Mura Malayalam Movie
Actor-director Muhammed Musthafa's sophomore has the familiar template of gangster action films with treachery by characters fuelling the plot conflict. So the dejà vu effect is obvious; yet, here, performances and treatment overshadow the regular format you have come across quite often on screen. 'Mura' brags of its freshness in intense portrayal of friendship and raw action, besides sustaining an impressive consistency in grabbing the attention of viewers with an uneventful tale. The 'Kappela' director sets his film's premise on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram city where local goons call the shots. Witten by Suresh Babu, the scenes of gory violence and bloodbath in this gangster tale may make one repugnant, though such sequences are aimed to buttress the narrative mode.
A murder scene on a street in Bengaluru sets the tone of 'Mura' and soon the film's focus shifts to the Kerala capital. Four friends comprising Anandu, played by Hridu Haroon, Manu (Yadhu Krishnan), Manaf (Anujith) and Saji, essayed by Jobin Das, who are from humble backgrounds, work for a small goonda group in their locality. Their exposure to a ruthless mafia group led by Ani, played by Suraj Venjaramoodu, upends their life forever. The influential Remadevi (Maala Parvathy) from an affluent family controls the local goonda gangs for reaping benefits for her. Once, Ani assigns these gullible boys with a task to fulfil in Tamil Nadu by enticing them with a handsome amount as a reward.
The youngsters approach Tamil youths Sitru (Vigneshwar Suresh) and Malar (Krish Hassan) to assist them in the 'quotation' as Sitru and Malar had previous experience in the same mission. Musthafa has delicately crafted the lifestyle of local goondas and he astutely leverages violence as an inevitable tool to narrate such a theme. However, the final stages of the tale manifest its predictability when Anandu goes berserk. Hridu Haroon perfectly 'celebrates' his role by lending all his strengths to the emotionally-upset Anandu. The presence of Kani Kusruti as a nurse has little significance in the proceedings and her relationship with Anandu remains obscure till the end. The villainy in Ani is revealed in a suave manner and Suraj hardly compromises himself in letting out the power of the character. He has given ample vibrancy in his performance to gradually reveal the character's malicious intent.
The resounding appearance of Maala Parvathy gives a distinct dimension to the cliched format of this underworld tale. Her casting gives a refreshing feel to the turn of events and it also kindles curiosity in terms of the progress of the tale. Organic performance of youngsters gives a fresh lease of life to 'Mura' and saves it from being tagged as a banal gang war story. In one way, the writer tries to drive home the message of how youths fall victims to criminal gangs and risk their life in search of fortunes. Though the story is as old as the hills, the director's decent craft saves it from downfall. Christo Joy's music and Fazil Naser's peppy visuals handsomely elevate the premise of the plot.
Jobin Das plays another vital character who has a romantic affair with a girl. Saji's family background is beautifully etched in the film that also underscores the fact that once you are trapped into the world of crime, there's no going back. The robbery episode has been neatly executed but considering the procedure of the sequences and safety of the place, it is seldom entirely convincing. With a predictable line of events, 'Mura' is able to make an impact owing to its compelling treatment and intense narration.
