In Ramu Kariat’s 1965 classic Chemmeen (Prawn), Karuthamma (Sheela), the daughter of a Hindu fisherman, yearns to break out of the web of rules governing her body and her behaviour. At every step of the way, the fisherman community warns her that she must always protect her chastity. She must not give the villagers reason to gossip about her, and she must not entertain any thoughts about any man other than the one to whom she will eventually be married. A neighbour even asks Karuthamma to pray to Kadalamma, the sea goddess, to ward off any wild thoughts. There is also a myth about Kadalamma – that the sea will devour the husband if his wife has been unfaithful.
And yet, Karuthamma is uncontrollably in love with Pareekutty (Madhu), a Muslim trader. While she knows that their love story is doomed from the start, the dreamy-eyed trader remains optimistic about a future with Karuthamma.
After being chastised for meeting Pareekutty, Karuthamma forces herself to stay out of his sight. An apprehensive Pareekutty enquires about her, but without any success. A night passes and as the dawn breaks, Pareekutty sings the sublime Manasa Maine Varu in an attempt to remind Karuthamma about their passionate feelings for each other.
Kariat’s Malayalam film, based on a novel of the same name by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, features an exceptional soundtrack composed by the brilliant Salil Chowdhury. Nearly every song – Kadalinakare Ponore, Pennaale Pennaale and Puthan Valakkaare – is a gem, but Manasa Maine Varu has an edge over the others.
In a soundtrack full of songs sung by KJ Yesudas, Manasa Maine Varu is the only number that is sung by the wonderful Manna Dey. In fact, it is the only Malayalam song sung by Dey in his career. Chowdhury is believed to have given the track to Dey because he felt Yesudas already had too many songs in the film.
Dey’s soulful crooning gently wakes Karuthamma and immediately fills her with a sense of longing. She tries to close her ears, but she cannot help herself, and allows the tune to lead her outside the hut towards the shore where Pareekutty sits on a parked boat singing dreamily. The lyrics by Vayalar Ramavarma – “Come oh dear bird, give me the nectar of your love” and “Can the waves, whether of the sea or of emotions, be tamed at all?” – dare Karuthamma to refuse her lover’s invitation. But she makes it only half way, and returns to the confines of her hut.
Manasa Maine Varu may not have succeeded in uniting the star-crossed lovers, but it continues to haunt Karuthamma throughout the film. Kariat employs snatches of the song at regular intervals to remind Karuthamma, who is soon married off to Palani (Sathyan), of Pareekutty and their unfinished love story. After she is accused of infidelity by Palani, a heartbroken Karuthamma hears the song again. It leads her out of her hut one more time, and this time, she makes it all the way to where Pareekutty is.
Meanwhile, the sea devours Karuthamma’s husband.