Manamantha

Manamantha (lit. 'All of Us') is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language anthology film[1][2] written and directed by Chandra Sekhar Yeleti and produced by Sai Korrapati. It stars Mohanlal, Gautami, Viswant Duddumpudi, and Raina Rao and also marks the former's Telugu debut after a guest appearance in the 1994 film Gandeevam. The music was composed by Mahesh Shankar with cinematography by Rahul Shrivatsav and editing by G. V. Chandra Sekhar. The film was partially reshot in Malayalam as Vismayam (transl. Amazement) with a slightly different cast.[3][4] The film released on 4 August 2016.

Manamantha
Theatrical release poster
Directed byChandra Sekhar Yeleti
Produced by
Screenplay by
  • Chandra Sekhar Yeleti
  • Ravi Chandra Teja (Dialogues)
Story byChandra Sekhar Yeleti
Starring
Music byMahesh Shankar
CinematographyRahul Shrivatsav
Edited byG. V. Chandra Sekhar
Production
company
Varahi Chalana Chitram
Distributed byVarahi Chalana Chitram
Release date
  • 4 August 2016 (2016-08-04) (Premiere)
  • 5 August 2016 (2016-08-05) (Worldwide)
Running time
136 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu

The film was officially launched on 29 November 2015 in Hyderabad. The movie was mostly shot in Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Secunderabad. Principal photography commenced on the following day.[5] Manamantha was premiered on 4 August 2016 in North America and was released worldwide on 5 August 2016. Its Malayalam version was released in October 2016, but the Tamil version, titled Namadhu, was released simultaneously along with Manamantha.

Plot

Manamantha follows the lives of four people from different paths and ambitions.

The first person is shown to be Sai Ram the Assistant Manager of Vijetha Supermarket in the Hyderabad. He lives with his uncle Sadha Shivam Reddy alias Babai and is always appreciated by his manager Venkat for his innovative ideas. However, Viswanath always feels jealous of him.

The next person is shown to be Mahitha, a school-graduating girl who has Bhushan as a class teacher and Raghavendra Rao Sharma as a principal. She is a Hyderabad-based girl who hangs out with a number of friends.

The third person is shown to be Abhiram, a computer engineering graduate. He loves his friends and fall in love with Aira, who too falls for him seeing his kind nature.

The last person is shown to be Gayathri, who is a housewife from Koti who lives with her neighbor Lakshmi. She always finds it difficult to run life as she has not enough money for her family, but she is always energized by her old professor and has a great respect for him.

One day, Sai Ram meets Dass (Ayyappa P. Sharma), a local moneylender, and befriends him to teach Viswanath a lesson. Sai Ram is soon promoted as the Manager of the Supermarket for his innovative ideas, and Venkat feels happy for him. To celebrate his success, Sai Ram and Babai go for a tour to Hyderabad and drink in a bar. He soon receives a phone call from Viswanath's daughter, saying that Viswanath is missing since two days. He then confronts Dass and learns that he had kidnapped him for more money. Sai Ram feels guilty for his action and decides to find Viswanath.

Meanwhile, Abhiram-Aira's friendship develops, and they are always seen together. One of Mahitha's friends, a small boy, goes missing. Mahitha is involved in the case by the local Police Inspector, who warns Bhushan to take care of Mahitha as she is put in danger, to which Bhushan agrees. Gayathri is offered a job by her professor in Singapore but denies saying that she always wants to take care of her family. Sai Ram is blackmailed by Dass for finding Viswanath, but later, Dass is shown to be dead, owing to his smoking habits. Sai Ram then decides to surrender himself to the Hyderabad Police.

Mahitha is consoled by an astrologer from Nanakram Guda, who knows her problems. As the days pass by, Abhiram is unfortunately betrayed by Aira, who says to him that money is more important for her than him. Gayathri is accused of stealing jewels from a jewellery shop. Mahitha decides to go away as she is unable to find her friend.

Gayathri decides to accept the job offer for the sake of her family. She writes a letter before leaving and mentions that she bought a laptop for her son and bike for her husband. In the process, Abhiram tries to commit suicide but remembers his mother, who is none other than Gayathri. Also, Mahitha's friend is saved by Sai Ram near a temple, as said by a priest. Fortunately, Vishwanath is also saved by Mahitha while searching for her friend.

In the airport, it is revealed that Gayathri is Sai Ram's wife, and Abhiram and Mahitha are their children. The film thus ends with a happy note with the four people taking a selfie for their reconciliation party.

Cast
  • Mohanlal as Sai Ram, an Assistant Manager of a supermarket in Hyderabad, who aspires to be Manager for better salary and reputation
  • Gautami as Gayathri, Sai Ram's wife and a housewife who gets a job offer in Singapore
  • Viswant Duddumpudi as Abhiram, Sai Ram's son who falls in love with Aira but gets betrayed by her
  • Raina Rao as Mahitha, Sai Ram's daughter whose friend goes missing but is later found by her
  • Anisha Ambrose as Aira, Abhiram's love interest who wants money rather than him
  • Chandra Mohan as Sadha Shivam Reddy alias Babai, Sai Ram's uncle
  • Gollapudi Maruti Rao as Gayathri's professor who gives her a job offer in Singapore
  • Paruchuri Venkateswara Rao as Venkat, the store manager of Vijetha Supermarket
  • Vennela Kishore as Bhushan, Mahitha's class teacher
  • Nassar as Raghavendra Rao Sharma, Mahitha's principal
  • Urvashi as Lakshmi, Gayathri's neighbor who lives with her
  • Harsha Vardhan as Viswanath, Sai Ram's colleague who gets jealous of him but later goes missing
  • Avantika Vandanapu as Viswanath's daughter, Swathi
  • L. B. Sriram as the astrologer in Nanakram Guda
  • Brahmaji as the police inspector
  • Sanjay Reddy as Aira's father
  • Dhanraj as Salesman
  • Taraka Ratna as Roadside Painter
  • Ayyappa P. Sharma as Dass (Voice dubbed by Hekar Sega), a local moneylender
  • Anitha Chowdary as Viswanath's wife
  • Pradeep as Lecturer
  • Meghana Sritha
  • Trishool Jethuri
  • Kranthi
  • CVL Narasimha Rao
  • Laxman Meesala
  • Appaji Ambarisha Darbha as Doctor
Malayalam version
  • P. Balachandran as Ravi Pillai alias Cheriya Ammavan, Sairam's uncle
  • Joy Mathew as Gayathri's professor who gives her a job offer in Singapore

Production

Pre-production

The film was officially announced by Telugu film director Chandra Sekhar Yeleti on 14 October 2015. Produced by Sai Korrapati under his production company Varahi Chalana Chitram, the film was planned as a bilingual simultaneously made in Telugu and Malayalam languages. Mohanlal and Gautami were announced in the lead roles.[6] The filming was then said to start by the third week of November. Yeleti described the film as a "family entertainer which involves four stories".[7] The title Manamantha was confirmed in the end of November.[8] According to film's executive producer Krishna Rao, it is an anthology film comprising four stories which, at the end, will unite to the main plot. In Malayalam, the film is titled Vismayam, while the film has also a Tamil dubbed version titled as Namadhu.[9][10] Tamil lyricist Madhan Karky wrote the lyrics for the songs in Tamil as well as the dialogues for Namadhu.[11]

Mohanlal and Gautami are teaming after a gap of 19 years since Iruvar (1997) directed by Maniratnam.[12] Manamantha will be Mohanlal's second Telugu film after a cameo appearance in Gandeevam (1994)[6] and also Gautami's return to Malayalam cinema after a gap of 17 years. She will be dubbing herself for all the languages. Mohanlal took the decision to learn Telugu language by enlisting a translator to get his diction precise, as he wanted it to be as close as possible to that of a native Telugu speaker. According to the film's associate-director Siby Jose Chalissery, Mohanlal is trying two different acting styles for each version and taking extra care for bringing that difference, "the scenes aren't exactly similar in the two versions. There are variations in the mannerisms, emotions and dialogue delivery,".[13] He plays an assistant manager in a supermarket, a down-to-earth middle class man who "has strong principles and is not willing to forgo them for small gains in life,". Mohanlal dubbed for himself for all the languages, including the Tamil dubbed version.[14] There was also a negotiation with Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan for an important role.[15] In October 2015, the production team also announced a casting call for a teenage girl.[16] Viswant Duddumpudi was selected by Yeleti for one of the major roles in the film after performing a screen test for him.[17] The casting team signed Anisha Ambrose for an important role as they were impressed with her performance in her past few films, and were particularly looking for a new face.[18] She plays the love interest of Duddumpudi.[17]

Filming

The film was formally launched in Hyderabad on 29 November 2015. Principal photography and regular filming began there on 30 November.[8] Mohanlal gave dates for 25 days for filming.[7] His portions were completed by January third week.[19] The first schedule of filming was completed by the end of January.[13]

Mohanlal started dubbing his part in June 2016. He posted a picture of him working in the recording studio through Twitter and Facebook.[20][21]

Soundtrack
Manamantha
Soundtrack album by
Mahesh Shankar
Released27 July 2016 (2016-07-27)
Recorded2016
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length17:03
LanguageTelugu
Malayalam
LabelVel Records
ProducerSai Korrapati
Mahesh Shankar chronology
D for Dopidi
(2013)		 Manamantha
(2016)

The soundtrack album was composed by Mahesh Shankar. The five song album was released by Vel Records on 27 July 2016.

Telugu Soundtrack
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Manamantha"Haricharan3:29
2."Butta Bomma"Hemachandra3:09
3."Aashalalo"Damini Bhatla CH2:35
4."Kanneerulaa"Vidhu Prathap3:31
5."Tik Tik"Sriya Madhuri4:19
Total length:17:03
Malayalam Soundtrack
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Naamellam"Haricharan3:29
2."Kettilamma"Christine Jose3:09
3."Aashakale"Nayana Nair2:35
4."Kanneerile"Vidhu Prathap3:31
5."Tik Tik"Sriya Madhuri4:19
Total length:17:03

Release

The film was premiered on 4 August 2016 in North America and theatrically released worldwide on the following day.[22] It released in 81 theatres in the United States.[23][24] Varaahi International Cinemas acquired the USA and Canada distribution rights of Manamantha, Vismayam, and Namadhu.[25][26] Vismayam and Namadhu was released only in a limited number of screens in the United States.[22]

Box office

The film collected a worldwide gross of ₹4 crore (US$560,000) from all three languages in the opening day.[27] In the United States, it collected $5,423 from the Thursday night premiere (4 August) and $27,314 in the opening day, coming second place among the Indian releases (behind Pellichoopulu). The film collected $118551 from 73 screens in the United States box office in the first weekend.[22][28] In six weeks, it grossed $154,248 (₹1.04 crore) in the US.[29]

Home Media

The film was released and is now available in Hotstar for free.

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References
  1. Tanmayi, AuthorBhawana. "Anthology films find many takers". Telangana Today. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. "C/o Kancharapalem (2018) - These 5 anthology films of Telugu cinema will leave you speechless". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. Sidhardhan, Sanjith (4 January 2016). "'Yeleti doesn't intrude in Mohanlal's work'". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  4. James, Anu (29 December 2015). "Mohanlal learning Telugu for Manamantha; Venkatesh Daggubati welcomes him to Tollywood". International Business Times. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  5. IndiaGlitz (29 November 2015). "Mohanlal's Manamantha Launched". Indiaglitz.com. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  6. James, Anu (14 October 2015). "Mohanlal to star opposite Gauthami after 18 years in Chandra Shekar Yeleti's trilingual film". International Business Times. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  7. Jonnalagedda, Pranita (14 October 2015). "Mohanlal, Gautami to act in a Telugu film". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  8. Telugucinema (30 November 2015). "Mohanlal, Yeleti film titled 'Manamantha'". Sify.com. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  9. Menon, Akhila (2 June 2016). "Malayalam Version Of Mohanlal's 'Manamantha' Titled As 'Vismayam'". Filmibeat. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  10. Subramanian, Anupama (24 May 2016). "High expectations for Mohanlal's trilingual!". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  11. "A Tamil film with the 'Drishyam' Hero and 'Papanasam' Heroine". Indiaglitz.com. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  12. Onmanorama Staff (14 October 2015). "Mohanlal to romance Gautami in trilingual". Malayala Manorama. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  13. Sidhardhan, Sanjith (24 December 2015). "Mohanlal learns Telugu for his next bilingual". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  14. Sidhardhan, Sanjith (9 June 2016). "Mohanlal to dub in Telugu and Tamil". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  15. Jonnalagedda, Pranita. "Irrfan Khan's T-town return on the cards". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  16. Times News Network (25 October 2014). "Sai Korrapati to produce Chandrasekhar Yeleti's next". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  17. Chowdhary, Y. Sunita (17 May 2016). "It's getting better for actor Vishwant Duddumpudi". The Hindu. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  18. Yellapantula, Suhas (7 May 2016). "Anisha Bags Big Bilingual?". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  19. Sidhardhan, Sanjith (14 January 2016). "Mohanlal wraps up filming his Telugu movie". The Times of India. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  20. Jayaram, Deepika (21 June 2016). "It's a pleasure to learn and dub in Telugu: Mohanlal". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  21. "Mohanlal dubbing for 'Manamantha'". Sify. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  22. Shekhar H. Hooli (9 August 2016). "US box office collection: The film was Super hit, Mohanlal's 'Manamantha' beats Allu Sirish's 'Srirastu Subhamastu' in 1st weekend". International Business Times. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  23. "Manamantha USA Theatres List". Indiaglitz.com. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  24. "Manamantha USA Schedules". Telugutimes.net. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  25. "Manamantha Overseas with clean U". Greatandhra.com. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  26. IndiaGlitz (20 July 2016). "Manamantha Overseas release by Vaaraahi International Cinemas". Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  27. "A 'Good Friday' For Box-office". Gulte.com. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  28. https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/box-office-overseas/sultan-6th-highest-time-overseas-grosser/
  29. https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/box-office-overseas/baar-baar-dekho-dismal-overseas/
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