Moothon Movie Review: This Nivin Pauly-Geetu Mohandas Movie Is Brave & Earnest!

Moothon, the Nivin Pauly starrer marks the Malayalam directorial debut of Geetu Mohandas, the renowned actress-filmmaker. The major factor which put Moothon in the limelight right from the beginning is Nivin Pauly's character, which looked truly unconventional in all aspects. The movie which was selected as the opening film at MAMI film festival and earned wide critical acclaim has finally hit theatres today.

Is this Nivin Pauly-Geetu Mohandas movie worth the hype? Read Moothon movie review here to know...

Plot

Mulla (Sanjana Dipu), a teenager from Lakshadweep is longing for his elder brother aka Moothon, who went missing. After a series of incidents, Mulla reaches Mumbai and ends up in a sex workers' colony in Kamathipura, where he meets a sex worker named Rosy (Shobita Dhulipala). Later, he gets kidnapped by a gangster who is referred to as Bhai (Nivin Pauly) and his associate Salim (Shashank Arora). What happens to Mulla forms the crux of the story.

Script & Direction

Geetu Mohandas makes an exceptional Malayalam debut with Moothon, which is an unconventional yet appealing cinematic experience. The writer-director has narrated the story of two different worlds, the subtle, peaceful Lakshadweep and ruthless, edgy Mumbai underbelly (even though we are familiar with this part) with absolute conviction. Moothon also makes a brave attempt to address the various social taboos that make you uncomfortable. The romantic angles are written and shot beautifully.

However, the director has attempted to fit in too many parallel tracks in the narrative, thus leaving it brim-full. The dialogues, which are majorly in Malayalam (by Geetu Mohandas) and Hindi (by Anurag Kashyap) are sharp and on point. Geetu and team deserve a special mention for the unusual yet brilliant casting of the movie. Interestingly, the writer-director leaves the narrative open-ended, thus leaving chances for more interpretations.

Performances

Nivin Pauly, who appears as Bhai in the movie, delivers the finest performance of his career so far. The actor essays the two extremely different personalities of his character to near perfection. While Bhai brings out a totally unseen aspect of the actor, Akbar is the Nivin we are familiar with, but still a finer version. Kudos to the actor for this brave attempt.

Sanjana Dipu, the newcomer who appears as Mulla, makes a terrific debut with Moothon. The young actor brings the vulnerability and confusion of the character brilliantly to the silver screen with her honest performance. Roshan Mathew, who plays Aamir, has simply excelled in his part. The rest of the star cast, including Shashank Arora, Shobita Dhulipala, Melissa Raju Thomas, Sujith Shankar, Dileesh Pothan, etc., have brilliantly portrayed their respective roles.

Technical Aspects

Rajeev Ravi, the National Award-winning cinematographer has done an excellent job by capturing the two starkly different worlds of Moothon with absolute perfection. The brilliantly choreographed action sequences are a treat to watch.

Sagar Desai, the music director has also done a commendable job by creating the perfect music score, which totally goes hand-in-hand with the narrative.

Verdict

Moothon has its own share of strengths and flaws, but will surely leave an impression in you with its braveness and earnestness. Watch this Geetu Mohandas movie for the brilliant performances by Nivin Pauly and the rest of the cast.