'Mulk' Review: Taapsee Pannu and Rishi Kapoor starrer is a sensitive take on interpersonal faith practices

Film: Mulk (Drama)

Critic's Raiting: 3.5 / 5

Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu, Prateik Babbar, Ashutosh Rana

Direction: Anubhav Sinha

Duration: 2 hours, 20 minutes

Language: Hindi (U/A)

Story:

Inspired by real-life events, the story of Mulk revolves around a Muslim family from Varanasi, headed by lawyer Murad Ali Mohammed (Rishi Kapoor). Their happy life is turned upside down when his brother Bilal’s (Manoj Pahwa) son Shahid (Prateik) gets involved with a terrorist leading to a bomb blast that kills several people. Consequently, the family has to fight to reclaim their honour and prove themselves as innocents and not anti-nationals.

Review:

Writer-director Anubhav Sinha attempts to highlight the prejudices against the Muslim community in our country. He doesn’t suppress the fact that many educated youngsters get influenced by the misguidance of a few, as Shahid agrees to partake in Jihad for the community. The film also depicts how gullible people get swayed and become pawns in the division of ‘hum’ and ‘woh’.

The dialogue-dominated narrative vehemently continues to reiterate that terrorism has no religion and how a community should not be judged on the basis of one or a few people gone astray. While the first half is slow despite one thing leading to another, it’s the courtroom drama in the second half that sees the movie pick up the pace.

Rishi Kapoor effectively essays the patriarch of the family faced with the stigma of being involved in terrorism. He moves you with his nuanced performance and makes you root for him as he faces biases and wards off attempts to be influenced by a section of fellow Muslims who try to sway him using his tragedy.

As his daughter-in-law, Aarti Mohammed, Taapsee Pannu, whose performance is passable in the first half, comes into form in the courtroom scenes. However, she seems to be too overwhelmed in the scene wherein she has lengthy lines to counter Santosh Anand, played by Ashutosh Rana, who does a good job as the public prosecutor.

Manoj Pahwa as Bilal is very good, while Neena Gupta (as Murad’s wife Tabassum) and Prachee Shah Pandya (as Bilal’s wife Tabassum) lend due support. Prateik doesn’t quite make the cut as Shahid. Kumud Mishra in a special appearance delivers as the judge hearing the case.

Director of photography Ewan Mulligan does a fine job of aptly capturing the milieu of Varanasi.

Verdict:

Mulk is worth a watch because it focuses on some pivotal issues of the day.