Mangalavaaram
Mangalavaaram is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language psychological mystery thriller film written and directed by Ajay Bhupathi. It is produced by Swathi Reddy Gunupati, Suresh Varma M., and Ajay Bhupathi, under Mudhra Media Works and A Creative Works. The film features an ensemble cast including Payal Rajput, Nandita Swetha, Priyadarshi Pulikonda, Divya Pillai, Ajmal Ameer, Chaitanya Krishna, and Ravindra Vijay.
The music was composed by B. Ajaneesh Loknath with cinematography by Dasaradhi Sivendra and editing by Madhav Kumar Gullapalli. The film released on 17 November 2023.
Plot
In 1996, life in a village appears peaceful. A mysterious series of murders then occurs twice: before each killing, someone writes on the wall of a house, accusing a married woman and a married man of having an illicit affair. Soon after, the accused individuals are found dead. The villagers initially believe the victims committed suicide out of shame, until police inspector Maya notices suspicious clues at the crime scenes, suggesting that both cases were murders.One week later, villagers apprehend a young man named Nani while he is attempting to write on a wall and hand him over to the police. However, Maya soon releases him after reviewing the postmortem reports of the previous victims, concluding that he cannot be the killer. Around the same time, the village doctor Viswanatham claims to have seen the ghost of Sailaja, sparking a terrifying rumor that the murders are being committed by Sailaja’s vengeful spirit.
One year ago, a young woman named Sailaja in the village, who was in a mentally disturbed state and suffering from nymphomania, had some casual sex with some men in the village. She was harshly judged, and many men began to harass and exploit her. When the village headman Prakasam learned of this, he ordered Sailaja to be expelled from the village. Shortly afterward, Sailaja was found dead after falling into a well.
One week later, Maya catches the real killer—Viswanatham—while he is once again attempting to write names on a wall. Maya had deduced his involvement from the postmortem reports, which revealed that anesthesia had been used to sedate the victims before their deaths, making Viswanatham the prime suspect. Viswanatham resists arrest and attacks Maya, knocking her unconscious. She later wakes up tied inside Viswanatham’s house, where they confront each other and Viswanatham reveals the truth.
When Sailaja was alive, Viswanatham showed empathy and tried to help her, medically and emotionally. He tried to treat her and brought back Ravi to her - Sailaja's love interest in childhood who was deemed dead ten years ago. Ravi and Sailaja planned to marry and leave the village together, but before they could do so, Prakasam ordered Sailaja to be expelled.
Sailaja did not commit suicide after being driven out; she was murdered. Earlier, she had accidentally witnessed Prakasam’s wife, Rajeswari Devi, having an affair with photographer Vasu. To protect her reputation, Rajeswari Devi manipulated Prakasam into expelling Sailaja and later arranged her murder with the help of several villagers.
Viswanatham and Ravi decided to avenge Sailaja’s death. Together, they killed four people involved in the crime, writing their names on the walls before each murder. As Viswanatham narrates this to Maya, Ravi kills Vasu, leaving Rajeswari Devi as the last person responsible for Sailaja’s death.
Prakasam, who has returned to the village to investigate the ongoing murders, overhears the confrontation between Viswanatham and Maya. After returning home, he kills his wife Rajeswari Devi by burning her alive. He later tells the villagers that Rajeswari Devi sacrificed herself to Mahalaximi to end the cycle of deaths and save the village.
At the end, Maya allows Viswanatham to go free, choosing neither to arrest him nor to reveal the truth to the village.
Cast
Production
Development
Principal filming started on 9 December 2022, and the shoot was wrapped up on 13 June 2023.Payal Rajput played the principal lead in the film, marking her second collaboration with Ajay Bhupathi, after RX 100.