Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha (transl. Manikyam of Paleri: A Midnight Murder Story) is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language mystery film written and directed by Ranjith, starring Mammootty, Shwetha Menon and Mythili. It is based on the novel of the same name by T. P. Rajeevan,[1][2]. Mammooty plays three characters in the film. The film was Mythili's debut in cinema. Ranjith also introduced about thirty Malayalam stage artists through this film.[3][4] The film tells the story of a private detective, who returns to his birthplace, a village called Paleri, to solve a murder mystery that occurred on the same night he was born.
| Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ranjith |
| Screenplay by | Ranjith |
| Based on | Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha by T. P. Rajeevan |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | Mammootty Shwetha Menon |
| Cinematography | Manoj Pillai |
| Edited by | Vijay Sankar |
| Music by | Sharreth Bijibal |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Varnachithra Big Screen |
Release date |
|
Running time | 155 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
The film won four Kerala State Film Awards including the Best Film Award. Mammootty won his fifth Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for playing three roles Ahmed Haji, Haridas, and Khalid Ahmed in this movie. Shwetha Menon also won her first Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in this film.
Plot
editThe story revolves around the unnatural death of a young woman named Manikyam in Paleri, a small village in northern Kerala, in the late 1950s. Although it was claimed by her in-laws that she died after she had a seizure, examination of the body revealed it to be a case of murder and rape. The police charged three locals with the murder, only to be released by the court which described the prosecution's case as flawed. With no further investigation, the case had, since then, gone cold over the years, eventually acquiring the status of an unsolved mystery.
Around 52 years later, Haridas, a detective living in New Delhi, sets out on a journey to Paleri hoping to solve this mystery. Apparently, he was born in the same village on the same night when Manikyam was killed. He is joined by Sarayu, a crime analyst.
Most of the clues and knowledge of Balan Nair and Keshavan lead him to zero in on Ahmed Haji, a cruel feudal landlord who lived in Paleri during that period. It was obvious why his name did not figure in police reports from that era; he was so powerful and influential in Paleri at that time. Slowly, as things become clear, Haridas deduces that the murderer is Khalid Ahmed, Haji's first wife's eldest son.
Cast
edit- Mammootty in a triple role as:
- Haridas, a private detective in New Delhi
- Murikkinkunnath Ahmed Haaji, a wicked feudal landlord of ancient Paleri who had a dangerous sex drive
- Khalid Ahmed, an elderly scholar who is Haji's eldest son
- Mythili as Manikyam
- Shweta Menon as Cheeru (voice by Zeenath)
- Gowri Munjal as Sarayu
- Sreenivasan as Keshavan
- Musthafa as young Keshavan
- Siddique as Balan, a present-day native
- Vijayan V. Nair as Velayudhan
- T. Damodaran as K. P. Hamsa
- Suresh Krishna as DYSP Y. Madhavan
- Sasi Kalinga as DYSP Mohandas Manalath, the old day cop
- Sreejith as Pokkan
- Parvathi T. as Judge
- T. A. Razzaq as a Ghazal Singer (Guest appearance)
Production
editThe novel, titled Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha itself, was written by director Ranjith's friend T. P. Rajeevan and was published in the Mathrubhumi Weekly a year before onwards. The novel was based on the true story of Manikyam, who was raped and murdered in the early 1950s. According to Rajeevan as well as the film crew, this was the first recorded crime in Kerala.[5]
Casting
editThe original cast included Mammootty to play all the three lead roles. Ranjith cast Shwetha Menon as Cheeru, an important character that required the potential of such an experienced actor. Ranjith introduced television anchor and model Mythili, who played the central character Manikyam in the film. Dhanya Mary Varghese was also approached for this role but she instantly rejected.[6]
Ranjith, who is an alumnus of School of Drama, [Thrissur], also incorporated thirty experienced stage actors of Malayalam drama in this film. They were selected from five hundred odd theatre actors who auditioned for the film in Kozhikode. Actor Murali Menon was the casting director. Among the thirty two selected, Sreejith, Vijayan V. Nair and Musthafa were three who played major roles in the film. Sreejith, an amateur actor at Kaiveli, Kozhikode, who became famous through a reality show, played Pokkan, the husband of Manikyam and a lunatic. Musthafa played younger Keshavan, a character enacted by veteran Sreenivasan in the later stages. He was one of the finalists of a reality show telecast on Amrita TV, of which Ranjith was a judge. Vijayan V. Nair, played Velayudhan, henchman of Ahmed Haji, another character played by Mammootty. Though he has acted in telefilms and tele serials, this was his debut as an actor. "I had cast Vijayan as Velayudhan long ago. Murali Menon, who had groomed the theatre actors at the workshop, had told me about him some time ago. I was confident that he would be ideal for the powerful character of Velayudhan," says Ranjith, who is delighted that he has been able to give Malayalam cinema some exciting new talents.[4]
Music
editThe original score and title track of the film was composed by Bijibal while the only song was composed by Sharreth, Ranjith's previous collaborator in Thirakkatha. The score as well as the songs received notably mixed responses.[7] However, the main theme song enjoyed the status of a chartbuster, thanks for the well received plot of the movie. The lyrics were penned by Rafeeq Ahamed (Thum Jho) and T.P Rajeevan (title song).
Release
editThe film was released on 5 December 2009. It opened in forty centres in Kerala, which is half the number of usual superstar releases.[8] It was also screened at the International Film Festival of India that year.[9]
Reception
editNowrunning is all praise for the film and comments that "Ranjith's Manickyam is a rarity of a film that exceeds expectations and offers a psychedelic high for the viewer. There would be no surprise if it ignites some sort of a controversy for the boldness that it displays. For the discerning viewer though, this might perhaps be one of the best films to have come out this year."[10] A review on Rediff.com commented that "Very rarely does a film satisfy our expectations. But director Ranjith's latest Malayalam film Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinte Katha does. The film is near perfect with minor ignorable blemishes."[7] Sify called the movie "one of the finest films in Malayalam history" and commented that "Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinte Kadha is one film that will haunt you days after you've left the theatres. It's a gem that comes not too often and the least you can do to appreciate it is to watch it at the cinemas, at the earliest!"[11]
Awards
edit- Best Film – A.V.Anoop and Maha Subair
- Best Actor – Mammootty
- Best Actress – Shweta Menon
- Best Makeup Artist – Ranjith Ambadi, S. George
- Best Director – Ranjith
- Best Actor – Mammootty
- Best Supporting Actress – Shweta Menon
- Best Actor – Mammootty
- Best Actress – Shweta Menon
- Best Background Score – Bijibal
- Best Make-up – George
Controversies
editIn 2024, Actress Sreelekha Mitra had made allegations against director Ranjith that she was sexually exploited in the audition of this film .
References
edit- ^ "വായനകുറയുന്നു: പുസ്തകക്കച്ചവടം കൂടുന്നു". Deepika. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- ^ "Unveiling a mystery". The Hindu. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
- ^ "First Look: Mammootty in Paleri Manikyam". Rediff. 6 October 2009.
- ^ a b P. K. Ajith Kumar (18 December 2009). "The gems of 'Paleri Manikyam...'". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
- ^ "Swetha Menon Interview – Paleri Manikyam Special". Vibetalkies.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
- ^ Athira M. (6 January 2012). "Adieu to arc lights". The Hindu. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Paleri Manikyam is near perfect". Rediff. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
- ^ http://varnachitram.com/2009/12/06/review-roundup-paleri-manikyam/ [bare URL]
- ^ Soyesh H. Rawther (19 October 2010). "Malayalam film makers plan alternative screening outside IFFI venues". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
- ^ "Nowrunning Review". Nowrunning.
- ^ "Sify Review". Sify. Archived from the original on 10 December 2009.
- ^ "Vanitha Film Awards 2009 Announced". Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
- ^ "Surya TV film awards announced". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 23 September 2010. Archived from the original on 28 September 2010.