Mogul Mowgli

When your day to day life revolves around doing something that you have a devout passion for there could be nothing worse than that particular lifestyle being put at risk by something so cruel as an illness of some sort.

In Bassam Tariq's Mogul Mowgli, Riz Ahmed plays Zed, a British-Pakistani rapper just about to start his first world tour before being struck down by an autoimmune disease that threatens to derail his big break.

Tariq delivers a rather intimate tale of a talented man's life that comes crashing down around him all while trying to reconnect with his family back in London. Finding a path in life that has led to a career in music is one that Zed's family don't fully approve of so the two colliding when his illness takes holds leads to a real sense of claustrophobia as Zed struggles to come to terms with the impact it will have on his life.

This is realised in some trippy dream sequences littered throughout that haunt Zed and emphasise the panic he's facing internally with some choppy editing and some very decent rapping. Listen out for Pussy Fried Chicken, a dead cert for the Oscar for Best Original Song for sure.

Riz Ahmed leads the film with an exceptional performance that spans from confident musician about to get his big break to a shell of his former self, vulnerable and frail as the illness sets in and leaves him questioning what future he is set for. This is very much a film for Ahmed to showcase his talents and he truly excels on every level.

It's kicked off LFF for me in a great and surprisingly emotional fashion so make sure you seek this one out upon release.

I've been a fan of Riz Ahmed ever since I saw him in Shifty back in 2008 . Since then he's done some brilliant stuff such as the TV show The Night Of to films such as Four Lions , Nightcrawler, and The Sound Of Metal .

While this isn't quite up to the standard of those mentioned it certainly can't be accused on not being interesting.

This is the story of a rapper who just before a major tour finds he has a degenerate muscle disease. Not only does he have to battle the illness, he has to put up with a religious father who doesn't have faith in the traditional medicines.

A manager who doesn't have his best interests at heart and the constant thoughts and hallucinations that are going on in his head .

Riz Ahmed is great . The film itself is quite hard work . It's a bit grim at times and the people on show are not always the nicest .

I'm not a fan of the music on show here , which doesn't help but I do find it lyrically very clever , especially Zed's battle with his identity.

This won't be to everyone's taste and it definitely won't be as popular as some of his other films but I found it interesting and irritating ,( mainly the religious nonsense ) at the same time and that's a good thing - I think .

Riz Ahmed takes front and centre stage in 'Mogul Mowgli,' a film he co-wrote with director Bassam Tariq. The movie plays more like a stream of thoughts than a thoughtful discourse about issues of identity and cultural and religious heritage. It also borders on being too strange when it uses disorienting editing, Islamic symbolism, and surreal imagery on such strong subject matters, but never realised to the fullest extent. Still, bolstered by a captivating performance by Ahmed, 'Mogul Mowgli' is a deeply emotional and personal outing that affects in an unexpected way, opening possibilities of vulnerability and the examination of selfhood.

An up and coming Asian British rapper living in the US gets a break to support a well known artist on tour, he gets the chance to return to his home prior to the tour and has a seizure.

In the hospital it is confirmed he has a serious auto immune disease.

Good story but too many hallucinations which don't seem to link well to the storyline.

Great acting from Riz Ahmed.

This movie could have been much better exploring more the issues with girlfriend, career, manager and family.

Ending pretty much left in dark.

A very uncomfortable watch. The way it was directed was not exactly up my alley. While the writing and story itself really worked, and it also caught me what the film represents, I really had some issues with several creative decisions to tell that story. The positive thing is Riz Ahmed! When does Hollywood finally recognize his huge talent and uses it more effectively than supporting roles in blockbusters. This guy is phenomenal in the role of a parkistanic DJ who developes a sickness that not only destroys his career but also his view at life. The film has many things to tell, first its the struggle with that new illness and the constant inner struggle of the leading characters believes and traditions. Ahmed is awesome how he handles this material, also written by him and director Bassam Tariq. Also the performance by Alvy Khan is absolutely noteworthy. Riz Ahmed also proves himself as a very talented rapper. The films structure is generally fine, except for those imaginary scenes that really are often not easy on the eye, because of the sloppy editing, but the way the protagonists faces all his challenges is extremely well portrayed.