The much-awaited Priyadarshan movie, ‘Marakkar – The Lion of the Arabian Sea’, starring India’s biggest superstar Mohanlal, is all set release in the theatres and the legends of Kunjali Marakkar, the naval chieftain of Samoothiri (Zamorin), then ruler of Kozhikode, is a subject of debate and discussion.  What arouses curiosity is that even after a few centuries since the Portuguese defeated and killed Kunjali Marakkar IV (his real name was Mohammed Ali Marakkar), with the support of Zamorin whose kingdom got all the support from the Marakkars, he remains a hero. 

It is that legend of faith and deception, which have all the ingredients of a ballad that makes the big budget film a curious one.

In this film, the story revolves around Kunjali Marakkar IV, the swashbuckling sailor and warrior who lived and died for his land, according to Priyadarshan, who planned the film way back in 1996, but postponed it due to various challenges.

There are conflicting stories about the Marakkar clan and the reason for killing Kunjali Marakkar IV. But the local legends focus around the heroic deeds of the warrior clan who saved the Zamorins from the enemies. They are credited with organizing the first naval defence of the Indian coast.

According to history, the Zamorins, who ruled Kozhikode from 1124 A.D to 1806 A.D, were very powerful and strong, mainly because the people of Malabar had trade relation the Arab, Chinese and Roman traders for centuries, which strengthened the economic power of the kingdom. The kingdom was known for religious tolerance, which also helped their business relations.

It was to this kingdom that Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama reached in 1497, which changed the scenario. The Portuguese also wanted to have trade relation with Kozhikode. However, both the sides failed to reach an agreement and Gama returned to Lisbon. Around six years later, he revisited Kozhikode to enter spice trade. This time the Portuguese were adamant and they allegedly had an intention to spread Christianity too. Gama strategically formed an alliance with the ruler of Cannanore, who was an enemy of the Zamorin, and with their support and own marine power, they wrecked Zamorin’s trade with the Arabs. Next, the Portuguese moved to Cochin, and allied with the ruler there as well to attack Zamorin and takeover of the trade rights of the Muslim community. This led to tension and ultimately resulted in war between Zamorins and the Kochi Raja.

There begins the history of Marakkars. 

At this juncture, a wealthy Muslim marine merchant, Ismail Marakkar, based in Kochi, helped Zamorin and offered the service of a few men and ships. However, the Portuguese force destroyed them all. Then Marakkar family settled in Ponnani that was part of Zamorin’s kingdom to escape further onslaught. However, the Portuguese attacked Ponnani as well and this prolonged war started affecting the sea trade in Malabar that affected Zamorin’s income too. The Marakkars had built a fort at Kottakkal near Vadakara as well, but they were unable to do business. The Muslim traders as a whole were also upset about this and some of them approached the Zamorin. 

The king also felt the need to retaliate, and picked up one Kutti Ahmed Ali as the naval admiral of his fleet. The king gave him the title of ‘Kunjali Marakkar’. There are references about four Kunjali Marakkars in history. Kunjali Marakkar IV, the hero of the legends, based on which the film has been made, was very popular as a warrior. 

However, by the time he took over as the naval chieftain, the Portuguese had somehow poisoned the mind of the Zamorin that Kunjali Marakkar was trying to establish a Muslim kingdom. Though there was no factual evidence in this, the stories spread by the Portuguese affected the relation between Zamorin and Marakkar. 

As a result, in 1597, the Zamorin signed a pact with the Portuguese, and they attacked Kottakkal fort near Vadakara. In the battle that ensued, Marakkar surrendered, as the Zamorin had promised that he would be pardoned and his life would be spared. However, he was handed over to the Portuguese after his surrender in 1600 and they took him to Goa and executed violating the earlier agreement.

Though there are conflicting stories about Kunjali Marakkar and their genealogy, and many stories are also spread to portray them in bad light, the Marakkars still remain heroes in the mind of majority of the people. This only motivated Priyadarshan-Mohanlal team to make a movie based on that legend of the warrior who was “revered by Arab traders and reviled by Portuguese sailors”, according to the director.