Maragadha Naanayam

Did You Know?

• The film's plot involves 132 people killed by the curse of the Maragatha Naanayam medallion.
• A sequel titled Maragadha Naanayam 2 was announced in July 2023, with filming expected to begin in February 2026.

Plot

Senguttuvan and Elango are two small-time crooks working for a local jewel smuggler named 'Nochukuppam' Ramdoss. Senguttavan is attracted to a young woman, Chanakya, whom he sees every morning at the bus stop, but never manages to speak to her. Chanakya eventually gets married, but her husband physically and verbally abuses her in public. Meanwhile, a Chinese businessman comes to the city looking to acquire an antique emerald medallion named 'Maragatha Naanayam', owned by an ancient king named Irumporai and rumoured to be cursed—anyone who laid hands on the stone died in a lorry accident, with the lorry driven by Irumporai's spirit. The businessman hires a contractor named John, who offers 10,00,00,000 for the contract, but no one is willing due to the curse. Only Senguttavan, frustrated with small-time work, is interested. Elango convinces him to approach a local priest, who hands them a lemon that reveals the ghosts of 132 people killed by the curse. The priest tells them they need help from one of these ghosts. At home, they attempt to summon Elango's uncle Chidambaram, but are interrupted by news of Ramdoss's death from a heart attack. During Ramdoss's burial, the lemon slips from Senguttavan's pocket and falls on Ramdoss's hand, causing Chidambaram's ghost to possess Ramdoss's body. Chidambaram uses three recently deceased people—an old beggar named Selvaraj who died in his sleep, a man decapitated in a freak accident, and Chanakya who hanged herself due to abuse—to host three other ghosts killed by the curse. He successfully brings two ghosts into their new bodies, but a Tamil teacher ghost in Selvaraj's body keeps jumping in and out. The group pursues the stone, interrogating Pandurangan while posing as henchmen of a powerful local gang leader, 'Twinkle' Ramanathan. They recover a fake medallion, drawing Ramanathan's attention. They find the man who made the fake, who gives them clues to a local doctor named Krishnan, one of the men killed by the curse. They kidnap Krishnan's son but are caught by Ramanathan's henchmen and taken to his torture chamber. They escape and find the original medallion. Despite Chidambaram's warning, Senguttuvan and Elango touch the stone and are cursed. They arrange a meeting with John and the Chinese businessman, but on the way, they are pursued by the mysterious driverless lorry. John and the businessman are run over and killed. Senguttuvan recovers the suitcase full of money. The Tamil teacher tells them they must return the stone to the King's grave to lift the curse. They elude both the lorry and Ramanathan's gang, reach the gravesite, and place the stone in the grave, releasing themselves from the curse. Ramanathan has a henchman recover the stone. The four ghosts release themselves from the occupied bodies. The ghost in Chanakya's body allows Senguttavan to hear Chanakya's voice and a declaration of love. During the credits, Senguttavan and Elango bump into Ramanathan, who is on the run—his henchman touched the stone and was killed by the lorry. A pilgrim returns the stone to Ramanathan, activating the curse on both.

Production

In May 2016, Axess Film Factory announced they were making a fantasy-adventure comedy film directed by newcomer Saravan, who had worked as an associate director to Ramkumar during Mundasupatti (2014). Saravan initially approached G. V. Prakash Kumar to play the lead role, but his unavailability to immediately start shoot prompted the makers to look for an alternative. Aadhi and Nikki Galrani were signed on to play the leading roles, marking their second collaboration after Yagavarayinum Naa Kaakka (2015). Principal photography commenced on 26 May 2016, and wrapped by 8 August 2016.

Reception

Baradwaj Rangan wrote for Film Companion, 'The most welcome surprise in Maragatha Naanayam is that it isn’t just a collection of gags and scares, which is all this genre really needs'. Vishal Menon of The Hindu called it a 'mostly fun fantasy marred by a slow second half'. Reviewing the Telugu-dubbed version Marakathamani, Ch Sowmya Sruthi of The Times of India said, 'With the right amount of comedy, speedy narration, gripping plot and well-defined characters, the film scores some good brownie points in the first half that will make you come back for the second. The music and background score too compliment the film's mood and pace'.