Minnal Murali

Minnal Murali (2021) : Movie Review -

Hollywood is ruling the Superhero genre like no other cinema industry in the world cinema. Right from the 70s when they made Superman and later went realistic with the Batman Film during the late 80s. Marvel and DC both have sucked out everything possible in this genre from original adaptations to reboots to cinematic universe, even the biggest grossers recently belong to the same genre. Indian Cinema has remained far behind in that. We hardly have any memorable Superhero film except for that 90s nostalgia 'Shaktimaan' serial and Hrithik Roshan's Krrish- a child born to Hindi adaptation of Steven Speilberg's groundbreaking 'ET The Extra Terrestrial". It is sad to know that Indian Cinema is not just behind but it's not even trying to crack the formula of Superhero Genre. From now onwards, we won't be able to say that because Basil Joseph has just come up with something astonishing called 'Minnal Murali'. What's more surprising is that this film came from Malayalam Cinema which is a much smaller industry than Bollywood. Malayalam Cinema is simply unmatchable when it comes to content-driven cinema. Forget all time lists, just have a look at 2021. The Great Indian Kitchen, Drishyam 2, Operation Java, Aarkkariyam, Nayattu, Malik, Kuruthi, Home, Kurup and Kaanekkaane, Malayalam Cinema has ruled 2021 like no other cinema industry in India. I'm glad to announce that Minnal Murali has joined this elite club, just a week before year end.

Minnal Murali is Malayalam Cinema's foray into Superhero genre with not so high budget. It's a story about a young tailor Jaison (Tovino Thomas) who gets struck by lightning on a Christmas Eve and gains superpowers after the incident. On the same Eve, a heartbroken fella Venkidi goes through the same incident and gains the same powers. While Jaison uses those superpowers to transform himself into the superhero, Venkidi misuses the powers and the battlefield is set for a grand fight between good and bad. Despite the fictional idea of superpowers, Anirudhan and Matthew's script stays close to reality. It has those conflicts we have in almost every superhero film over the years but still it keeps you engaged with that human-connect. It is a comedy film alright but not much spoofy about the same. Inhad few laugh but not memorable ones.

Performances in the film uplift the quality of the product. Tovino Thomas is so much into the character that after an hour or so you start believing in him as a superhero. Guru Somasundaram presents the best heroic villain you've ever seen in Indian Superhero films. He isn't bad because he loves being an antagonist, he becomes bad because people made him so. That intelligent writing piece gives credibility and reliability to his character. Aju Varghese, Femina George, Harisree Ashokan, Mammukoya and Baiju Santosh add their support in this superbly balanced cast. Minnal Murali is 160 minutes long, which is little bit more than expected but as we know it is coming on Netflix, you don't really mind about the runtime. Surely, it could have been 15 minutes shorter, especially in the first half.

What people seek the most from Superhero movies is Visual Effects and Minnal Murali scores first class grades despite a moderate budget. Had this film got a budget like 'Bahubali' and '2 Point 0', the VFX team would have defeated all Indian films in Visual effects. The action scenes are so intriguing and have got so much intensity in it. The way Guru smiles arrogantly and Tovina looks helpless in front of him, its a great example of how perfect one cinematic frame can be during a big action sequence. Mind-blowing! Basil Joseph has made a visual spectacle with great cinematic sense. The saddest thing that happened to Indian cinema in 2021 is that Minnal Murali was not released on the big screen. This one is a big-screen phenomena. Having said that, it's not gonna make much difference for true cinema lovers who really understand the cinematic aspects of filmmaking. You know Visual grandeur isn't everything, there is a lot more beyond that and you will get to learn that while watching this impeccable superhero drama by Basil. Undoubtedly, the Best Indian Superhero Film so far, and one had to work really hard to surpass it. It's really appalling to know that Malayalam Cinema has made such a fabulous movie without the help of the biggest production banners of India. Truly an Astonishing Achievement for Mollywood but more than that, it's a new beginning for Indian Cinema in the Superhero Genre. Please give a grand welcome to the new Indian superhero, he deserves it more than those typical commercial potboilers.

RATING - 7/10*

For a change, it was refreshing to watch a superhero movie that isn't about saving (certain parts of 👀) the world, that doesn't have sophisticated technology. As a superhero movie in Mollywood/Indian Cinema, it could have easily followed the regular Hollywood tropes, but it didn't & I thought that it stayed grounded, relevant to the industry and the audience.

Great cinematography, great sound design, people aren't happy with the VFX - I didn't mind it at all, a story that could have been all over the place - but isn't, humor, great acting, this film has it all. In an era where we have high budget films (without superheroes) in which modified cars are sent to space (press F for Family), MM proves that you don't need anything flashy/over-the-top to make a film work. Bruh's out running in his 'Hawaii Chappal' despite being a superhero as he's figuring his powers out. There's enough time spent on the antagonist and his backstory. Good character development overall.

In the process of explaining everything, did the movie become a tad too slow and long in the first half? Maybe, or maybe not. All that said this was a good 'origin' story. I would really like to see a sequel or two for this, but now that everything's been explained, a similar pacing in a future movie might become an issue.

But I choose not to worry about that RN, this movie is one that needs to be celebrated not only for what it is, but what Indian cinema could be in several years' time. Imagine a day when superheroes from different film industries in India crossover into each other's movies and eventually team up! Hell, 3-4 movies down the line, maybe Minnal Murali is so popular that MCU figures out a way to make him cannon, or at least for a cameo?

Excited to see what comes from this.

This was beyond my expectations. But Basil managed to direct the movie so profoundly with every details being thoroughly gone through. Acting shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. But the way it has been directed, I would say I can see a lot of potential in the Malayalam Film Industry. With such a low budget, this movie is going to change the face of Cinema from Malayalam Film Industry. Hats off guys, couldnt be more proud.

I'm only disappointed by the fact that the movie wasn't released in theatres. Would've been a delight to watch this on the big screen.

The first part of this superhero fiction is marvelous. Making, artwork, VFX and other works were great. The story was also portrayed well. One of the best movie from Basil joseph. Great effort and teamwork. Guru somasundharam performed well than tovino thomas. Missed the theatre experience. Waiting for the second part if there is one.

Recently the superhero genre has blown up like anything, while Hollywood has not only embraced but also found great sucess in superhero genre Bollywood has been left behind a million paces. Whatever little efforts made are either underwhelming or downright cringefest.

In this landscape Minnal Murali is a breath of fresh air the script and production value especially VFX are really really well done. Best thing about this movie is that characters are really well done and not rushed just to fit unnecessary VFX fight scenes.

I think the romance obsessed Bollywood shrills can learn a thing or two from this movie and try to churn out some good Original content instead of usual sluge they deem entertainment.