Loud cheers and shouts of joy erupted in a packed movie house in Thiruvananthapuram for the entire duration of Manichitrathazhu. You would not guess it was a 30-year-old movie, the way young crowds lapped it up and celebrated every single scene, made memorable in the three decades following its release. The movie — which has become iconic in the years after its release in 1993 — was screened as part of Keraleeyam, a grand festival underway in Kerala to celebrate the state's 67th anniversary.
Starring Shobana, Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Innocent, KPAC Lalitha, Nedumudi Venu and so many others, Manichithrathazhu is considered one of the greatest movies in Malayalam. Directed by Fazil, with other directors like the late Siddique, Lal, Priyadarshan, and Sibi Malayil in the making team, the film won recognition for its telling and performances, getting remade in multiple languages, each a resounding success. Shobana also won her first National Award that year. A psychological thriller, telling the story of a woman who is enchanted by the ancient story of a dancer who once lived in the mansion she comes to, the film also had a lot of humorous elements in it. Clearly, the combination still works 30 years later.
For its screening on November 3, held as part of the Keraleeyam film festival, there was a huge queue of more than 2,000 people waiting for several hours. The state’s Chalachitra Academy, organising the film festival in association with the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC), reported that queues for the original 7.30 pm show began at 3 pm, and people were braving the rains while standing outside. The 443 seats of Kairali theatre had filled up very soon and the screening began half an hour early. People had occupied every free space of the floor too.
With more than 1,500 people waiting outside, the Culture Department decided to have three more screenings of the film in the three theatres of the same complex at night. A single film was thus screened four times in the same day.
Read from archive: 25 years of 'Manichitrathazhu': Why the Malayalam classic remains unsurpassed