Minnal Murali (Malayalam ) - Movie

I have been super excited with the promos and trailers for this movie, Minnal Murali (Lightning Murali) for over a year now. And yesterday after having watched the full movie, I can safely vouch for it and claim that yes, this indeed has been the Superhero movie of the year, made in India that we’ve been waiting for. 

Kudos to Basil Joseph and Tovino Thomas and the entire team, for having created an indigenous superhero origins movie, that is true to its roots, well scripted and restrained, that doesn't just use CGI effects to create that hollow earth-shattering climax focused on the good vs evil fight, but gives us a firmly rooted believable backstory to the pathos of the antagonist ( here, played so well by Guru Somasundaram) - this could very well be the template that Marvel needs to copy to make their villains more than just grunting cardboard cutouts with earth-shattering motives for no reason, other than power mongering and bloated egos. 

The movie, like previous Basil Joseph-Tovino outings (The sports based drama Godha), first establishes the sense of place and time. We are given the ringside view of life in a sleepy village (called KoorukkanMoola, roughly translated to the Fox's Den) somewhere in Kerala during the 90's ( Multiple cues, including movie-star Sudheesh fresh from the success of the movie Manichitrathazahu, made in 1993, Tovino's introduction shot as a male model inspired by George Michael looks etc!) The story remains firmly grounded in the local mileu of the small town - the multiple characters within the village who gather at the 'chai-kada' that becomes the chief place for gossip and news about the town and world in general. There's the frustrated police-inspector (Baiju) and his intellectually curious constable (criminally under-utilised talent, Rajesh Madhavan) the gossip-monger shop-keeper and his slightly 'slow' helper Shibu (Guru) , the local Tailor and his loafer son, Jaison (Tovino) whose sole aim in life is migrate to America as he believes his own sense of fashion and general philosophy in life is too advanced for the rural hinterland that is his hometown. Then there is his sister and the brother-in-law PC Pothen (Aju Verghese) a frustrated chauvinistic male parody. 

When we first run into Jaison, he is not really the most likeable person. Someone who complains about his circumstances and the cards he has been dealt by fate and moans about it, without doing anything himself. His girlfriend dumps him for a richer guy and he just sits around and mops. But then, what makes up the ingredients for a superhero? A need to be loved, recognised and that inherent need to do 'good'? Jaison has all this in spades. In fact, the initial bits of the movie focusing on this part, introduces us to the rest of the cast in the village. But everything changes the night when Jaison is hit by a lightning. His gradual introduction to his own superpowers and his experimentation with the same to understand them better, is an absolute riot to watch. But he is not alone in this blessing. At the exact same time that Jaison is hit, the village bumpkin Shibu who has been in love with the same girl for the last twenty eight years (unrequited of course!), sitting on a coracle in the river, watching his object of affection Usha in secret, gets hit by a lightning as well. Lending him as well, superpowers. This parallel track of Shibu and his quest for love is utterly absorbing and is the best part of the movie. The story of how Shibu becomes consumed by hate and rage when his wishes are thwarted, is a fascinating spiral of human psyche into the depths of black. Guru Somasundaram excels and is a treat to watch. 

The superhero story spills out almost like a fable, but remains so rooted in the semi-rural settings that make up the environment. For example, there is a chase sequence between Tovino's and Guru's character on a mud road, chickens flying out of the way, them racing ahead of the bullock-carts, the cycles and the mopeds, and even the town-bus.  The climactic fight happens in a local 'mela', in the backdrop of a typical Giant Wheel. They use costume props from a school play, the scarecrow mask made of sack, towels and lungi to initially mask their identities. The writers, Arun Anirudhan and Justin Mathew, focus not on the giant good versus evil fight here but little issues that make up our lives. A good-samaritan act that forces Shibu to rob the village corporation bank to pay for the bills, for the hospitalisation of his love interest's child. How the superhero uses his newly gained powers, to just teach the greedy mean cops of the village, a lesson in humility and good manners. But it all ties together neatly as we move beyond these small acts into something that snowballs into an issue that threatens the lives of the entire village, as Shibu seethes to right the wrongs arraigned against him from a long time. 

The side-roles add the meat and masala to the story-arcs, be it the mean cop - Baiju Santhosh has made it his life-mission to play such roles!) or the jealous brother-in-law played by Aju Verghese. Femina George plays a karate instructor and a travel-agent in a passing nod to a budding love/friendship story that is never clarified. But the best performance is easily Guru Somasundaram ( we've seen him mostly in Tamil movies before this) who channels the hurt, the rejection by an apathetic society and the anger into something terrifying ala Joker. 

Tovino has been experimental in the kind of roles he takes up and this mask/cape fits him rather well. His transformation from a no-good loafer to a do-gooder doesn't seem forced, is organic and paced well. A caped crusader who deems it his duty to protect his corner of the world against any evil that may raise its head. In fact, KurkkanMoola is his playground, just like Hell's Kitchen, Gotham city or Queens neighbourhood is for the other famous caped crusaders. Technically solid, with Samir Thahir's cinematography and Shaan Rahman's fabulous eminently hummable soundtrack, Minal Murali could be the start of a movie franchise focused on the exploits of this made-in-india superhero. I may be biased because it's a Malayalam Movie but it's overall a fabulous addition to the roster of 'superhero' movies or, actually, just a well-made movie that just happens to have a superhero for a 'hero'. Highly recommended!