Minnal Murali - 2021

Introduction 

Minnal Murali movie (2021) is a first Malayalam superhero film. The movie revolves around a character called Jaison played by Tovin Thomas. Jaison is a young tailor who transitions to having superpowers after being struck by thunder resulting in turning a Superhero.The superhero action movie is directed by Basil Joseph and produced by Sophie Paul under the banner name of  Weekend blockbusters. The Minnal Murali cast includes Tovino Thomas and Guru Somasundaram with a powerful screenplay by Arun Anirudhan and Justin Mathew. The other cast includes Shelly Kishore, Femina George, Arya Salim, Arju Varghese. The Minnal Murali songs are composed by Sushin Shyam, with eight songs  which are very groovy and pleasant to the ears.

Table Of Contents

• Details

• Story

• Release Date

• Review

• Rating

• Audience Viewership

• Cast

• Crew

• Character Analysis

• Songs

• Behind The Scenes

• Controversy

• Box Office Collection

• Interesting Facts

• Minnal Murali 2

• How to Book Personalised Video Messages From Celebrities Similar to Minnal Murali?

Details

Story

Jaison, played by Tovino Thomas is a young and ambitious man who wants to settle in the USA. Shibu is the another character played by Guru Somasundaram working at a teashop in a village. He is eagerly waiting for his high school crush, Usha to return back. While he waited for her one fine night, a lightning strikes both Jaison and Shibu. For a few days, both seem normal but gradually, they start exhibiting signs of superpowers.

The Minnal Murali villain, Shibu uses his superpowers with evil motive and vengeance against the villagers who tormented him all his life, Jaison realises the need to use them for the correct reasons. The movie unfolds by showing consequences of fate playing a cruel role in their lives and how they confront themselves. All his life trying to build a career abroad, he then decides to stay back in his village to protect the villagers  from the evil. Thus, showing how he has evolved as a selfless person within a selfess person gradually. 

Tovin Thomas plays the character with so much charm, while inspiring joy amongst the audiences as he goes discovering and ejnjoying his abilities. He can run at a turbo speed, shatter bricked walls in a punch. Although he cannot fly but has got lighting fast reflexes. The name Minnal Murali is chosen by him after a play by his biological father.

Shibu, the villain of this superhero film is a aimless man who is struck by lighting the same way as our hero Jaison, resulting in gaining super powers. He is a man who is mostly neglected by the villagers which creates a feeling of revenge in Shibu's mind. Shibu's only motivation is his school love. The consequences of loving her result in making him a Villain and finally pulling off a vilain's cape.

Both the Hero and the Villain are memorable and put up a great screen presence. But considering the genre of the movie the fight sequal and stunt choreography aren't enough appealing, that is compensated through fascinating visual effects, character development and emotional depth of the characters giving a good time to the viewers.

The songs in the film are groovy and well put in, at no point they feel pointless

Ott Release

Minnal Murali was supposed have a theatrical release, but due to the various covid waves and closure of theatres the shoot was rescheduled multiple times. The producer Sophia Paul wished to launch the movie theatrically, but then decided to go for a direct-to-streaming release due to the mounting costs.

It was decided on 24 September that the movie would be streaming from 24 December 2021. The film was dubbed into Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada for its OTT release. Besides this, the movie is also available in 38 different languages. 

The first malyalam superhero film is currently streaming on Netflix and is also having a world television premiere on the coming sunday which is on April 10.

Review

'Minnal Murali', directed by Basil Joseph, proudly launches Mollywood into the world of superhero cinema. The film brings to life a delightfully unconventional superhero, complete with a cape , who manages to evoke a sense of childlike wonder and charm, offering a refreshingly goofy touch to the superhero genre.

The story revolves around Jaison, portrayed by Tovino Thomas, an ordinary young man who is transformed by a lightning strike into a superhero. Thomas wonderfully captures the character's transformation, balancing the innocence and playfulness of a boy-next-door and the awe of suddenly gaining superpowers. His exploration of newfound abilities with his nephew Josemon adds a fun element to the narrative, making it enjoyable to watch.

The film also introduces an antagonist, impressively played by Guru Somasundaram, who summons empathy from the audience due to his tragic backstory. His portrayal of a man turned villain due to external circumstances and harsh realities add depth and colours to the film.

Though the film takes some time to establish the superhero origin story and occasionally borders on melodrama with heavy dialogues, it doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment. While the well-worn elements of the superhero narrative - orphan characters, underdogs, and 'meant for greatness' discoveries - are present, they're presented tastefully and imbued with a sense of charm rather than cliché.

Within the genre's requirements, the film falls short with its fight choreography, which isn't as gripping as might be expected from a superhero film. Nevertheless, the film compensates through impressive visual effects, emotional depth, and solid character development. The songs of the film are well-placed, enhancing the narrative with a mix of groovy and melodious tunes.

In terms of editing and pace, 'Minnal Murali' maintains a steady rhythm, incorporating elements of drama, comedy, and fantasy smoothly. The animation and graphics contribute to the creation of a fantastical atmosphere that will captivate the audience and transport them into the film's universe.

All in all, 'Minnal Murali' is a modest yet entertaining film that combines humour, fantasy, and emotional depth effectively. It is perfect for an audience who enjoys the superhero genre with a dash of comedy and drama. The engaging performances, notably from Tovino Thomas and Guru Somasundaram, propel the film and make it a must-watch.

Rating

Audience Viewership

Minnal Murali is the third Indian film to be on the Netflix's Global Top 10 list of Non-English movie. Approximately more than 5.9 million viewership hours were recorded during its release on 24 december 2021

Cast

Crew

Character Analysis

•  Tovino Thomas as Jaison

Tovino Thomas brings to life the character of Jaison, a boy-next-door turned superhero in 'Minnal Murali'. Initially, Jaison is depicted as an unassuming committeeman with big dreams, whose life takes a dramatic shift following a bizarre lightning strike that endows him with superpowers. Thomas expertly portrays the spectrum of emotions that follow this transformation. His performance shines as he toggles between an innocent, playful adult discovering and mastering his superpowers alongside his nephew Josemon, and stepping into his responsibility as a superhero. Thomas brings undeniable charm and a naïve sense of wonder to his character that resonates with every viewer who enjoys tales of fantasy and thrill.

• Guru Somasundaram as Shibu

Guru Somasundaram portrays the character of Shibu, the compelling antagonist of the film. His performance stands out as he presents the character who, due to unfortunate circumstances, is led to the path of villainy. Instead of portraying the conventional evil villain, Somasundaram brings forth a more nuanced character who evokes empathy. His transformation into the villain, his handlings of the adverse attention he receives, and the circumstances that led him to villainy are handled with finesse by the actor. The layered portrayal by Somasundaram of a man forced into villainy due to his experiences makes the character of Shibu particularly memorable.

Songs

Behind The Scenes

Play

Netflix, officially released the making of the film on Youtube. The movie was shot in 111 days. However, the film's actual shoot dates are staggered over two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. You can see in the bts what all efforts it took for the cast.

Controversy

• During the shoot of Minnal Murali, a set was put together to shoot the climax portions near Kalady. It cost the producer nearly 50 lakhs to build it. But it was built opposite a temple. This made the right-wing activists extremely unhappy, and they razed down the church set, citing religious hatred. Later a similar set was built at a different location, and the film's shooting was completed successfully.

Box Office Collection

The box office collection of Minnal Murali is unknown as it did not have a theatrical release. It was released directly on the OTT platform, Netflix. On the other hand, the Netflix release had over 56 lakh hours of streaming. This itself was a huge metric of success which pleasantly shocked everyone. But to get the number game right, the producers shared that the film's budget was ₹18 crores, while the distribution rights to Netflix were sold at ₹25 crores, making it a hit in terms of revenue. Minnal Murali also made it to Netflix's list of Global Top 10 non-English films of the year. 

Awards

Interesting Facts

• This was the first Malayali superhero film to be done in mainstream cinema, and it clicked with the people.

• As a part of their marketing campaign, Tovino Thomas was part of some very well-crafted publicity campaigns. The first was with Great Khali from WWE, and the second was with Yuvraj Singh. Both campaigns were received well by the internet fraternity.

• It was a great moment for the team and for Tovino Thomas as Minnal Murali was the 1st Malayalam move to be in the Top 10 worldwide list.

• The final look of Shibu as the ultimate supervillain was inspired by Batman's villains, Twoface and Scarecrow.

• In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, mention of the sequal, Minnal Murali 2 were discussed where the Tovin Thomas said he'd love to work in the movie but only if it will have a theatrical release and if not that he and Basil won't be associating with the film.

Sequal- Minnal Murali 2

Talks of sequal of the the movie 'Minal Murali 2' were in buzz due to its large amount of viewership on the digital platform. In a past interview with Tovino Thomas, expressed his passion for working in the sequal of the movie only if the film will have a theatrical release. Currently no talks of sequal of the movie going on.

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