While Moothon initially caught my eye for its lead actor Nivin Pauly's physical and behavioural transformation (into notorious Mumbai gangster Bhai), watching the film made me realize that it's just one of the many remarkable things about it. Moothon is essentially a story about self-realization - one that explores the aspects of gender identity and sexuality in a way no film in Malayalam has before. The film starts off at the serene beaches of Lakshadweep with Mulla wanting to find his long lost brother Akbar, who has supposedly run away to Mumbai. The scenes that set up this premise are light-hearted in comparison to what follows. Geetu's writing in these portions also leaves bits and pieces of essential information that's worth revisiting later, as we get to know more about Mulla.
When Mulla eventually lands in Mumbai, he's forced to adapt quickly to the new, hostile surroundings in the infamous neighbourhood of Kamathipura. He lands up in Bhai's custody and many revelations are made thereafter. The best stretch in the film is a budding gay romance between Akbar and Ameer (a mute Muslim youth who falls for Akbar as he performs a religious ritual), shown in a flashback. Geetu handles these scenes with the utmost care, giving it the emotional depth it requires. We get to see a sweet moment between the duo as they're floating on the beach, their eyes conveying a zillion feelings. Both Nivin Pauly and Roshan Mathew are absolutely outstanding here.
In the present, Nivin plays the dreaded Bhai, a terror in the slums of Kamathipura. He lives and breathes the gangster who's persistently inebriated, and is intimidating by appearance. This part of the film, however, lacks the broad developments we'd expect from it. We come across several underwritten characters such as Akbar's scraggy sidekick Salim (a superb Shashank Arora), the prostitute Rosy (a capable Sobhita Dhulipala who doesn't get to do much), and Latheef (a transgender acquaintance of Akbar's, played by Sujith Shankar). Even Akbar himself feels inexplicable - juggling between "caring brother" and "ruthless gangster".
The disclosure made regarding Mulla's gender conflicts in the second half is also quite sudden but it wins us over eventually and comes full circle in that closing shot. Sanjana Dipu comes up with a believable performance; the writing of the character, however, could have benefited from some extra texture. The action (restricted to a car-chase sequence and a run through the slums) bits are just about okay. The drama, the performances, the setting - Moothon is fantastic in all three departments. Rajeev Ravi's cinematography is also a plus. Maybe, the greatest feat in Moothon is Geetu's skills in concealing traits of the central characters until a pivotal moment arrives, for each of them.
When Mulla eventually lands in Mumbai, he's forced to adapt quickly to the new, hostile surroundings in the infamous neighbourhood of Kamathipura. He lands up in Bhai's custody and many revelations are made thereafter. The best stretch in the film is a budding gay romance between Akbar and Ameer (a mute Muslim youth who falls for Akbar as he performs a religious ritual), shown in a flashback. Geetu handles these scenes with the utmost care, giving it the emotional depth it requires. We get to see a sweet moment between the duo as they're floating on the beach, their eyes conveying a zillion feelings. Both Nivin Pauly and Roshan Mathew are absolutely outstanding here.
In the present, Nivin plays the dreaded Bhai, a terror in the slums of Kamathipura. He lives and breathes the gangster who's persistently inebriated, and is intimidating by appearance. This part of the film, however, lacks the broad developments we'd expect from it. We come across several underwritten characters such as Akbar's scraggy sidekick Salim (a superb Shashank Arora), the prostitute Rosy (a capable Sobhita Dhulipala who doesn't get to do much), and Latheef (a transgender acquaintance of Akbar's, played by Sujith Shankar). Even Akbar himself feels inexplicable - juggling between "caring brother" and "ruthless gangster".
The disclosure made regarding Mulla's gender conflicts in the second half is also quite sudden but it wins us over eventually and comes full circle in that closing shot. Sanjana Dipu comes up with a believable performance; the writing of the character, however, could have benefited from some extra texture. The action (restricted to a car-chase sequence and a run through the slums) bits are just about okay. The drama, the performances, the setting - Moothon is fantastic in all three departments. Rajeev Ravi's cinematography is also a plus. Maybe, the greatest feat in Moothon is Geetu's skills in concealing traits of the central characters until a pivotal moment arrives, for each of them.