Minnal Murali (2021)

December 16, 2021 (IN) • Action, Comedy, Fantasy • 158m

Overview

A tailor gains special powers after being struck by lightning but must take down an unexpected foe if he is to become the superhero his hometown in Kerala needs.

Director

Tovino Thomas

Keywords

superhero supervillain weekend cinematic universe (wcu)

Where to watch

Free / Included

Netflix

Netflix Standard with Ads

Top Billed Cast

Tovino Thomas

Jaison / Minnal Murali / Martin Rangakala

Crew

Collection

Weekend Cinematic Universe

Minnal Murali

Detective Ujjwalan

Jambi

Reviews

Tejas Nair

⭐ 8/10

December 22, 2021

You'll feel a sense of wicked delight originating from the cinematic social milieu that Basil Joseph is so known to masterfully create as you sit down in your living room and watch Baiju and Rajesh Madhavan in their policemen characters waiting in a "thattukada" for a man to give him an earful, perhaps a handful. The man is a poovalan who's supposed to come down to a bus stop to meet his girlfriend. That deed may or may not happen but that is not the point of this fantastic sequence that introduces almost everyone in the film that needs an introduction.

It is therefore this world-building that I want to point out that makes Minnal Murali (Lightning Murali, Mister Murali) a fresh wave into the Malayalam cinema. With equal weightage given to the primary and secondary characters (especially the central duo) and a weaving plot that experiences starting trouble but soon takes off, Minnal Murali maintains a steady pace with a mix of dry humour, heavy drama, and scattered social commentary. None of these take centrestage though as the story evolves into a bona fide superhero template that still doesn't feel trite. The background score and surprisingly well-done VFX were the highlights for me as I sat down being enthralled by the sheer magic in the way the story is written.

Minnal Murali has heralded the superhereo genre with the punch that it demanded and I for one am riding the happy wave. More than anything, this is clever cinema, one that makes you marvel at all the tiny and larger bits of writing that make up this jubilant confluence. Something that you can use to forego the cliched shadow that hangs over the plot sore. You can't miss how the story evolves at a meandering pace, narrating the origin of the evil and the good equally well. Something that I don't see usually in this genre. Watch it, you'll like it.

(Reviewed post embargo on 22 Dec. Watched during its world premiere at the MAMI Year Round Programme.)

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Status

Released

Original Language

Budget

$2,111,711

Revenue

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