Manorathangal, the long-awaited anthology web series, which is based on the popular literary works of MT Vasudevan Nair, is gearing up to premiere on Zee5 on August 15, 2024. The series, which consists of 9 episodes, is headlined by some of the finest talents of Malayalam cinema, including Mammootty, Mohanlal, Fahadh Faasil, and others. The segments, based on the Jnanpith Winner’s popular short stories are helmed by the most celebrated filmmakers in the industry. Kamal Haasan, on the other hand, joined the team as the narrator of the series.

Manorathangal episodes, cast, and crew: All you need to know

The first segment of Manorathangal, Shilalikhitham, is headlined by the popular actor Biju Menon. The episode directed by Priyadarshan depicts the story of Prof. Gopalan Kutty, who returns to his native village with his daughter Renu, for a brief vacation with his family. Shanthi Krishna and Joy Mathew appear in pivotal roles. Rajesh Murugesan has composed the music. Divakar Mani is the director of photography. MS Aiyappan Nair handles the editing.

The second episode, directed by Jayaraj Kozhikode, revolves around Kutti Narayanan, who takes care of old people on death bed. He is appointed by Madhavan Mash’s family, after the latter’s health deteriorated after a fall. Indrans plays Kutti Narayanan in Swargam Thurakkunna Samayam, which features Nedumudi Venu as Madhavan Mash. Renji Panicker, Surabhi Lakshmi, and Kottayam Pradeep essay the supporting roles. Ramesh Narayanan composed the music. Nikhil S Praveen is the director of photography. CR Sreejith handles the editing.

The Shyamaprasad directorial, which is the third episode of Manorathangal, revolves around the character Sudha, played by Parvathy Thiruvothu. Sudha returns to her tharavadu to inform her mother about her failing marriage and finds support and compassion from the most unexpected person. Narain and Harish Uthaman appear in pivotal roles in Kazhcha. Anshuman Mukherjee composed music for the segment. Nimish Ravi is the director of photography. The segment is edited by Vinod Sukumaran.

The fourth episode of Manorathangal, directed by Santosh Sivan, revolves around an unnamed man who arrives at his native village, after many years. The new group of villagers, who fail to identify him, give him an old, decaying house to stay in for a small rent. Siddique plays the central character in this segment. Jakes Bejoy composed the music. Santosh Sivan himself handled the cinematography, while Dilip Damodar handled the editing.

The fifth episode, which stars Indrajith Sukumaran, Aparna Balamurali, and Ann Augustine in the lead roles is directed by Rathish Ambat. Kadalkkattu revolves around the protagonist, a self-made man, who prefers living away from his uneducated, villager wife. He lives with a lover named Margaret in the city, while his wife and child stays at her father’s mansion. Rahul Raj composed music for the segment. Lokanathan is the director of photography. Dilip Damodar handles the editing of the segment.

The sixth episode of Manorathangal, Olavum Theeravum, is directed by Priyadarshan and stars Mohanlal as the central character Bapputty. The protagonist falls in love with his late best friend’s sister Nabeesu, despite being well-aware of her family background. Durga Krishna plays Nabeesu in Olavum Theeravum, which stars Surabhi Lakshmi and Hareesh Peradi in pivotal roles. Bijibal composed the music. Santosh Sivan handled the cinematography of the segment, which was shot in black-and-white format. MS Aiyappan Nair handled the editing.

This episode, directed by Mahesh Narayanan, revolves around the life of Balu, a highly-qualified yet alcoholic journalist, who visits his sister in the USA. Balu develops a unique bond with his sister’s cat Sherlock Holmes Shinde (the name given by his Maharashtrian brother-in-law Jayant Shinde. Fahadh Faasil plays the role of Balu in Sherlock, while Nadiya Moidu appears in the role of his sister. Saeed Abbas composed music for the segment, which is shot by director Mahesh Narayanan, himself. Rahul Radhakrishnan handled the editing.

The eighth episode of Manorathangal is directed by MT Vasudevan Nair’s daughter, Ashwathy V Nair. Asif Ali and Madhoo play the lead roles in Vilpana, which revolves around Sunil Roy, a journalist who meets a mysterious woman named Mrs. Parekh when he arrives at her flat to buy a particular piece of furniture. Bijibal composed music for the segment. Divakar Mani is the director of photography. Dilip Damodar handled the editing.

The final episode of Manorathangal, Kadugannava Oru Yathra, stars Mammootty in the lead role. The Ranjith directorial depicts the story of Venugopal, a Malayalee journalist in his late 50's, working with a famous daily. He travels to Sri Lanka to present a paper in a Seminar of South Asian journalists. Vineeth, Anumol, Savithri Sreedharan, Manohari Joy, Sumesh Moor, Shankar Induchoodan, and others essay pivotal roles in the segment. Bijibal has composed the music score. Sujith Vassudev and Prasanth Raveendran are the directors of photography. Manoj Kannoth handled the editing

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