JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Mulk Movie Review: A hard-hitting storyline with Rishi Kapoor and Taapsee Pannu as the knockout punch
Read the full Mulk movie review here. Film Mulk is about a Muslim family's struggle to prove their innocence as a member of their own. Mulk is about religion and blind faith and a broken home. Addresses the Hum vs Woh issue.
"Jihad means war right?" Aarti Mohammed, earlier Malhotra (Taapsee Pannu) asks curiously. In response, a proud Indian in Murad Ali Mohammed states, "Jihad maane struggle." A few minutes later we see Shahid Mohammed's (Prateik Babbar) dead body being dragged as a spectacle for the onlookers who are left in awe and fear, irrespective of their caste, creed or gender. This forms the crux of Mulk and what Anubhav Sinha was trying to convey to us through his open letter, which went viral recently.
Mulk is about a Muslim family's struggle to prove their innocence as a member of their own, Shahid Mohammed was proven guilty for a bomb blast that killed many innocent lives. It's about the naivety and blind faith in one's religion irrespective of the consequences or what it could lead to. Murad and Aarti fight tooth and nail to prove that Shahid's father Bilaal Mohammed (Manoj Pahwa) is not a terrorist like his son was. They are up against the prosecution with Santosh Anand (Ashutosh Rana) in the front seat and Danish Javed (Rajat Kapoor) as the supporting force, who ironically is a Muslim himself.
The first half of the movie was the calm before the storm and gave us a glimpse at the innocence of Murad and his family before Shahid's unforgiving betrayal. Set against the backdrop of Banaras, the eery feeling through the cinematography and shade of dark colours rings an alarm that all is not what it seems. The second half is engulfed by the impending court case in the name of religion, in the name of you vs us. From the start to the finish, Mulk is not about dance and songs and love and drama. Mulk is about religion and blind faith, Mulk is about a broken home, Mulk is about you and I (Hindu or Muslim, whomsoever's side you are one.)
Rishi Kapoor galvanizes the plotline with his inept idea to be idealistic and his sense of belonging of home. His performance makes you forget that he is infact not Muslim in real-life and the pain is evident in him and his family. Manoj is the show stealer in the movie as your heart aches for him and his gullibility. Neena Gupta and Prachee Shah Pandya brilliantly convey the pain of a grieving family who is confused as to feel sympathy or blind hatred for one of their own. A poignant scene that stuck with me from the movie was when Murad refused to accept Shahid's body as he knew that his nephew was wrong for what he did. Taapsee and Ashutosh play the perfect protagonist and antagonist in the form of defense and prosecution and delivered some knockout punchlines that will surely get a reaction out of the audience. Rajat Kapoor and Prateik Babbar had small parts but fit the purpose in the longer run. Special mention to the back and forth dialogue between Taapsee, Rajat and Ashutosh in one spectacular scene which seemed like an ode to the famous "You can't handle the truth," exchange from A Few Good Men (1992).
The true hero of Mulk is Anubhav Sinha who had a point to prove, no strings attached. The reasoning and backstory behind the making of the movie is a question in all our minds - the difference between hum and woh! When it comes to the script, at times, it felt a bit preachy and could have been a bit more tight and crisp. The ending was way too idealistic for the present-day world but kudos to the filmmaker on bringing to light the real issues that our nation is currently battling. In a recent interview, Anubhav had said, "I can make a safe Dus, a safer Ra.One but not a safe Mulk." After watching Mulk, we see why.
So at the end of the day, is Mulk worth a watch? Yes, because somehow, we have all misunderstood the meaning of religion and reiterated it with jingoism. Anything in the name of 'Mulk' right?
We rate it a 70% on the movie meter.
Latest Articles
