Director: Basil Joseph
Cast: Tovino Thomas, Guru Somasundaram, Femina George
Language: Malayalam
Streaming on: Netflix
When I first heard that that Mollywood was coming up with a superhero film, I was quite skeptical. We generally tend to associate such films with mega budgets, for starters. And in the past, even ‘superhero directors’ like Mysskin have failed to do justice to this genre. Minnal Murali (directed by Basil Joseph and streaming on Netflix) though is in a class of its own.
It is probably best to call this a superhero origins story. We are introduced to Jaison (Tovino Thomas) who is a tailor in a small town in Kerala. We also meet Shibu (Guru Somasundaram) who is a nondescript, often harassed, tea shop employee in the same town. While Jaison harbors ambitions to relocate to the USA, Shibu’s days are spent trying to woo Usha, his childhood crush. Jaison and Shibu’s lives change forever when they both survive a near fatal lightning strike.
The conceit is simple enough. The lightning strike confers super human powers upon both Jaison and Shibu. Jaison adopts the pseudonym ‘Minnal Murali’ and employs his new found faculty to playful acts of petty vengeance. For Shibu though, these powers represent release from a world of abuse and oppression and the key that could open the doors to a relationship he craves.
You know the screenplay is working towards setting up a good vs evil battle. But the writers (Arun Anirudhan and Justin Mathew) keep you guessing about how exactly this will be established. When it happens, it’s a stroke of genius. Minnal Murali suddenly finds that he has an imposter. An imposter whose misdemeanors are a shade darker each time. Jaison now not only finds the cops hot on his heels but also knows he might be his townfolks’ only hope to save them from impending calamity.
Minnal Murali is a slow burn to begin with. But the editing by Livingston Mathew is slick and ensures there’s never a drag. The scenes that cross cut between Jaison and Shibu as they discover more about themselves and each other are brilliant. My favourite of the lot was where both the characters unmask each other’s real identities almost simultaneously after a tense build up.
Though this film was clearly made with a tight budget, the visual effects are never found wanting. There’s a classic ‘bus hanging over a cliff’ scene that the makers have pulled off stunningly. The climax sequence where Jaison and Shibu face off with props levitating and swirling all around deserves special mention.
Tovino Thomas and Guru Somasundaram are in fine form. Somasundaram’s portrayal especially seems to be heavily inspired by the Joker characters played by Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix. The supporting cast also puts in a shift, especially the delightful Vasisht Umesh who plays Jaison’s young nephew Josemon and Femina George, who plays ‘Bruce Lee’ Biji, a martial arts instructor.
Apart from the buccaneering main narrative, there were also these smaller moments that really struck a chord. I loved the back story with Jaison’s father (also played by Tovino Thomas) and also the touch at the end where Biji’s character foils Shibu’s plans with her gritty presence of mind. The latter was a nice reminder that not all superheroes wear capes.
The one question everyone will be asking after watching Minnal Murali is if there will be a sequel. There have been hints given by the director and the lead actors, but only time will really tell. Let’s hope for every film lover’s sake that lightning indeed strikes twice.
Overall rating: 3.5/5
