Manichitrathazhu (1993)

[**** stars / *****]

Is the ancestral mansion of Madampalli really haunted? Is the spirit of the revenge-seeking dancer Nagavalli still trapped in the south side room, held back by an enchanted lock? What will happen if the lock is broken?   

Manichitrathazhu (The Ornate Lock) is an iconic, superb, much-referenced Malayalam psychological drama thriller with a touch of comedy. 

Mixing art and commercial cinema into an eerie, entertaining mix, this hauntingly realistic classic has had many remakes like the overplayed Hindi remake Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), the cheesy Tamil Rajnikanth starrer Chandramukhi (2005), Apthamitra (2004) in Kannada and Rajmohol (2005) in Bengali, but no equals. 

Manichitrathazhu story 
Ganga (Shobana) and Nakulan (Suresh Gopi) are a newly married couple visiting Nakulan's ancestral village, with its tangle of characters. 

Strange things start happening when the couple, despite dire warnings from the extended family, move to Madampalli and open the room supposedly containing a long-dead dancer's spirit.    

Nakulan's psychiatrist friend, Dr. Sunny Joseph (Mohanlal) is then called over to solve the mystery.   

Mix of genres, complete entertainment
Manichitrathazhu is engrossing from start to end for its minimal and effective background music use, and a quiet village setting that gives it a scary, 'this is really happening' touch. 

The excellent performances add much-needed authenticity to the proceedings that move from light comic notes to a grim, breathless thrilling climax. 

Mohanlal leads the stellar cast as the mischievous, enigmatic psychiatrist. Shobana, Suresh Gopi, Innocent, Nedumudi Venu, Thilakan and K.P.A.C. Lalitha are all in top form.    

Manichitrathazhu review 
Director Fazil succeeds in making Manichitrathazhu engrossing on the weight of its alluring story, this occurs despite some comedy-gone-overboard, the limited production budget, a lip-syncing song slowing down proceedings, an off-track opening credits song, stage play like atmospherics rendering some scenes awkward.  

Manichitrathazhu is a rare mix-genre movie that actually works.

(An OK print version of Manichitrathazhu with English subtitles is available on YouTube.)