Rating : 4/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2018
Running time : 2 hours 20 minutes
Director : Anubhav Sinha
Cast : Rishi Kapoor, Manoj Pahwa, Neena Gupta, Rajat Kapoor, Prateik Babbar, Kumud Mishra, Prachi Desai
Kid rating : PG-13
Retired lawyer Murad Ali Muhammed (Kapoor) lives in a joint household with his and his brother’s families. He is well-liked and respected in his Varanasi neighborhood but all that changes when his nephew Shahid (Babbar) is accused of terrorism and the entire family is suspected of aiding and abetting him.
Mulk quickly transforms into a courtroom battle where Murad comes out of retirement to defend his brother Bilal who is the main accused. However when the public prosecutor names Murad as accused too, his Hindu daughter-in-law Aarti (Pannu) must take on the onerous task of proving his innocence.
Mulk is a moving tale and raise important questions. It questions religious prejudice, and the “Us vs Them” mentality. When the public prosecutor frames his argument to blame the entire Muslim community in lieu of tangible evidence, Murad and Aarti must come up with ways to counteract his assertions and prove Murad’s love for his Hindu-majority country.
Rishi Kapoor portrays real anguish in some of his scenes as he underscores Murad’s right to live in his secular country and practice his religion as a peace-loving citizen. Pannu shoulders the bulk of the film’s seconds-half as the lone Hindu family member, aghast to see her peace-loving family accused of heinous intentions. Manoj Pahwa, often relegated to comedy in films is very good in his serious role as Murad’s younger brother Bilaal, and like always it is a treat to watch Neena Gupta on screen. Kumud Mishra, even his his small, understated role as Judge Harish Madhok, shines delivering wry remarks and witticisms.
Director Sinha tackles hard subjects in his films (Article 15, Thappad) and Mulk is no different, although it is not his finest work by any measure. It is a little disappointing to see the ham-handedness of the courtroom scenes, where Ashutosh Rana, an accomplished actor, plays a perpetually smirking zealot who trots out over-the-top theatrics with his (dumb) arguments. Still Mulk is an important film, and a must-watch.
Kidwise: Some depictions of violence.
