Manorathangal (transl.Mindscapes) is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language anthology 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]

Manorathangal
GenreDrama
Anthology
Based onShort stories by M. T. Vasudevan Nair
Written byM. T. Vasudevan Nair
Directed by
Starring
Narrated byKamal Haasan
ComposersM. Jayachandran
Ouseppachan
Bijibal
Ramesh Narayan
Rajesh Murugesan
Rahul Raj
Jakes Bejoy
Anshuman Mukherjee
Saeed Abbas
Country of originIndia
Original languageMalayalam
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes9
Production
ProducerRohandeep Singh
Running time402 minutes
Production companiesSaregama
Jumping Tomato Studios
Newsvalue Productions
Original release
NetworkZEE5
Release15 August 2024 (2024-08-15)[1]

The anthology is presented by Kamal Haasan.[8][9] It comprises an ensemble cast including Mohanlal, Mammootty, Fahad Fazil, Biju Menon, Nedumudi Venu, Siddique, Indrajith Sukumaran, Asif Ali, Mamukkoya, Vineeth, Indrans, Aparna Balamurali, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Surabhi Lakshmi, and Ann Augustine.[10][11][12] The anthology released on 15 August 2024 on ZEE5.[13][14][15]

Cast

edit

Kadugannawa, Oru Yathra Kurippu

edit

Kazhcha

edit

Shilalikhitam

edit

Vilpana

edit

Sherlock

edit

Swargam Thurakkuna Samayam

edit

Abhyam Theedi Veendum

edit

Kadalkkaattu

edit

Episodes

edit
Title Director Writer(s) Music Director Cinematographer Editor
Olavum Theeravum[16] Priyadarshan MT Vasudevan Nair Bijibal Santosh Sivan MS Aiyappan Nair
Kadugannawa, Oru Yathra Kurippu[17] Ranjith MT Vasudevan Nair Bijibal Sujith Vassudev, Prasanth Raveendran Manoj Kannoth
Kazhcha[18] Shyamaprasad MT Vasudevan Nair Ouseppachan Nimish Ravi Vinod Sukumaran
Shilalikhitam[19] Priyadarshan MT Vasudevan Nair Rajesh Murugesan Divakar Mani MS Aiyappan Nair
Vilpana[20] Ashwathy V Nair MT Vasudevan Nair Bijibal Divakar Mani Dilip Damodar
Sherlock[21] Mahesh Narayanan MT Vasudevan Nair Saeed Abbas Mahesh Narayanan Rahul Radhakrishnan
Swargam Thurakkuna Samayam[22] Jayaraj MT Vasudevan Nair Ramesh Narayan Nikhil S. Praveen CR Sreejith
Abhyam Theedi Veendum[23] Santosh Sivan MT Vasudevan Nair Jakes Bejoy Santosh Sivan Dilip Damodar
Kadalkkaattu[24] Rathish Ambat[25] MT Vasudevan Nair Rahul Raj Lokanathan Dilip Damodar

Production

edit

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]

Release

edit

The trailer of the anthology released on 15 July 2024 on Occasion of M.T. Vasudevan Nair's birthday.[39][40] The series will release on the OTT platform ZEE5.[41][42] The series was initially planned for release in September on Occasion of Onam but later advanced to 15 August 2024.[43][44][45] Apart from Malayalam, the series is also released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada languages.[46][47][48][49]

Controversy

edit

During 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

edit

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]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Kamal Haasan, Mammootty And Mohanlal's Anthology Series Manorathangal To Release On This Date". News 18. 17 July 2024. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  2. ^ "MT Vasudevan Nair's Anthology Series Gets A Title, Trailer Release On This Date!". Times Now. 14 July 2024. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Netflix anthology, starring Mohanlal, Mammootty and Fahadh, wraps up filming, here's all we know". OTTPlay. 28 August 2022. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  4. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (16 July 2024). "Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal, Mammootty, Fahadh Faasil Lead ZEE5 Global Anthology 'Manorathangal'". Variety. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  5. ^ "'Manorathangal' Series Review | A collection of 9 films each different from the rest". Onmanorama. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  6. ^ "എം.ടിയുടെ 'മനോരഥങ്ങള്‍' പ്രേക്ഷകരിലേക്ക്; മമ്മൂട്ടിയും മോഹന്‍ലാലും അടക്കം പ്രധാന വേഷങ്ങളില്‍". News Malayalam 24X7 (in Malayalam). 14 July 2024.
  7. ^ "M.T. Vasudevan Nair and nine shades of life". The Hindu. 14 July 2023.
  8. ^ "Manorathangal trailer: Kamal Haasan, Mammootty, Mohanlal, Fahadh Faasil star in Malayalam anthology. Watch". Hindustan Times. 16 July 2024. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Netflix assembles Mohanlal, Mammootty, Kamal Haasan, Fahadh Faasil for star-studded Malayalam anthology". South Live. 13 January 2023. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Ann Augustine makes re-entry, teams up with Indrajith for Rathish Ambat's web series". Mathrubhumi. 1 December 2021. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Priyadarshan's 'Olavum Theeravum' shot in black and white". Onmanorama. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Sanath Jayasuriya welcomes 'true superstar' Mammootty to Sri Lanka". The Times of India. 17 August 2022. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Manorathangal trailer: Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal, Mammootty, Fahadh Faasil take deep dive into various worlds created by MT Vasudevan Nair". Indian Express. 15 July 2024. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  14. ^ "മമ്മൂട്ടിയും മോഹൻലാലും ഫഹദും എംടി ചിത്രത്തിൽ; 'മനോരഥങ്ങൾ' റിലീസിന്". South Live (in Malayalam). 14 July 2024. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Manorathangal: MT Vasudevan Nair anthology gets a title, trailer launch to be held on this date?". OTTPlay. 14 July 2024. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  16. ^ "'ഓളവും തീരവും' റീമേക്കിന് മോഹന്‍ലാലും പ്രിയദര്‍ശനും?". Asianet News (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  17. ^ "കടുഗണ്ണാവ ഒരു യാത്രാക്കുറിപ്പ്; എംടിയും രഞ്ജിത്തും മമ്മൂട്ടിയും ഒന്നിക്കുന്നു". Mathrubhumi News (in Malayalam). 22 July 2022.
  18. ^ "Manorathangal Trailer: Kamal Haasan, Mammootty, Mohanlal, Fahadh Faasil Bring MT Vasudevan Nair's Timeless Stories to Life". ETV Bharat. 16 July 2024. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  19. ^ a b "എംടിയുടെ രചനയില്‍ സിനിമയൊരുക്കാന്‍ പ്രിയദര്‍ശന്‍; ബിജു മേനോന്‍ നായകന്‍". Asianet News. 24 August 2021. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Asif Ali, Madhoo team up for Aswathy Vasudevan Nair's segment Vilpana in Netflix anthology?". OTTPlay. 14 October 2021. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  21. ^ "മാലിക്കിന് ശേഷം എം.ടിയുടെ ഷെർലക്ക്; മഹേഷ് നാരായണനും ഫഹദും വീണ്ടും ഒന്നിക്കുന്നു". India Today (in Malayalam). 9 December 2021. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  22. ^ "Captivated by cinema: Interview with film director Jayaraj". Onmanorama. 7 February 2022. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  23. ^ "'അഭയം തേടി, വീണ്ടും', എംടിയുടെ കഥയ്ക്ക് ദൃശ്യഭാഷ്യമൊരുക്കി സന്തോഷ് ശിവന്‍, കൂട്ടുകെട്ട് 30 വര്‍ഷത്തിന് ശേഷം". The Cue (in Malayalam). 19 September 2021. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  24. ^ "Ann Augustine to make her comeback through Indrajith, Rathish Ambat's segment Kadalkaattu in Netflix anthology". OTTPlay. 9 November 2021. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  25. ^ "Rathish Ambat on Manorathangal: Never dreamt I could direct an MT Vasudevan Nair script". OTTPlay. 8 August 2024. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  26. ^ "'Manorathangal': Mammootty, Kamal Haasan, Fahadh Faasil in MT Vasudevan's anthology". Mathrubhumi News. 16 July 2024.
  27. ^ Salam, Ziya Us (13 July 2023). "MT Vasudevan Nair and nine shades of life". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  28. ^ Thampuran, Atmaja Varma (12 January 2022). "MT Vasudevan Nair, Mollywood A-listers come together for Netflix anthology". Onmanorama. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  29. ^ "Mohanlal Begins Shooting For Priyadarshan's 'Olavum Theeravum' In Thodupuzha". The Times Of India. 10 July 2022.
  30. ^ "It's a wrap for Mohanlal-Priyadarshan's 'Olavum Theeravum'". The Times Of India. 18 July 2022.
  31. ^ "MT Vasudevan Nair, Mollywood A-listers come together for Netflix anthology". Onmanorama. 12 January 2022. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  32. ^ "Mammootty, Ranjith to start shooting for Kadugannawa Oru Yathra next week". Cinema Express. 9 August 2022. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  33. ^ "Mammootty's 'Kadugannawa Oru Yathra' Wraps Up The Shoot". The Times Of India. 26 August 2022. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  34. ^ ETimes.in (18 July 2022). "It's a wrap for Mohanlal-Priyadarshan's 'Olavum Theeravum'". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  35. ^ Web Team (22 February 2022). "ആ വ്യത്യസ്‍താനുഭവവുമായി എത്തി ഞെട്ടിച്ചത് മമ്മൂട്ടി; പക്ഷേ ആദ്യം ഷൂട്ട് പൂർത്തിയാക്കിയത് മോഹൻലാൽ". Asianet News (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  36. ^ "Netflix drops Mohanlal, Mammootty and Fahadh Faasil's MT Vasudevan Nair anthology?". South Live. 2 June 2023. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  37. ^ "Mammootty-Mohanlal starrer anthology series based on MT Vasudevan Nair's works set for OTT release". Mathrubhumi News. 14 July 2024. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  38. ^ https://m.imdb.com/name/nm16437258/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
  39. ^ "മമ്മൂട്ടിയും മോഹൻലാലും ഫഹദും ഒന്നിച്ച്; എംടിയുടെ 'മനോരഥങ്ങൾ' ട്രെയിലർ". Manorama Online (in Malayalam). 15 July 2024. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  40. ^ "Mammootty, Mohanlal and Kamal Hassan;"Manorathangal" gearing up for OT release". Kerala Kaumudi. 15 July 2024. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  41. ^ "'മനോരഥങ്ങൾ' : 9 എംടി കഥകള്‍ 8 സംവിധായകര്‍ പ്രമുഖ അഭിനേതാക്കള്‍ - ട്രെയിലര്‍ ഇറങ്ങി, റിലീസ് പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചു". Asianet News (in Malayalam). 15 July 2024. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  42. ^ "മലയാളത്തിന്റെ സൂപ്പർ താരങ്ങൾ ഒന്നിക്കുന്നു; തിരക്കഥയെഴുതി എം ടി വാസുദേവൻ നായർ: പിറന്നാൾ ദിനത്തിൽ 'മനോരഥങ്ങൾ' ട്രെയിലർ പുറത്ത്". Janam TV (in Malayalam). 15 July 2024. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  43. ^ "ഓണത്തിനെത്തും എം ടിയുടെ 'മനോരഥങ്ങൾ'". Janam TV (in Malayalam). 15 July 2024. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  44. ^ "Manorathangal Trailer: Film legends assemble for anthology on MT Vasudevan Nair's stories". Cinema Express. 15 July 2024. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  45. ^ "ಮಮ್ಮುಟ್ಟಿ, ಮೋಹನ್‌ಲಾಲ್, ಫಹಾದ್ ಫಾಸಿಲ್ Manorathangal Movie; 8 ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕರ ಚಿತ್ರವಿದು!". TV9 (in Kannada). 16 July 2024. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  46. ^ "Manorathangal: മമ്മൂട്ടിയും മോഹൻലാലും അടക്കം 9 സൂപ്പർ താരങ്ങൾ, 8 സംവിധായകർ, 9 കഥകൾ; എംടിയുടെ 'മനോരഥങ്ങൾ' ഓഗസ്റ്റ് 15ന്". ZEE Malayalam News. 16 July 2024. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  47. ^ "9 कहानियां, 9 सुपरस्टार्स, साउथ से आई इस सीरीज के ट्रेलर ने जीता फैंस का दिल, बोले- ब्लॉकबस्टर मास्टरपीस". NDTV (in Hindi). 16 July 2024. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  48. ^ "Manorathangal: ఓటీటీలో బిగ్గెస్ట్ మల్టీ స్టారర్ వెబ్ సిరీస్.. తెలుగులోనూ స్ట్రీమింగ్.. ఎప్పుడు, ఎక్కడంటే". TV9 (in Telugu). 16 July 2024. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  49. ^ "From Indian 2 to Manorathangal: Tamil new OTT releases to watch this week". The Economic Times. 5 August 2024. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  50. ^ "Ramesh Narayan REFUSES To Take Award From Asif Ali at Manorathangal Trailer Launch, Video Goes Viral". News18. 16 July 2024. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  51. ^ "WATCH: Ramesh Narayan refuses to accept award from Asif Ali at Manorathangal trailer launch; faces severe backlash". Pinkvilla. 16 July 2024. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  52. ^ "Ramesh Narayan clarifies the incident with Asif Ali, says, 'I don't feel I insulted him"". The Times of India. 16 July 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  53. ^ "Ready to apologise to Asif Ali if I made a mistake: Ramesh Narayan responds to controversy". Onmanorama. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  54. ^ "Ramesh Narayan under fire for 'insulting' Asif Ali at Manorathangal trailer launch; composer responds: 'It is true that I didn't notice Asif, but...'". Indian Express. 16 July 2024. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  55. ^ "Manorathangal review: Mammootty and Mohanlal's anthology series has some standout segments, some that are decent and others that fall short". The Indian Express. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  56. ^ Praveen, S. R. (15 August 2024). "'Manorathangal' series review: An uneven anthology celebrating M. T. Vasudevan Nair, with a few hidden gems". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  57. ^ "Manorathangal review: Anthology with best of Malayalam film industry that captures the essence of human relationships".
edit