Manorathangal: All about the Mammootty-Ranjith segment Kadugannawa Oru Yathra

Manorathangal, the MT Vasudevan Nair anthology series is one of the most-anticipated OTT projects from the Malayalam industry, in 2024. The project, which started rolling in 2021, is finally set to be released on Zee5, in August 2024.  Mohanlal, Fahadh Faasil, Biju Menon, Asif Ali, and others are playing the lead roles in the 9 segments, which are based on the most popular short stories of MT Vasudevan Nair. The megastar’s segment in Manorathangal, which is directed by Ranjith Balakrishnan, has been titled Kadugannawa Oru Yathra.

Mammootty’s Kadugannawa Oru Yathra in Manorathangal

For the uninitiated, Mammootty is playing the lead role in the segment titled Kadugannawa Oru Yathra which marks his reunion with director Ranjith after a long gap. The segment is based on MT Vasudevan Nair’s popular story, which is inspired by the events that happened when he visited Sri Lanka, while working as a Sub Editor in a leading daily. Along with the megastar, the segment also features Anumol, Vineeth, Savithri Sreedharan, Manohari Joy, Sumesh Moor, and others in pivotal roles.

When Ranjith replaced Lijo Jose Pellissery

Initially, it was confirmed that Mammootty is teaming up with Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkan director Lijo Jose Pellissery yet again, for his segment in the MT Vasudeva Nair anthology. The audiences have been eagerly waiting for the acclaimed filmmaker’s interpretation of Kadugannawa Oru Yathra, the prestigious project. However, Lijo soon walked out of Manorathangal, reportedly owing to creative differences with the makers, and his other commitments. Ranjith, who has earlier teamed up with Mammootty with many much-loved films including Pranchiyettan And The Saint, replaced LJP as the director of the segment.

Also Read: Mammootty-MT Vasudevan Nair's emotional moment at Manorathangal trailer launch wins the internet | Watch 

The feature film plans

Interestingly, Mammootty and Ranjith were planning to team up for the feature film adaptation of Kadugannawa Oru Yathra, a few years back. However, the project did not materialize due to undisclosed reasons. However, the celebrated actor-director duo eventually received a chance to adapt the short story into a 40-minute-long short film in Manorathangal. The segment has already garnered the attention of cine-goers with its promising glimpses that were shown in the recently released Manorathangal trailer.

Also Read: Manorathangal OTT release date: When, where to watch Mohanlal, Mammootty and Kamal Haasan's anthology based on MT Vasudevan Nair's stories