Manichitrathazhu
| Manichitrathazhu | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Fazil |
| Written by | Madhu Muttam |
| Produced by | Appachan |
| Starring | Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Shobana |
Release date | 1993 |
Running time | 169 min. |
| Languages | Malayalam, occasional Tamil |
Manichitrathazhu (translation: The Ornate Lock) is a 1993 Malayalam Film directed by Fazil. The storyline dealt with a psycho-thriller genre, which was an unusual theme in Malayalam cinema but proceeded to become a blockbuster hit across the state. Several other prominent directors such as Siddique-Lal and Priyadarshan Sibi Malayail directed the second-unit production of the movie. Shobhana was awarded the National Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the central character, Ganga.
After its runaway success in Kerala, it was remade after nearly 10 years in languages Kannada (Aaptamitra), Tamil (Chandramukhi), Telugu (Chandramukhi) and Hindi (Bhool Bhulaiya). The central character played by Shobhana was played by Soundarya in Aaptamitra , by Jyothika in Chandramukhi and by Vidya Balan in Bhool Bhulaiya.
Plot
The plot involves a young couple, Ganga (Shobhana) and Nakulan (Suresh Gopi) arriving at the ancestral mansion of the latter. Ignoring the protests of their superstitious uncle, they move in to mansion, when unusual and supernatural events begin to happen. Suspicion falls on Sreedevi (Vinaya Prasad), Nakulan's cousin, who is known to be suffering from depression.
Dr. Sunny Joseph (Mohanlal), a frolicsome psychiatrist and Nakulan's close friend is called in to investigate. Soon it becomes evident that Ganga, affected by Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), is behind the mystery, haunted by a troubled past.
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The mansion that Nakulan and Ganga were living in was occupied in ancient times by a cruel king, Ramanathan, who had imprisoned a famous Bharatnatyam dancer, Nagavalli. Nagavalli's troubled spirit finds an accepting medium in Ganga. Ganga starts getting fits in which she turns into Nagavalli, and in these fits she has superhuman strength, and is prone to violence.
Sunny correctly identifies the source of the violent happenings at the mansion, and convinces Nagavalli to renounce Ganga's body once she is allowed to execute Ramanathan. He dresses up Nakulan as the ancient king, and at the crucial moment, replaces Nakulan with a dummy. Nagavalli is fooled into believing that she has taken her revenge, and leaves Ganga's body.
Manichitrathazu was one of the all time hits of Malayalam films running for more than 600 days.
External links
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