Posted:
Most of us have seen films like Bhul Bhulaiya' and Chandramukhi' , however the original film on which these films were remade ,is a Malayalam film called "Manichitrathazhu".
The 1993 epic masterpiece "Manichitrathazhu" is one of the rarest of rare films in Indian Cinema. It is perhaps loved by almost everyone who has watched it once. Box office success, critical acclaim the film had it all. In that way Manichitrathazhu' should be counted among the greatest films like Sholay and Mughal -E-Ajam. The film is the first south Indian film I saw. It's a Malayalam film so I didn't understand every dialogue when I first watched it, but still the story was so engaging and the performances so impactful that I can actually recollect almost every scene from the movie even now.
A unique blend of nail biting suspense, horror & drama, beautiful music, wonderful background score, perfect screenplay, and flawless performances you name it, and the movie has it. Manichitrathazhu' has fabulous actors playing each and every character to perfection- my favourite is obviously Sobhana- this woman is the epitome of grace and beauty - it was an once in a lifetime role for any actress to play and she did full justice to it. Little nuances that she incorporated into her portrayal of simple and sweet Ganga first and then the vindictive supernatural heroine Nagavalli later, make the movie a must watch, only for her. and of course who can forget that Bharatnatyam dance number she performed before the climax!! It's breathtaking as well as mesmerizing!!!!!!Her scenes in the film are like puzzle which has enough clue embedded within it to solve itself.
She sent chills down my spine in that legendary scene where her alternate personality trait is revealed when her husband asks her not to go out for shopping. Her face turns menacing and she starts shouting in Tamil, points figure at him and with other hand lifts a wooden bed!!! She was outstanding. Just place the scene along with the performances of other actresses (when the film was remade to other languages)- all other actresses who played the coveted role in remakes including Vidya Balan are fabulous ,-- but and here's a big BUT , it is also true that none of them could match up to the spontaneity, dynamism and that ferocity Shobhna displayed. No Wonder, she won national award for the film. If national awards were announced once in 5 yrs, she might have still won it.
Some interesting facts about the film that make it so very special.
1)
Which Indian movie was remade in most number of languages?
It's Manichitrathazhu'.
1. First Apthamitra' and then its sequel Aptharakshasa' in Kannada.
2. Chandramukhi' in Tamil and Telegu, its sequel Nagavalli' in Telegu. ( chandramukhi was dubbed in German by the name - Der geisterjager' or the ghost hunter)
3. Rajmohol' in Bengali.
4. Chandramukhi ke hunker' in Bhojpuri.🤣🤣
5. Bhool Bhulaiya' in Hindi.
Not even a single remake was able to achieve even close to what the original did by miles. Though all of them were big hits.
2) All three south Indian versions (Malayalam, Kannada and Tamil) earned the actress playing the central character (Shobhna, Soundarya and Jyothika respectively), the state award for best actress of the respective states.
3)
Twenty one years after its release, the film has been screened more than 12 times a year on average on Kerala's leading TV Channel and it continues to fetch maximum ratings every time.
4) In a 2013 online poll by IBN Live, Manichitrathazhu' was listed as the second (2nd) greatest Indian film of all time. The poll was conducted as part of the celebrations of Indian Cinema completing 100yrs.
How many of you have watched the film? I would love to know your take on the movie and especially on Shobhna's performance. And Please watch it if you haven't already. It's brilliant. I know language is a problem for many of us, but still the film is a must watch no matter which part of the country you live.
Kumkum Bhagya
703