Manichithrathazhu (1993)

 ●  Malayalam ● 2 hrs 49 mins

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One of the most discussed Malayalam films in recent times and a major success. The young Calcutta couple Nakulan (Gopi) and Ganga (Shobhana) arrive for a vacation in their ancestral home, where they encounter a centuries-old legend of a Tamil devadasi dancer named Nagavalli. She had been abducted by a Nair chieftain and had subsequently returned to haunt the old house. The small room in the attic where she lived is kept permanently locked. Ganga inquisitively opens the room and becomes possessed by the ghost. Nakulan’s friend, Sunny (Mohanlal), a USA-trained psychiatrist, arrives to help solve the problem: having suffered a troubled childhood, Ganga has become a murderously psychotic schizophrenic. Discarding psychiatry, Sunny turns to ‘indigenous’ methods and successfully effects a dramatic cure relying on a tantric cult redolent with caste prejudices. The film was shot at extraordinary speed by two units working simultaneously, one led by the veteran Fazil, the other by three younger directors (all became well known in Malayalam cinema), although still managing to achieve both narrative and technical coherence. Mohanlal makes a cameo appearance, but the main performance is Shobhana’s chilling portrayal of the demented Nagavalli.
See Storyline (May Contain Spoilers)

Cast: Mohanlal, Shobana Pillai, Suresh Gopi

Crew: AM Fazil (Director), Venu Isc (Director of Photography), MG Radhakrishnan (Music Director)

Rating: U (India)

Genres: Horror, Musical, Comedy

Release Dates: 25 Dec 1993 (India)

Malayalam Name: മണിച്ചിത്രത്താഴ്

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Did you know? This was the highest grossing Malayalam film of the year 1993. Read More
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as Dr. Sunny Joseph
as Ganga
as Nakulan
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actress
Supporting Actress
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actress

Direction

Director
Second Unit Director

Production

Production Company

Writers

Story Writer
Screenplay Writer
Dialogue Writer

Camera and Electrical

Director of Photography

Makeup and Hair

Makeup Artist
Film Type:
Feature
Language:
Malayalam
Colour Info:
Color
Frame Rate:
24 fps
Aspect Ratio:
2.35:1
Stereoscopy:
No
Movie Connection(s):
Remade as: Chandramukhi (Tamil)
Remade as: Bhool Bhulaiyaa (Hindi)
Remade as: Chandramukhi (Hindi)
Referenced in: Geethanjali (Malayalam)
Remade as: Apthamithra (Kannada)
Remade as: Rajmohol (Bengali)
Remade as: Aapthamitra (Kannada)
Trivia:
Parts of the film and the climax scenes were shot in the Padmanabhapuram Palace and Hill Palace, Tripunithura.

The first Malayalam movie in the world to be released in the VCD format.

The story is inspired from a tragic event that occurred in Alummoottil Tharavadu, the famous central Travancore family from the 19th century.

This was the highest grossing Malayalam film of the year 1993.