Manorathangal (transl.Mindscapes) is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language anthologystreaming television series.[2][3] The anthology features nine featurettes based on M. T. Vasudevan Nair's nine short stories:[4][5] Aswathy V Nair, daughter of M.T. Vasudevan Nair, is the creative director of this film. Titles are Olavum Theeravum, Kadugannawa; Oru Yathra Kurippu, Sherlock, Silalikhitham, Vilpana, Kadalkkaattu, Kazhcha, Abhayam Thedi Veendum, and Swargam Thurakkuna Samayam.[6][7]
Olavum Theeravum: Baputty, a timber trader falls in love with his dead friend's sister Nabeesa. However her mother, a prostitute, wants to marry her off to Kunjali, a wealthy trader. But Baputty and Nabeesa are determined to marry each other. Kunjali rapes Nabeesa, and offers to marry her as a compensation. The story culminates in a dramatic confrontation between the two men, with Bapputty asserting his love for Nabeesu. But by the time he reaches Nabeesu's home after beating down Kunjali, Nabeesu would have committed suicide due to the trauma caused by the rape.
Kadugannava, Oru Yathra Kurippu: A journalist named Venugopal travels to Sri Lanka for an official purpose, but is motivated to explore a place called Kadugannava, motivated by a childhood mystery involving his father and a young girl named Leela. He searches for Leela in the village of Kadugannava, where his father once lived, hoping to uncover the truth about their past. He finds out evidences pointing to the truth that Leela was born out of a Sri Lankan woman whom his father had married while he was living there. Leela is still alive, and she and her son lives in abject poverty. Leela refuses to meet Venu. Venu leaves the place entrusting money to a trusted local of Sri Lanka, to meet Leela and her son's needs.
Kazhcha: Sudha, a woman living in a troubled marriage, returns to her Kerala village to inform her family of her decision to divorce. Faced with opposition and societal pressure, she seeks advice from an elderly woman named Valiyamma. The story explores themes of women's choices, societal expectations, and the complexities of marriage.
Shilalikhitham: A historian, Gopalankutty, and his daughter witness a young woman dying alone in their village. The indifference of the villagers to the woman's plight becomes a focal point of the story, highlighting societal hypocrisy and the failure to help those in need. This story paints a picture that contradicts the popular nostalgic narrative that villages are full of innocence, love and empathy while cities are not.
Vilpana: A journalist, Sunil Das, encounters a mysterious woman named Mrs. Parekh while looking for buying a second hand typewriter. When he arrives at her house for the same, she asks his help to sell off other furniture in the house to other potential buyers who keeps coming. The story delves into the loneliness of Ms. Parekh, the complexities of human connection and the unexpected bonds that can form between strangers.
Sherlock: Balu, a recovering alcoholic, visits his sister in Philadelphia. He develops a strained relationship with her pet cat, Sherlock, who seems to have an uncanny ability to expose Balu's secrets. The loneliness of Balu's sister whose husband is always away on work tours, is also shown. The story explores themes of surveillance, privacy, and the complexities of family relationships.
Swargam Thurakkunna Samayam: Kuttinarayanan, known for his expertise in end-of-life rituals, is called to a dying man's bedside. The arrival of the man's selfish children disrupts the peaceful atmosphere, revealing the stark contrast between the dying man's character and his family's materialistic values.
Abhayam Thedi Veendum: A stranger arrives in a village and takes refuge in an abandoned house. As he becomes increasingly attached to the place, he faces resistance from the local villagers. The story builds suspense as the stranger awaits a confrontation with the house's owner, ultimately revealing a chilling truth.
Kadalkkaattu: A successful businessman leads a double life, juggling his family in the village and a lover in the city who is unaware that he is married. His life takes an unexpected turn when his lover asks him to marry her and he says no. The lover is crestfallen on his refusal and goes ahead to marry someone else without informing the businessman. Saddened by this, he goes back to his pregnant wife and child in his village to start his abandoned life afresh. His wife is revealed to have been aware of his affair, and is shown to be relieved that he has let go of the affair.
The anthology consists of nine short stories by M. T. Vasudevan Nair.[26] It was conceptualised by Nair's daughter, Aswathy V. Nair, during the COVID-19 pandemic to commemorate his 90th birthday. Initially, she selected 20 stories, but eventually narrowed it down to 10, and finally settled on nine. While her initial intention was to focus on stories with female protagonists, she also included stories with male protagonists after discovering several compelling narratives. Explaining her decision, she stated, "I wanted women as the protagonists but discovered many wonderful stories with male protagonists. Ultimately, I chose stories with an abiding human element, with emotions of love, lust, greed and revenge, etc". Aswathy also directed one segment titled Vilpana.[27] According to Onmanorama, the anthology draws inspiration from Stories by Rabindranath Tagore (2015), a television series based on the works of poet Rabindranath Tagore.[28]
Aswathy served as the creative producer. The series began production in 2021. By January 2022, six of the films had completed production, including Silalikhitham, Vilpana, Kadalkkaattu, Kazhcha, Abhayam Thedi Veendum, and Swargam Thurakkuna Samayam. Priyadarshan-directed Olavum Theeravum is a remake of the 1970 film of the same name. It began production on 10 July 2022[29] and wrapped up on 17 July 2022.[30] Priyadarshan also directed Silalikhitham.[19]Kadugannawa Oru Yathra was initially supposed to be directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery.[31] But Ranjith replaced him and began production on 16 August 2022[32] and wrapped up on 26 August 2022.[33]Olavum Theeravum completed filming in July 2022 in Thodupuzha,[34] which was made in black-and-white format.[35] Initially, the series was produced for Netflix, but the platform rejected the anthology reportedly due to the addition of new segments starring Mohanlal, Mammootty, and Fahadh Faasil which increased the production cost. Later, ZEE5 acquired the series.[36][37]the series was co-produced by Anil Thampi and Chandana Thampi[38]
During the trailer launch of the series, Asif Ali was supposed to present a memento to Ramesh Narayan, but Ramesh allegedly refused to accept it from the actor, leading to widespread criticism about his behaviour.[50][51] He responded that he was music director of Jayaraj's segment of the series, but he didn't get invited to stage on launch event and he was disappointed. He also clarified that he didn't hear the announcement and didn't know that Asif Ali is presenting the momento.[52][53][54]
Reception
A review in the Indian Express found, the anthology film "has some standout segments, some that are decent and others that fall short."[55] while The Hindu too stated it contained "a few hidden gems".[56]The Hindustan Times praised the poetic achievement of the production.[57]
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