Mulk Makes for a Compelling Watch For Its Message & Performances

Camera: Shiv Kumar Maurya

Editor: Puneet Bhatia

Video Producer: Chandni Sharma

A busy lane leads up to Murad Ali Mohammed’s house. It is a quintessential Banarasi gali, with people and things jostling for space in the serpentine roads. An air of comforting familiarity envelops the setting. There is a small temple where Chaube ji is seen hovering around, while Sonker sits on a wooden stool outside his ‘Kanhaiyya Tea Stall’ and Muraad Ali Mohommad (Rishi Kapoor) saunters in to join his mates. His greeting of choice, “Ram Ram bhaiyya”, is met with, “Salaam waalekum”.

When he walks into his house, preparations are on for the sham ki daawat. “Kitna gosht laayein (how much meat did you bring?)", younger brother Bilaal (Manoj Pahwa) asks. “30 kilo kaafi hoga”. There is naach, gaana, korma and biryani, and Chaube ji slyly polishing off a plate full of kebabs.

As it turns out, this was the calm before the storm. Muraad Ali’s nephew, Shahid Mohammad (Pratiek Babbar), is named one of the three terrorists responsible for carrying out a bomb blast that claimed several lives. The family is reeling from the shock, and utterly disgusted at the path that one of their own has chosen.

They try and retrace their steps in a bid to understand what could have driven him to commit such a dastardly act, but are overwhelmed by the misfortune that has befallen them. Not only do they have to prove their innocence in the court of law, but they are forced to showcase their love and loyalty for the country in the eyes of people who have already declared them offenders.

Mulk is a well-intentioned and extremely important film by writer director Anubhav Sinha. It lays bare the communal hatred and prejudice that has slowly seeped into our mulk. How does Muraad Ali prove his love for the country? How could the people he called his friends view him with monstrous hate and suspicion for him overnight? What does it mean to be a Muslim in our mulk today?

This predicament is negotiated in the courtroom, where accusations and seething biases are mouthed by the prosecution lawyer, Santosh Anand aka Ashutosh Rana. Arti Mohommad (Taapsee Pannu), the bahu of the Muhammad family, takes it upon herself to demolish both, the charges and the pernicious religious bigotry.

Insinuations and provocations fly thick and fast in the courtroom; Ashutosh Rana and Taapsee Pannu don’t let their command over the characters slip for even a second, while Kumud Mishra plays the presiding judge with aplomb.

In fact, the performances in Mulk are the film’s USP. Be it the stoic Muraad Ali that Rishi Kapoor expertly conjures up, or Taapse Pannu’s performance as the bahu who dons the lawyer’s robes, choosing to protect than cower. Her panache matches Ashutosh Rana’s terrific energy on screen. Manoj Pahwa mines his experience and projects weariness on his face to create a compelling character of a father who is unable to understand the violent path his son has chosen. The impressive ensemble cast, with Prachee Shah Pandya, Neena Gupta, Pratiek Babbar and Rajat Kapoor are welcome additions.

Now, while the arguments and repartees inside the court tear into the “us vs them” narrative effectively, it seems a little over-dramatised. At times, one misses the subtlety that Shahid boasted of, but then Mulk is its own film. It makes a loud and impassioned appeal for communal harmony, and must be seen both for its message and performances.