''Maamaankam'' is a 1979 Indian

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

-language

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

film directed and produced by

Navodaya Appachan Maliampurackal Chacko Punnoose, known as Navodaya Appachan (6 February 1924 – 23 April 2012) was an Indian film producer, director and entrepreneur. He was best known for his work in Malayalam cinema, especially as the founder of Navoday ...

, made under Navodaya Studio. It is based on the medieval

Mamankam festival Māmānkam or Māmāngam was a ''Wiktionary:duodecennial, duodecennial'' medieval fair held on the bank, and on the dry river-bed, of Bharathappuzha, Pērār (River Nil̥a, River Ponnani, or Bhārathappuzha) at Thirunavaya, Tirunāvāya, south ...

held every 12 years at the banks of river

Bharathappuzha The Bharathappuzha ("River of Bhārata"), also known as the Nila River, is a river in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. With a length of 209 km, it is the second longest river that flows through Kerala after the Periyar. It flo ...

Tirunavaya Tirunavaya, also spelled as Thirunavaya, is a town in Tirur Malappuram, Kerala. Situated on the northern bank of Bharatappuzha (River Ponnani/Nila or Perar), it is one of the major Hindu pilgrimage centres in Kerala. Tirunavaya, home to Tirunav ...

Southern India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

. Written by N. Govindankutty, the film stars

Prem Nazir Prem Nazir (born Abdul Khader; 6 April 1926 – 16 January 1989) was an Indian actor known as one of Malayalam cinema's definitive leading man, leading men of his generation. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential actors in the hist ...

Jayan Krishnan Madhavan Nair (25 July 1939 – 16 November 1980), better known by his stage name Jayan, born as the son of Madhavan Pillai (Kerala title), Pillai and Bharathiyamma in Kollam district, Kollam, was an Indian actor, Officer (armed forc ...

Jose Prakash Kunnel Joseph Joseph, better known by his stage name, Jose Prakash (14 April 1925 – 24 March 2012) was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Malayalam cinema. He was a singer turned actor who had appeared in more than 300 films mostly in a ...

and

Alummoodan Dominic Alummoodu, known by his stage name Alummoodan (15 March 1933 3 May 1992) was an Indian actor who worked in Malayalam films. He acted in more than 100 films and mainly did comedy roles. Background Alummoodan was born as Dominic to Rosa ...

in the lead roles. The film has musical score by K. Raghavan.

Plot

It is Chanthunni's greatest wish to go to the Mamankam and fight for the sake of his King Valluvakonathiri against the Samoothiri. However his uncle and guru wishes him to wait until the next Mamankam. And his childhood love Manka is the daughter of the Chief Minister of Samuthiri. Aiding Chanthunni is his best friend Moosa, who is also his uncle's disciple. Moosa captures Koya, a spy from the Samoothiri's camp, but is promptly tricked and captured by a rescue team led by Suhara, Koya's daughter. Suhara falls in love with Moosa while he's a prisoner. But her divided loyalties between her lover and her father may spell doom for either one of them. And Chanthunni has no intention of obeying his uncle to wait for another 12 years for the next Mamankam.

Cast

as Chanthunni *

as Moosa *

Manavikraman *

* Ambika as Manipennu *

Kaviyoor Ponnamma Kaviyoor Ponnamma (10 September 1945 – 20 September 2024) was an Indian actress who appeared in Malayalam films and television. She began her career performing in theatre dramas before foraying into cinema. She also acted in TV serials and c ...

as Chanthunni's mother *

Balan K. Nair Balakrishnan Kuttiraman Nair, more popularly known as Balan K. Nair (4 April 1933 26 August 2000) was an Indian actor known for his roles in Malayalam cinema. Although he appeared as a villain in most films, he was also noted for his performanc ...

Ceylon Manohar Ceylon Manohar () ( – 22 January 2018), popular name of A. E. Manoharan (Anthony Pillai Emmanuel Manoharan) also known as Surangani Manohar (), was a pop singer and actor. He has played roles in Tamil films and other Sri Lankan Tamil works. ...

as Komappan *

K. R. Vijaya Deivanayaki, better known by her stage name K. R. Vijaya, is an Indian actress who has featured in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films. She started her career in 1963 and has been acting for more than six decades in South Indian cinema. ...

as Manka *

Poojappura Ravi Raveendran Nair (28 October 1936 – 18 June 2023), known by his stage name Poojappura Ravi, was an Indian actor who primarily performed comedy roles in Malayalam films. Career Poojappura Ravi was a stage actor and was a part of the drama ...

as Zamorin's Warrior *

Bhavani Bhavānī (also known as Bhāvya, Tulajā, Turajā, Tvarita, Aṃbā, Jagadambā and Aṃbē) is an epithet associated with Durga. Bhavani translates to "giver of life," meaning the power of nature or the source of creative energy. She is cons ...

as Suhara *

Kaduvakulam Antony Kaduvakkulam Antony (9 November 1936 – 4 February 2001) was an Indian actor from Kerala who performed in more than 300 films as a comedian during the 1960s and 1970s. One journalist considers him to have been one of the best and most popular ...

as Velappan * M. N. Nambiar as Thanayanjeri Pandhya Perumal *

Cochin Haneefa Cochin Haneefa (22 April 1951 – 2 February 2010) was an Indian actor, film director, and screenwriter. He started his career in the 1970s mainly portraying villainous roles, before going on to become one of the most popular comedians of Malay ...

as Vellodi *

Sukumari Sukumari Amma (6 October 1940 – 26 March 2013) was an Indian actress best known for her works in Malayalam and Tamil films. In a career spanning more than five decades, She has appeared in more than 2500 films predominantly in Malayalam, T ...

as Cherutti * G. K. Pillai as Thrithalakkal Gurukkal *

Nellikode Bhaskaran Nellikode Bhaskaran (21 April 1924 – 11 August 1988) was an Indian actor in Malayalam movies. His real name was Bhaskara Menon. He mostly played character roles and supporting roles. Awards Kerala State Film Awards: * Second Best Actor ...

as Koya

Soundtrack

The music was composed by K. Raghavan and the lyrics were written by P. Bhaskaran.

References

External links

* 1979 films 1970s Malayalam-language films 1970s Indian films Indian historical drama films Indian historical action films History of Kerala on film Films shot in Kochi Films shot in Thrissur Films directed by Navodaya Appachan Films produced by Navodaya Appachan {{1970s-Malayalam-film-stub