annu mathew

A brilliantly crafted story penned by Srinivasan and fleshed out by director Kamal, Mazhayethum Munpe is a memorable movie with a bunch of equally nostalgic songs. Performance-wise, Shobhana and Annie take the cake while Mammooty too delivers a packed performance. Narrated as a flashback, the film presents Shruthy (Annie), a bratty final year college student who falls head-over-heels for her professor Nandakumar Varma aka Nandan (Mammooty) and is determined to have things her way. Nandan, however, pays little heed to her advances and scrimps through life so he can pay for the treatment of his cousin/fiancee Uma (Shobhana), a dancer who has been bed-ridden following a stroke. Nandan and Shobhana have practically lived all their lives for each other and continue to care deeply for one another. Shruthy tries one antic after the other to entice Nandan, failing miserably each time, but her youthful obsession and spoilt ways know no bounds and she comes up with new ways to catch her professor's interest. After several rounds of chastising and warning Shruthy, Nandan decides to take her to his village so she can see his fiancee for herself and understand that his life revolves around Uma, who has, by now, been responding to treatment and started to walk on her own. Shruthy, however, resents Uma and her presence in Nandan's life. Seeing them together makes her furious and, hopes dashed, Shruthy leaves the village abruptly. After wallowing is despair for days, she returns to the village one day and tells Uma that she loves the professor, but he ignores her advances because of his sympathy towards Uma. She rants on about how Uma would never be able to satisfy Nandan as a wife because of her ailment and that she'd never be able to bear him a child. Distraught, Uma has a relapse and becomes bedridden again. Oblivious to the real reason behind Uma's relapse, Nandan rushes to her side and assures her that she'll be back on her feet again. But Uma would have none of it. Convinced that her existence prevents Nandan from leading a fulfilling life, Uma refuses to take her medicines and insists that her last wish is to see him marry Shruthy. Torn by his love for Uma and the desire to keep her happy, Nandan eventually relents. Meanwhile, Shruthy learns of Uma's second stroke and is aghast because she had delivered the tired at Uma in a fit of rage and unmindful of the impact it could have on her. Shruthy's mind grows heavy with guilt and she is unable to feel happy during the wedding preparations or even after tying the knot with Nandan which she had so yearned earlier. Days pass and Nandan tries to be a dutiful husband. But her mind laden with guilt, Shruthy finds that peace is increasingly elusive and the once boisterous girl turns into a recluse. One day, she goes to meet Uma, begging forgiveness and asking to be cursed for her selfish ways. Uma is kind, but her father, Nandan's uncle, gets angry at her and asks her to leave the house. Nandan walks in just then and learns that it was Shruthy who caused Uma's relapse. He curses his fate, and leaves the village. Back to the present, a disheveled Nandan is traced to Kolkata 4-5 years later by his colleague and is brought back. Nandan learns that Shruthy had become deranged and had killed herself, but not before giving birth to a girl. Elated and devastated at the same time, he goes to see the little girl and tells her that he is her father. From inside the house, Uma emerges; she has regained the ability to walk, albeit with some difficulty, and tells him that she was probably meant to live so someone could take care of Nandan's daughter. Nandan is happy to see her and feels life has come full circle.