Manichitrathazhu
Manichitrathazhu is a 1993
Malayalam movie 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 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.
Manichitrathazhu is considered as one of the best thriller movies ever made in
Indian cinema .
Encyclopedia
Manichitrathazhu is a 1993
Malayalam movie 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 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.
Manichitrathazhu is considered as one of the best thriller movies ever made in
Indian cinema . It was remade in
Kannada , Tamil and Telugu . The central character played by Shobhana was played by
Soundarya in
Aaptamitra and by
Jyothika in
Chandramukhi.
The script of Manichitrathazhu is loosely based on the life of Anneliese Michel whose trial was under hearing in a German court. Critics claim that this is irrefutably inspired from the arguments of the prosecutor and the defendant of Anneliese Michel's case. Interestingly enough, the same case has been adapted into a movie in
English and
German as
The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Requiem respectively.
Plot
The plot involves a young couple, Ganga and Nakulan 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 , Nakulan's cousin, who is known to be suffering from depression.
Dr. Sunny Joseph , a frolicsome psychiatrist and Nakulan's close friend is called in to investigate. Soon it becomes evident that Ganga, affected by Multiple Personality Disorder , is behind the mystery, haunted by a troubled past.
Being a family entertainer, Fazil was not able to delve into the physical relationship between Ganga and Nakulan, the lack of which triggers Ganga's illness. A single scene, where Ganga invites Nakulan to bed, but he refuses is all that Fazil has allowed. So a frustrated sexual life with a background history of mental illness, in an environment of myths and spirits, precipitates her mental breakdown.
The transformation of Ganga into Nagavalli is one of the finest performance ever. Shobana, with her dancing background, was able to give full justice to Nagavalli, a courtesan.
While Shobana's excellent performance was recognized , Mohanlal has not received the recognition he deserves for his role. His presence is all over the movie although his character appears only for a few scenes in the second half of the movie. And his role as an eccentric psychiatrist could not have been carried off by a lesser actor.
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