‘Mura’ movie review: This revenge drama packs a punch with its terrific performances

‘Mura’ movie review: This revenge drama packs a punch with its terrific performances

Action and bloodshed were written all over the trailer of Mura and that’s exactly what you get in the movie. Actor Muhammad Musthafa, who made a promising debut as a director with the thriller Kappela (2020) is back with a violent revenge drama that banks on fine performances by the cast and solid action sequences.

The story set in Thiruvananthapuram revolves around four jobless friends — Anandu (Hridhu Haroon), Manu (Yadhu Krishnan), Manaf (Anujith) and Saji (Jobin Das). The youngsters willingly enter the world of crime and violence and come under the wings of a gangster, Ani, played by Suraj Venjaramoodu.

The impulsive, temperamental foursome decides to take up a risky job in Madurai at the behest of Ani. Even though they plan to end their criminal activities after executing that task, things do not go as planned.

In this film, written by Suresh Babu, Musthafa scores big with the cast, especially the four young actors. Hridhu, who heads the team, excels as the angry young man. His experience comes across in his performance, having done films in other languages, prominent being his Cannes outing, All We Imagine As Light. The other three belong to Thiruvananthapuram and are hence bang on with the dialect and dialogue delivery, apart from also putting out convincing performances. Actors Krish Hassan and Vigneshwar Suresh also make a mark as the friends of the gang.

Playing the character of Ani feels like a cakewalk for Suraj and the surprise element comes in the form of Maala Parvathi as Ani’s boss, Rema; though it makes us wonder why she was given prosthetic teeth. Nevertheless, it is a welcome change to see a woman calling the shots in a gangster drama even though why Kani Kusruti’s character did not have much space in the narrative would remain a mystery.

The action is raw and real as it can get; be it in the chase sequences or the fights. Mura is another addition to the list of Malayalam movies of recent times that have gone for high-stakes stunts. However, it also makes you question whether so much violence is needed in certain sequences.

The technical side — Fazil Nazer (cinematography), Chaman Chakko (editing) and Christo Joby (music and background score) —shines through. What works against the film is that the script meanders a bit towards the second half, thus leaving an underwhelming effect. You want to root for the youngsters and their rage, especially Anandu’s, but the narrative falls short of emotional intensity. If this had been taken care of, Mura would have made for a terrific film.