Minnal Murali

2021 2h 38m ML

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 353

ActionComedyFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A tailor gains special powers after being struck by lightning but must take down an unexpected foe if he is to become the superhero his hometown in Kerala needs.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Tovino Thomas
Jaison / Minnal Murali / Martin Rangakala
Guru Somasundaram
Shibu / Minnal Murali
Aju Varghese
Pothan
Vasisht Umesh
Josemon
Shelly Kishore
Usha
Femina George
"Bruce Lee" Biji
P Balachandran
Varkey
Harisree Ashokan
Daasan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Basil Joseph
Writers: Justin Mathew, Arun Anirudhan
Languages: English, Malayalam
Countries: India

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 158 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 5 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Malayalam.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Basil Joseph, shot by Sameer Thahir. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Shaan Rahman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Livingston Mathew shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tovino Thomas and Guru Somasundaram and Aju Varghese carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Basil Joseph directs. Sameer Thahir behind the camera. Shaan Rahman scores. Livingston Mathew cuts. Produced in India. Dialogue in English, Malayalam.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 158 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
2Shot for just $2.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Released 5 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Malayalam.
5Directed by Basil Joseph, shot by Sameer Thahir. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Shaan Rahman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Livingston Mathew shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Tovino Thomas and Guru Somasundaram and Aju Varghese carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt7268738 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Sameer Thahir
Original score: Shaan Rahman
Editing: Livingston Mathew
Makeup / hair: Hassan Vandoor
Sound: Nixon George
Stunt coordinator: Supreme Sundar
Runtime: 158 min · 2h 38m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,111,711
Original language: ML
Certification (US): 12
IMDB: Minnal Murali (2021)

Also by

Basil Joseph

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Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Tejas Nair2021-12-22
★ 8/10
You'll feel a sense of wicked delight originating from the cinematic social milieu that Basil Joseph is so known to masterfully create as you sit down in your living room and watch Baiju and Rajesh Madhavan in their policemen characters waiting in a "thattukada" for a man to give him an earful, perhaps a handful. The man is a poovalan who's supposed to come down to a bus stop to meet his girlfriend. That deed may or may not happen but that is not the point of this fantastic sequence that introduces almost everyone in the film that needs an introduction. It is therefore this world-building that I want to point out that makes Minnal Murali (Lightning Murali, Mister Murali) a fresh wave into the Malayalam cinema. With equal weightage given to the primary and secondary characters (especially the central duo) and a weaving plot that experiences starting trouble but soon takes off, Minnal Murali maintains a steady pace with a mix of dry humour, heavy drama, and scattered social commentary. None of these take centrestage though as the story evolves into a bona fide superhero template that still doesn't feel trite. The background score and surprisingly well-done VFX were the highlights for me as I sat down being enthralled by the sheer magic in the way the story is written. Minnal Murali has heralded the superhereo genre with the punch that it demanded and I for one am riding the happy wave. More than anything, this is clever cinema, one that makes you marvel at all the tiny and larger bits of writing that make up this jubilant confluence. Something that you can use to forego the cliched shadow that hangs over the plot sore. You can't miss how the story evolves at a meandering pace, narrating the origin of the evil and the good equally well. Something that I don't see usually in this genre. Watch it, you'll like it. (Reviewed post embargo on 22 Dec. Watched during its world premiere at the MAMI Year Round Programme.)

Production companies