Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham is a Malayalam film titled Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea in English and Maraikkayar: Arabikadalin Singam in Tamil. The film is based on Kunjali Marakkar IV and his epic war against the Portuguese and is set in 16th century Calicut.

In this blog, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham, which can help you decide if you want to watch the movie.

Overview of Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham

Kunjali Marrakkar IV was the Naval Chief of the Zamorin of Calicut. The film’s total budget was 85-100 Cr, which has made it one of the most expensive Malayalam films ever. The ideation of the story began back in 1996, and the plot was pitched in 1999 by Damodaran & Priyadarshan, but due to its high budget requirement, it could not be made.

Years later (in 2017), the director, screenwriter Priyadarshan, began the research and documentation of the plot idea again but, due to lost paperwork, had to reimagine the plot in a new way. The final draft of the project was completed in 2018. The film’s set included four life-size ship replicas, which were created along with the rest of the set at the famous Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad.

Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham is produced by Antony Perumbavoor and co-produced by Roy C.J. and Santosh T. Kuruvilla. This epic Indian war film was originally supposed to be released in 2020, but due to COVID-19 the movie was postponed several times and was finally released in 2021.

The Plot

The film revolves around Kunjali Marakkar, who is a member of the Royal Marakkar dynasty and is played by Mohanlal. Marakkars gave his life to fight the Portuguese invasion of Cochin. Kunjali was the last heir to this family. After his family was slaughtered by the Portuguese army directly in front of him, he spent most of his life as a pirate.

Kunjali vowed to take revenge and claimed to be the savior of the poor. He robbed the rich and donated the proceeds to the poor. The Portuguese wanted to go to war on the Cochin Kingdom, and the only thing that could stop them was Kunjali, known for his naval battle tactics. When Kunjali decided to join forces with King Cochin, he didn’t know that he would pay a high price.

The Development of The Script

The script was co-written by Priyadarshan and his apprentice Ani Sasi. Ani showed interest in collaborating with Priyadarshan after learning that he was developing a film on Kunjali Marakkar. From their early chats, Priyadarshan adopted many of the late Damodaran’s viewpoints. The first draft was finished in April of this year. Pre-production is expected to take seven months, while post-production is expected to take eight months.

Early in June 2018, they finished the final draft. The narrative takes place between 1505 and 1601. The protagonist, Maraca IV, was picked not just because he has the most engaging narrative but also because they know him better than the other Maracas. He is a man who brings a variety of methods to the table; “everything comes to a head with him.”

According to Priyadarshan, there are few authentic references concerning Marakkar I. The truth regarding Marakkar II, III, and IV is a mystery, and the reports that are accessible contradict one other. Marakkar IV has the appearance of a fairy tale hero.

As little is known about Marakkar IV, artistic freedom was employed to depict his narrative. Any new information about him is inconsistent, with Europeans describing him as a villain and Arabs describing him as a rescuer.

Priyadarshan developed the story’s fundamental framework and performed research from a chapter he learned as a youngster in a third-grade textbook. “Marakkar is a patriot, and his commitment to the country transcends caste and religion borders,” he says. This is the message he is trying to get through in the movie.

Creators & Cast

The film has a huge cast, and it gets pretty challenging to remember all the characters and their role. The cast ensemble has quite an elaborate cast list. Actor Mohanlal’s character was written keeping the actor in mind. Actors like Akshay Kumar and Nagarjuna were also offered roles in the film, but it didn’t work out. Here is the list of the main actors in the movie.

Main Team of Creators

Main Cast

Music Composition

The original Malayalam songs were written by Ronnie Raphael. Initially, Priyadarshan planned only four songs for the film, one of which was instrumental. His plan is to distribute three songs to three composers for experimentation. However, all the songs were eventually passed on to Ronnie Raphael. Ronnie Raphael wrote the music for Priyadarshan’s Hindi film Anamika in Forbidden Love, after which he was also promoted to Arabian Sea Lion.

Recording began back in November 2018, before filming began. He wrote five songs for this film. These songs were performed by K.S. Chitra, Shreya Goshal, M.G. Srikumar, Vinit Srinivasan, Sveta Mohan, and Zia Ul Haq, and the texts were written by Prabha Varma, Shafi Kollam, B.K. Harinarayanan and Priyadarshan. Saina Music acquired the music rights in February 2020, setting a record for Malayalam-language cinemas.

Awards and Accolades

The film won Best Feature Film, Best Special Effects, and Best Costume Design at the 67th National Film Awards. The film also won 3 awards at the 50th Kerala State Film Awards for Best Dubbing Artist, Best Choreography, and Special Jury Award for Visual Effects.

Where To Watch Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham

Even though the movie was initially released on 2nd December 2021, don’t fret if you missed it. If you’re looking for Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham’s full movie online, download Amazon Prime Video and get a premium subscription today.

Moreover, if you’re looking to watch Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham full movie online for free, you can get a free subscription to Amazon Prime by getting Airtel, Reliance Jio or Vodafone Idea recharges.

Conclusion

Now that you know everything about Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham and feel that this is perfect for a weekend binge, don’t forget your Amazon Prime Video subscription and enjoy it with your entire family! Also, for more movies on various OTT platforms, keep reading Selectra.