Untold story behind 'Laksharchana Kandu Madangumbol'; Mankombu Gopalakrishnan’s iconic masterpiece

Hearing the song 'Laksharchana Kandu Madangumbol' for the first time as a child, Ravi Menon couldn’t fully grasp its lyrical depth or the many layers of interpretation within it. Yet, one thing was clear: it was a song about love – deep and intense love.
Even after half a century, the music critic says he feels the same surge of emotion hearing that song every time. The only difference now is that he fully understands its meaning.

“It was from the Philips transistor radio at home that I first heard the song 'Laksharchana Kandu Madangumbol' from the 1974 film 'Ayalathe Sundari'," he recalls. "The song came flowing in like waves on a night with heavy rains, accompanied by howling wind outside. In my young mind, a vivid image took shape – Prem Nazir, the ever-green hero, following Jayabharathi, the heartthrob of that era, singing this melody. It would be years before I finally saw the film on screen, but when I did, I was in awe. Director Hariharan had captured the scene with the exact emotional intensity I had imagined.”

Years later, Ravi Menon had the opportunity to meet the song’s lyricist, Mankombu Gopalakrishnan. Curious about the inspiration behind the lyrics, he asked, “Isn’t there a Romeo, deeply struck by love, hidden in these lines? Did you have someone in mind when you wrote this song?”

Faced with the question, he first smiled and admitted that the shadow of a teenage love lingered in those lyrics. Though he had written the song based on the situation described by director Hariharan, an old memory had unintentionally seeped into the lines. As a seventeen or eighteen-year-old, he had fallen for an older cousin. She loved reading and often went through his poems, sharing her thoughts. That closeness gradually blossomed into a quiet love – one that never had a chance to succeed,” Ravi Menon recalled.

During their conversation, Mankombu Gopalakrishnan told Ravi Menon that the imagery of the temple and the Laksharchana (a ritual of offering lamps) in the song were drawn from his own memories of lost love. He had written the lyrics while staying at the RK Lodge in Chennai, and as soon as Hariharan read them, he was captivated. “Hariharan has a keen sense of music and a clear vision for how songs should be shot in his films. That’s probably why the sequence turned out so beautifully,” Ravi Menon added.

He also recalled an interesting anecdote that Hariharan had once shared with him about filming the song 'Laksharchana'. According to the director, the song actually begins with a kiss that wasn’t originally in the script. It was Prem Nazir who kissed Jayabharathi, and she was taken completely by surprise.

Hariharan had wanted the heroine’s expression to reflect a subtle resentment in love. To make the moment as natural as possible, he instructed Prem Nazir to kiss Jayabharathi abruptly, just before the song began, and Jayabharathi was not informed in advance. Nazir followed the director’s instructions, and the song opened with a close-up of Jayabharathi’s eyes welling up from the impact of that unexpected moment.

At first, the actress was unsettled by the scene, reluctant to accept the reasoning behind it. It was only when she saw the final version on screen that she finally felt at ease.

Hariharan had also spoken about the goosebump-inducing experiences of hearing the song for the first time from the studio console as Yesudas crooned it, and later, watching Prem Nazir bring it to life through the camera lens in a garden in Bangalore. The song held a special place in Prem Nazir’s heart as well, and even during his last meeting with Hariharan, the actor sang a few lines from memory," Ravi Menon said.

The song also marked a major breakthrough for the Shankar-Ganesh duo, who had until then worked as orchestra assistants to M.S. Viswanathan. And it was none other than Ilaiyaraaja who played the guitar for the track.

As soon as it was released, the song was widely embraced by Malayalis. However, it also sparked controversy over certain lyrics. One debated line referred to offering a flower to Malleeswara (Lord Shiva). Some critics took issue with this imagery, but the lyricist, Mankombu Gopalakrishnan, clarified that he had used Malleeswaran to symbolize the "god of flowers" – a reference to Kamadeva, the deity of love. Another line stirred complaints for its depiction of the hero using his nails to nip his lover’s pimples.

Despite these controversies, the song’s popularity remained unshaken. It continues to be celebrated as one of Malayalam’s most cherished love songs. As a tribute to its lasting impact, Mankombu named his house 'Laksharchana' after the song.

Years after its release, Mankombu continued to encounter people who held the song close to their hearts. During a recent train journey, he met a couple who told him that everything you wrote in that song mirrors their own love story. "That is the true magic of a song – it revives feelings and eras that might otherwise fade into oblivion. Mankombu told me that hearing such stories made him feel his life had found its true purpose," he concluded.
(This article is a republication of a piece written by writer Ravi Menon about Mankombu Gopalakrishnan.)