After watching four Malayalam movies (Kumbalangi Nights, Ustad Hotel, Bangalore Days and The Great Indian Kitchen), I'm obsessed with Malayalam cinema. But it's hard to find Malayalam movies with English subtitles for those who don't know Malayalam. Yesterday, I watched the Malayalam movie Manoharam, which means beautiful. YouTube's algorithm recommended me this movie with English subtitles and also with good video quality.
This movie is about a talented artist, Manoharan (Manu). Since his childhood days, he love painting beautiful pictures. He inherited this talent from his father. But economically, he was not that good. He earned his living by painting posters for advertisements or festivals. His childhood rival, Rahul, always teased him for making posters and banners. He always tries to make him feel humiliated for his work.
On Manu's wedding day, his bride left him because he didn't earn well. With the technological upgrade, instead of manually making posters (by hand), people started using different software tools like Photoshop to create art digitally. They then used flex printing machines to print posters. His friends Varghese Ettan and Prabhu always motivated and supported him in learning digital art and opening his own business if he wanted to keep pace with the technology and earn well.
He joined computer classes to learn Photoshop, where he met Sreeja as his teacher. But Sreeja also didn't know how to use Photoshop software, she only teaches computer basics there. She also wanted to learn Photoshop. Manu started liking Sreeja. Manu's rival Rahul knew how to use Photoshop. She introduced Rahul to Manu for learning Photoshop, but Manu didn't want to learn from him. Manu's friends insisted him to learn it from Rahul if he didn't want to lose Sreeja. However, Rahul was more inclined to teach Sreeja the software than Manu. Then, Manu learned the software on his own.
Rahul was about to start his printing business for posters with the help of his father. Manu's friends suggested he could also start this business if he wanted to impress Sreeja and earn well. But he didn't have the money to set up this business. Then the movie shows how he struggled to set up the business.
What intrigued me was the unique story that the director had come up with. It shows Manu's dedication towards his art, his struggle to start his own business, the friendship and support he receives from his friends, and his love for Sreeja. If you enjoy movies that show real-life scenarios rather than larger-than-life stories and have not yet explored Malayalam cinema, then you're missing out on something significant. I would highly recommend you to watch this movie.
It's always great to hear nice words about indi cinema