The audience barely gets to see the quintessential Nivin Pauly in Moothon, and perhaps that’s the best part of the movie. Moothon is way ahead of the teaser and the trailer and too different from it too. This makes the movie a delight to watch.
The film opens with a bunch of kids who are on the serene island of Lakshadweep and dream about a world that they want to see. One of them, Mulla (Sanjana Dipu) yearns to go to Mumbai. He has a solid reason too – to trace his elder brother.
Following a few events, Mulla manages to escape to Mumbai’s Kamathipura but sadly reality turns out to be too harsh for the teenager.
Mulla’s journey is weaved like a thriller with many twists and turns. During the course of time, Mulla meets Rosy (Sobhita Dhulipala), a sex worker, and later gets kidnapped by Bhai (Nivin Pauly) and his crony Salim (Shashank Arora). Along with yet another character Aamir (Roshan Mathew), when we are then let into the world of Akbar and how he turned out to be the Bhai that he is today.
What then unfolds is an emotionally charged story of self-discovery. And contrary to the one-liner, it goes beyond the story of one’s search for his elder brother.
The Geetu Mohandas directorial will surprise and at the same time shock you for its charming tenderness and chilling harshness.
We get to see the underbelly of Mumbai which we have seen in multiple films. If Geetu uses the eyes to tell the first story with Mulla, she showcases the physical power of Bhai to show the second dark side of the plot.
The narrative goes back and forth and brings about twists in the storytelling. The romance is tender, sensitive and heartbreaking. The film deals with various social taboos including those of gender and sexuality.
During some instances, the movie seems to drive too many elements, at times taking a bumpy path. The film has its own share of flaws and could have been more crispier.
In other words, Geetu’s film may seem to be a tough one to decode as there are chances of different interpretations -- everytime you see it, you are going to visualise different hues.
Nivin Pauly essays two starkly different roles, which is by far the most risky roles in his career. And this time, he has used his body language to present two avatars with perfection.
Moothon is definitely one of the seminal performances from Nivin. It’s a bold attempt from the star and one needs to appreciate his willingness to take the risk and also Geetu for his casting.
Two other stars who hold your attention are Sanjana Dipu and Roshan Mathew. Both of them manage to balance grit with unusual tenderness.
Rajeev Ravi’s cinematography is something that is irreplaceable with the narrative capturing two different locales.
Leave aside all your assumptions and let a film surprise you. Just like how the final shot of Mulla’s smiling face will haunt you, so will Moothon stand as a disturbing and profound movie from Geetu and Nivin.
