30 years on, 'Manichitrathazhu' still a blockbuster at Keraleeyam!

At the cinema mela organised as part of Keraleeyam 2023, crowds thronged the theatres to watch a 30-year-old classic! For the 7:30 pm show, there was a huge lineup in front of the mela braving the rain. Owing to the rush, the organisers had to hold additional shows at 9:15 pm. Released in 1993 and directed by Fazil, 'Manichitrathazhu' is considered to be one of the finest psychological horror classics in Indian cinema.
Friday's rush was an indication that it remains a much-loved film for Malayalis. And when they saw their favourite actors appearing on screen, the crowd clapped excitedly as if they were watching the FDFS of a film. Since noon, there was a long queue of people outside the theatre to watch the film. The videos of the crowd and the reaction of the audience are being circulated widely on social media.

'Manichitrathazhu', won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Shobana won the Best Actress award for her portrayal of Nagavalli/Ganga. Even after 30 years, it remains a huge hit. Three additional shows were held for thousands who waited in the pouring rain at the entrance of the Kairali Theater complex.

On the third day, crowds began to gather outside the theatre from 3 pm to watch the 7:30 pm show. The show started half an hour early as the 443-seat venue was completely occupied! Several people even watched the show sitting on the ground. Nearly a 1,000 people waited impatiently outside the gate despite the rain.

Owing to this, the film academy was instructed to hold three additional screenings with the aim of showing the film to a maximum number of people. Following this, preparations were made to screen the film at 9 pm at Nila, 9.30 pm at Sree and then in Kairali. "So much love for a film that was released 30 years ago shows the passion of the audience towards the medium of cinema. This is also a sign that people are fully supporting the Keraleeyam program,”- said Minister Saji Cherian.