Manthrikan 2012

Mukundan Unni is introduced as a tantric magician and exorcist, quietly leading a life in a remote village while showing little enthusiasm for his father’s traditional craft. He spends time with two bumbling cronies, drifting through days that blend into one another, until fate nudges him toward a young woman who will alter the course of his path.

There, he meets Malu, a girl who carries the weight of a blank past and no memory of her origins. Despite this amnesia, she is drawn to the enigmatic stranger, and their bond deepens after a few melodious moments that bloom into romance. Yet happiness proves fragile, and the two are separated before their story can fully unfold.

Years pass, and a wealthy family seeks his help to exorcise a spirit haunting their palatial residence, Shenoy Mandir. The entity, named Rukkumani, has become a troubling presence, and Mukundan is summoned to confront it within the grand halls of the house. In a surprising turn, he encounters Malu once more, now bearing the name Chandana, but she does not recognise him. Determined to reclaim what they once shared, he vows to bring her back to herself.

Guided by his father’s teachings and the lineage of ancient thaliyolas handed down through generations, Mukundan redoubles his efforts, leaning into the old wisdom that has long governed his trade. He steps into the realm of deeper, ritual knowledge, fuelled by a growing sense that the answers he seeks lie in the heart of the ritual space known as the manthrakalam. It is here that he confronts a haunting truth about Malu’s identity and her connection to Shenoy Mandir’s troubled history.

As the mystery unfolds, Mukundan discovers the sorrowful past of Rukku—the girl from a poor background who loved someone within Shenoy Mandir. When the three brothers who rule the estate learn of the forbidden affair, they kill Rukku’s family and burn Rukku alive. Overcome by horror, her lover leaps into the flames and dies by suicide. Since that brutal night, Rukku has haunted the living as a vengeful spirit, claiming the lives of two of the brothers who wronged her.

In a tense moment, Mukundan nearly traps the restless spirit within a wooden doll, but the Shenoy family interrupts the pooja, breaking the rite and freeing Rukku once more. Possession returns as Malu again falls under Rukku’s compel, and the two are united in a terrible rupture at night when Malu (Rukku) tries to strike down the remaining brother. Mukundan acts swiftly, exorcising the spirit and freeing Malu from the malevolent hold.

With the danger lifted, Mukundan prepares to depart, not seeking anything in return for the salvation he has offered. Yet the third brother, a last gesture of fate, hands Malu back to Mukundan, tying her fate once more to the man who has walked with her through fire and memory.