Mammootty, Mohanlal, Fahadh Want To Tell Stories

Arjun
Menon
gives
us
a
preview
of
what
the

Manorathangal
series
will
offer
us.

Manorathangal
is
based
on
short
stories
written
by
M
T
Vasudevan
Nair,
and
helmed
by
some
of
the
most
well-known
directors
in
Malayalam
cinema
like
Priyadarshan,
Shyamaprasad,
Santhosh
Sivan,
Ranjith,
Jayaraj,
Mahesh
Narayanan,
Ratheesh
Ambath
and
the
famed
writer’s
daughter
Aswathy
Nair.

This
is
a
first-time
undertaking
in
Malayalam
cinema,
where
a
single
author’s
works
across
many
decades
have
been
compiled
into
an
anthology
of
films.

The
star-studded
cast
for
this
ensemble
series
includes
Kamal
Haasan,
Mammootty,
Mohanlal,
Nedumudi
Venu,
Indrajith
Sukumaran,
Biju
Menon,
Siddique,
Fahadh
Faasil,
Asif
Ali,
Parvathy,
Indrans,
Aparna
Balamurali
and
Madhoo.

The
nine-episode
series
will
be
among
the
few
anthology
films
to
emerge
from
Malayalam
cinema,
following
the
hugely
successful
iterations
of
the
format
with

Kerala
Cafe
(2009)
and

Anju
Sundarikal
(2013).

The
Web
series
will
include
nine
stories,
set
in
different
periods
in
Kerala
history.

The
trailer
is
introduced
to
us
by
Kamal
Haasan,
who
takes
us
into
the
world
of
M
T
Vasudevan
Nair’s
literary
and
cinematic
voyage.

Two
films
of
the
anthology
are
directed
by
Priyadarshan,
who
shot
the
Mohanlal
starrer

Olavum
Theeravum,
also
featuring
Durga
Krishna
and
the
late
Mamukkoya.

There
has
already
been
a
cinematic
adaptation
of

Olavum
Theeravum
(1970),
which
featured
Madhu,
Ushanandini
and
Jose
Prakash.
It
is
the
only
segment
in
the
anthology
that
is
shot
in
black
and
white.

It
deals
with
an
unconventional
love
story
set
against
the
backdrop
of
the
backwaters
of
a
mid-century
hamlet
in
Kerala.
The
film
has
been
shot
by
Cinematographer
Santhosh
Sivan.

Priyadarshan
has
also
directed
the
Biju
Menon
starrer

Shilalikhatam.

Kadugannava
Oru
Yathra
features
Mammootty
playing
a
journalist
P
K
Venugopal,
who
remembers
an
existential
journey
he
undertook
to
Sri
Lanka
during
the
insurgency
in
the
hope
of
finding
his
step-sister.

This
segment
is
based
on
a
travel
memoir,
based
on
MTV’s
experiences
of
traveling
in
Sri
Lanka
in
his
younger
years.

The
film
also
features
Anumol
K
Manoharan
and
Vineeth.

Sherlock
is
a
detective
mystery
set
in
Canada,
starring
Fahadh
Faasil
and
Nadia
Moidu.
It
focuses
on
a
socially
awkward
brother
visiting
his
elder
sister
and
her
husband
in
Canada.
His
peculiar
interactions
with
the
house
cat
leads
him
on
a
thrilling
ride.

The
film
is
directed
by
Mahesh
Narayanan
of

Take
Off
(2017)
and

Malick
(2021)
fame,
marking
his
fifth
collaboration
with
Fahadh
Faasil.

Kadalkkattu
is
directed
by
Ratheesh
Ambattu
of

Kammara
Sambhavam
(2018)
and

Theerpu
(2022)
fame
and
features
Indrajith
Sukumaran
and
Aparan
Balamurali.