who pretends to reciprocate her love to exploit her physically. She gets emotionally scarred when the professor marries his colleague from the college. Due to these circumstances, she loses control of her sexual desires, forcing her to make rash judgments and engage in sex with random men in the village. One night, Viswanatham accidentally meets her, and after knowing her situation, he decides to take care of her like his late daughter while not being bothered about the villager's gossip.

These circumstances make Sailaja feel to be an immoral woman among those around her, who then beat her up forcing her to leave the village by orders of Prakasam Babu, the arrogant Zamindar of the village. Following these incidents, Sailaja's body is discovered in a well, and it was assumed to be a suicide.

Viswanatham then reveals another truth concerning Sailaja's death to Maaya. Sailaja unintentionally discovered an illicit affair between Praksam's wife, Rajeswari Devi, and a photographer, Vasu. Rajeswari, having a good reputation in the village is concerned that Sailaja might reveal their affair to the villagers. Hence, Rajeswari and Vasu, along with four other people who have illicit affairs with each other , are planning to kill Sailaja after orchestrating a gossip around her. After getting her ostrasized from the village, they kill her, ignoring her pleas.

After knowing the facts Vishwanatham along with Ravi, Sailaja's childhood crush, who killed his father pretended to be dead to the villagers by staging a fire accident for abusing Sailaja. Later, he changes his identity to live as a graveyard keeper, who avenges Sailaja's death by killing the six people responsible for her murder. Before Sailaja's death, Ravi meets her on the insistence of Viswanatham and both convince Sailaja to marry Ravi.

However, Zamindar overhears their conversation and goes to confront his wife. First feigning ignorance, she later stabs him, who then pushes her off the terrace and immolates her and stages it as a sacrifice by herself to their village god Maalachamma for stopping the suicides. After observing the circumstances, Maaya closes the cases as suicides by believing that God will punish the men's sins only through other men, not take births as an avatar.

Later in a private talk with Viswanatham, Prakasam Babu confesses that he killed his wife to punish her for betrayal and killing an innocent person. Viswanatham questions Zamindar about why he made his wife good in front of the villagers, for which he explains that he did it to protect the human values and morals, although being an atheist himself. Then Viswanatham reveals that he and Ravi got to know about Sailaja's death through Puli, Kaasi Raju's blind assistant in a gossiping gang. Actually, Puli acts as blind for a living, witnesses Rajeswari Devi and her gang killing Sailaja. Finally, the film ends with Ravi killing Vasu and committing suicide in the same well where Sailaja had been murdered.

In a mid-credits scene, there are so many confessions noted regarding illicit affairs in the other villages that create tension in those areas. Then, it is shown that Sailaja and Ravi's ghosts are in the same well where they had died, which hints towards a sequel.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

Principal filming started on 9 December 2022, and the shoot was wrapped up on 13 June 2023.[7]

Payal Rajput plays the principal lead in the film, marking her second collaboration with Ajay Bhupathi, after RX 100.

Release[edit]

It was released on 17 November 2023, with dubbed versions in four Indian languages:[4][5] Mangalavaaram in Kannada, Mangalavaar in Hindi, Chevvaikizhamai in Tamil, and Chovvazhcha in Malayalam.[8][9][10][11]

The film has been available for streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar from December 26, 2023 in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada & Malayalam languages.[12]

Music[edit]

B. Ajaneesh Loknath composed both the music and background score for the film.[13] The first single, Ganagana Mogalira, was released on 16 August 2023, followed by the second single, Emayindho Ento, on 7 October.[14][15] The third single, Appadappada Thaandra, featuring Tharun Bhascker in a cameo appearance, was released on 3 November, and was featured during the end credits of the film.[16][17][18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Mangalavaaram (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 14 November 2023. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  2. ^ "Mangalavaaram Box Office Collection". Sacnilk. 16 December 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  3. ^ "The 'Mangalavaaram' concept poster stimulates curiosity!". The Times of India. 28 February 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Payal Rajput starrer 'Mangalavaram' to hit screens nationwide on November 17". The Times of India. 26 September 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b "The nail-biting thriller will be released in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi,' says makers". 9 October 2023. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Payal Rajput goes topless in bold 1st look poster of Ajay Bhupathi's Mangalavaaram". India Today. 25 April 2023. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  7. ^ "It's a Wrap for Ajay Bhupathi's enthralling village thriller 'Mangalavaaram'". The Times of India. 13 June 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  8. ^ "Mangalavaar: अजय भूपति की 'मंगलवार' का धमाकेदार टीजर हुआ रिलीज, गांव की पृष्ठभूमि पर आधारित है फिल्म". 18 July 2023. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  9. ^ "Ajay Bhupathi's village action thriller 'Chevvaikizhamai' shoot wrapped up". The Hindu. 15 June 2023. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  10. ^ honey (7 October 2023). "ചൊവ്വാഴ്‍ചയിലെ പുതിയ ഗാനം പുറത്ത്". Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  11. ^ "'Mangalavaaram' to have pan-India release on November 17". Telugu Times - USA NRI Telugu News Telugu News Papers In USA. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  12. ^ Sharma, Bhavana (26 December 2023). "Mangalavaram OTT Release Confirmed". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Second single 'Emayyindho Emito' from director Ajay Bhupathi's 'Mangalavaaram' unveiled". IndustryHit.Com. 7 October 2023. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  14. ^ "'Mangalavaaram': 'Ganagana Mogalira' induces tension!". Telugu360.com. 16 August 2023. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Emayindho Ento from Mangalavaaram out". Cinema Express. 7 October 2023. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Appadappada Thaandra song from Mangalavaaram is out". Cinema Express. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  17. ^ "Keedaa Cola director turns dancer for Mangalavaaram". 123telugu.com. 1 November 2023. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  18. ^ "Tharun Bhascker to make special appearance in 'Mangalavaaram' song 'Appadappada Tandra'". Sakshi Post. 2 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.

External links[edit]