PULI MURUGAN- REVIEW

Pulimurugan movie cast: Mohanlal, Kamalinee Mukherjee, Jagapathi Babu
Pulimurugan movie director: Vysakh

Not for nothing he is called ‘a complete actor’. While actors of his age are struggling to find the right script and give a hit film, Mohanlal has been redefining his position in the industry with every film.

It is worth noticing, how flexible is Mohalal in selecting movies. Unlike his peers, he doesn’t remain within the confines of his hard-earned stardom. He constantly pushes the boundaries. For instance, he plays Godfathersque roles in Jilla and Janatha Garage, and lets younger actors to do most of the fighting. And in films like Pulimurugan he does stunts that can give the young actors a run for their money.

First things first, Pulimurugan has lived up to all the expectations. Director Vyshakh has given big hits and some flops, but the new Mohanlal-starrer will be the major highlight of his filmmaking career.

Vyshakh, indeed, knows how to exploit Mohanlal’s stardom to hilt. The film has a number of scenes specially designed to enthrall the actor’s fans and make them burst into cheers, claps and whistles.

The issue of man-animal conflict lies at the heart of Pulimurugan. It is a simple movie that basically aims to entertain the audience. The movie does not dwell too much on the man-animal conflict and discusses what is right or what is wrong.

The story is set in the fictional village called ‘Pulioore’ that share the land with the forest and is prone to attacks from wild animals. Whenever a stray tiger wanders into human habitats and starts killing people, the village turns to Pulimurugan. He is a pro in searching, finding and hunting down a tiger. There is a backstory as to why he started hunting tigers. Pulimurugan’s father got mauled by a tiger in front of his eyes when he was a boy. Later, with the help of his uncle, he kills the man-eating tiger that took his father’s life and continues to do so as a service to his village.

The tiger hunting scenes are brilliantly done and are the best part of this action-adventure. A lot of research and effort have clearly gone into making these scenes and the results outstanding. The high-voltage action is another highlight of the film, courtesy Peter Hein, who has been pushing the envelope in stunt choreography in the country.

The film’s screenplay, which is also the first independent work of Udayakrishna of Udaykrishna-Sibi K Thomas duo is tight and engaging. The human’s fight for territory between themselves and with animals forms the basic premise of the story.

Kamalinee Mukherjee has done justice to her role as a grumpy and nagging housewife. Lal, who plays Pulimurugan’s uncle, is impressive. Besides providing emotional and moral support to Pulimurugan, he also brings comic relief in the film.

There is not enough scope for Tollywood actor Jagapathi Babu to showcase his acting skills in the film. He plays a regular villain, who provokes the humble hero only to be killed at his hands soon. Pulimurugan also marks his debut in Malayalam film.

The background music by Gopi Sundar enhances the cinematic experience, especially in the scenes involving tigers. The breathtaking visuals captured by cinematographer Shaji Kumar are a plus for the film.

Overall, Pulimurugan provides a thrilling experience and it is the movie you should not miss this week.