Kannaki (English: The Eye) is a 2002 Indian Malayalam-language tragedy film directed by Jayaraj and written by Sanjeev Kilikulam. It stars Nandita Das, Lal, Siddique, Kalpana, Geethu Mohandas and Manoj K. Jayan. It is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra. This is Jayaraj's second film adaptation of a Shakespeare play, the first being Kaliyattam (1997). Lal plays Manickam, the equivalent to Antony. Nandita Das plays Kannaki, the equivalent to Cleopatra and Manoj K. Jayan plays Gounder, Octavius Caesar's role. Nandita Das' role as Kannaki was critically acclaimed and is considered one of her finest acting performances in her career. Plot Manickam and Choman are best friends in a local village. Manickam excels in the local game of cockfighting and has acquired the mastery of the game and of the bird. Manickam is actually fighting for Choman in his regular cockfights against the Gounder. Kannaki likes Manickam and Choman's sister Kumudam admires him. Kannaki and Manickam become very close and he takes a decision to marry her. When Choman learns of this, he is furious. He wants Manickam to marry his sister and goes to the extent of announcing their wedding at a public function. Manickam meets Kumudam and explains to her that he has a brotherly affection to her and not of that of a lover. Kumudam is heart-broken, but maintains a level of loyalty in hope that, Manickam will realize her love. Choman is angered by all this and feels betrayed by his best friend. Choman and the Gounder has a falling-out with Kannaki. Kannaki meanwhile, out of love, tries to get Manickam out of the local game and enviously out of the clutches of Kumudam. A local fortune teller Kanakamma keeps feeding ideas and false news into Kannaki's ears about Manickam. On her idea, Kannaki provides an untrained cock on the pretense that she had trained the cock to fight, to Manickam. Manickam takes the cock to fight, against Choman's cock. Manickam loses the fight and comes home to say Kannaki has cheated him. There she tells him she did this to have Manickam all to herself and away from Choman and the Gounder. Choman and Gounder pair up to defeat Manickam at a local festival. They know that Manickam will come to the cock fight. When Kumudam learns of Choman and Gounder's plan, she pleads to her brother to not fight against Manickam, to