Muhammed Musthafa's Mura, starring Suraj Venjaramoodu successful the pb role, is present moving successful theatres. (Image: Think Music India/YT)
Mura movie review: “Then said Jesus unto him, ‘Put up again thy sword into his place: for each they that instrumentality the sword shall perish with the sword.'” Actor-turned-filmmaker Muhammed Musthafa’s 2nd directorial task Mura tin beryllium dubbed arsenic an in-depth and unfiltered exploration of the essence of this transition from the Gospel of Matthew 26:52 (King James Version). When it comes to films exploring transgression activities and pack wars successful municipality areas, filmmakers typically acceptable their stories successful Tier-1 cities, predominantly owed to their precocious colonisation of migrants and pronounced people divides, starring specified cities to beryllium unfairly labelled arsenic havens for crimes. In Kerala, Kochi often bears this load and is simply a ‘preferred’ mounting for enactment and gangster films for akin reasons. However, Tier-2 cities successful the authorities are besides nary antithetic erstwhile it comes to crimes and this holds existent for the authorities superior of Thiruvananthapuram arsenic well. In Mura, Musthafa delves into the underworld of Thiruvananthapuram, revealing however radical from definite societal and economical backgrounds are exploited arsenic tools by the elites, lone to beryllium yet discarded erstwhile they’ve served their purpose.
Ani (Suraj Venjaramoodu) is simply a section mafia brag and the trusted commandant for Ramadevi (Maala Parvathi), a affluent middle-aged pistillate with a concern empire built done ruthless ambition, disregarding the outgo to others. Once conscionable a henchman known for 2 murders and galore crimes, Ani has present risen done the ranks to a presumption wherever helium tin simply contented orders alternatively than entering the fray himself. He commands a radical of young men, ever connected standby, precocious joined by 4 caller recruits — Anandhu (Hridhu Haroon), Saji (Jobin Das), Manaf (Anujith Kannan) and Manu (Yedhukrishnan) — each astir 21, assemblage dropouts from underprivileged backgrounds. Joining Ani’s pack offers them a consciousness of powerfulness they ne'er thought imaginable and alongside his different men, they transportation retired Ani’s orders, mostly connected behalf of Ramadevi.
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Despite having galore nether his command, Ani rapidly notices the 4 newcomers for their fearlessness and agility. Their loyalty and courageousness successful helping him evade the constabulary erstwhile — including warring disconnected the officers — further endear them to him. So, erstwhile helium receives a occupation to bargain a ample sum of achromatic wealth hidden successful a warehouse successful Tamil Nadu, helium assigns the ngo to Anandhu and his friends. They judge eagerly, hoping this ngo volition yet bring them the wealthiness and respect they crave. With the enactment of Sitru (Vigneshwar Suresh) and Malar (Krish Hassan) — 2 young men who antecedently failed astatine the task — they embark connected a travel fraught with life-threatening obstacles. Little bash they cognize that this travel volition alteration their lives forever, with the remainder of the movie pursuing their way guardant and the consequences that unfold.
While astir transgression thrillers and gangster films are packed with “mass” moments astatine each crook to thrill audiences, Musthafa and writer Suresh Babu instrumentality a much restrained approach, focusing connected actions and consequences and allowing them to unfold naturally, without overt dramatisation oregon excessive cinematic flair. As the movie opens, we spot Anandhu, Saji, Manaf and Manu arsenic 4 young men drawn into the city’s underworld, driven by youthful impulsiveness and naivety, relishing the powerfulness and thrill of being known arsenic “Ani’s men.” But soon enough, they travel to realise that it’s a labyrinth they’ve entered. In Mura, nary quality escapes the repercussions of their actions; and Musthafa and Suresh Babu marque definite each 1 yet reaps what they person sown.
Watch Mura trailer here:
The film’s archetypal fractional mostly focuses connected the making of goondas and the mode the elite — including Ani, who sports a kumkum people connected his forehead each the time, symbolising devotion to gods — exploit the fiscal vulnerabilities of the mediocre to works desires of starring amended lives wrong them, and it’s evident that galore of Ani’s pack members travel from lowered castes. Mura besides underscores however the humanities signifier of savarna elites manipulating lowered castes for their ain soiled work, utilizing the illusion of a amended life, continues adjacent today, with the younger procreation present becoming the superior targets.
However, the movie struggles to marque viewers consciousness sympathetic towards the 4 youths owed to the changeless bombardment of crimes. Although we spot the 4 protagonists unneurotic often and drawback glimpses of their camaraderie, the communicative seldom explores their lives beyond the satellite of crimes. Their conversations mostly revolve astir past oregon upcoming transgression activities, which limits the audience’s knowing of their different shades. The film’s dense accent connected unit undermines its affectional extent and portion the enactment sequences are compelling, they don’t compensate for the deficiency of affectional nuance successful the portrayal of the 4 characters. Suresh’s penning besides falters successful the dialogue, arsenic it fails to bespeak the existent quality of friendships. Makers should retrieve that friends don’t perpetually code each different by their archetypal names, yet here, we often perceive Anandhu saying “Da Saji, Manaf, Manu” and others pursuing suit, making their relationships look first-name-basis and one-dimensional.
Anujith Kannan, Vigneshwar Suresh, Hridhu Haroon, Yedhukrishnan, Krish Hassan and Jobin Das impressment successful their roles and their on-screen chemistry elevates the film. (Image: Mura/Instagram)
While the movie shows the 4 facing the consequences of their choices, it misses the accidental to research the societal and economical factors that thrust young radical into a beingness of crime. Mura besides stops abbreviated of condemning the exploitation of young recruits by the elite. Instead, for overmuch of the film, it appears arsenic though the 4 are starring a bully beingness arsenic portion of Ani’s gang, sending a problematic message. This portrayal adjacent risks suggesting that crimes could beryllium a viable livelihood if 1 is cunning capable to debar death. At times, the glamorisation of transgression activities is troubling, peculiarly with Christy Joby’s awesome soundtrack, which, portion stellar, gives the communicative a code that tin consciousness inappropriately positive.
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Suraj Venjaramoodu gives a beardown show here, arsenic usual, though 1 tin observe shades of his erstwhile roles, which somewhat detracts from the freshness of his character. Hridhu, Jobin, Anujith, Yedhukrishnan, Vigneshwar and Krish impressment successful their roles, and their on-screen chemistry elevates the film. Maala Parvathi’s quality is compelling and it’s refreshing to spot a almighty pistillate antagonist, though she ne'er afloat owns the role. Kani Kusruti, contempt having constricted surface time, delivers a polished performance. Fazil Nazer’s cinematography and Chaman Chakko’s editing heighten Mura’s style, deserving peculiar mention. The opus “Noolilla Karakkam,” sung by histrion Sreenath Bhasi, is besides memorable and apt to enactment with viewers for immoderate time.
Mura movie cast: Suraj Venjaramoodu, Hridhu Haroon, Maala Parvathi
Mura movie director: Muhammed Musthafa
Mura movie rating: 2.5 stars