Mucheettukalikkarante Makal (The Card Sharper's Daughter) is a novel by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer published in 1951.
Written in the colloquial tongue and filled with exceptional humour, the novel remains a best seller in Malayalam literature.
[1][2] Ottakkannan Pokker barely ekes out a living as a card sharper.
His daughter Zainaba runs a small tea shop in the market place.
[3] The story develops with love between Zainaba and Mandan Muthappa and ends with how Mandan Muthappa defeated Ottakkannan Pokker in the card game.