Minnal Murali preview: All you need to know about Tovino Thomas, Basil Joseph's superhero film

The Basil Joseph directorial, which was slated for release in theatres during last year’s Onam, also clinched a record deal for its digital rights,

Minnal Murali poster

Ever since Marvel and DC comics’ superheroes have dominated Hollywood, the demand for superhero movies have also prompted filmmakers from India to try their hand at similar ventures. Minnal Murali, which is directed by Basil Joseph and has Tovino Thomas in the lead, is touted to be one of the first superhero films to come out from Mollywood, which is mostly known for its rooted-to-reality movies.

The main cast of the movie consists of Tovino in the lead role with Tamil actor Guru Somasundaram playing the antagonist. Aju Varghese, Femina George, Harisree Ashokan and Bijukuttan are also part of the cast of the film, which has songs by Shaan Rahman and background score by Sushin Shyam.

What is Minnal Murali’s superpower?

While the makers have kept this detail about the character under wraps, we hear that Tovino’s character Jason after being struck by lightning comes to have superpowers. The makers have reportedly tried to give Jason’s superpower a realistic and reasonable explanation, with Tovino saying that there are several instances where people who are struck by lightning have been able to make a bulb glow or stop their watches because when high voltage courses through people’s bodies, it also alters their body dynamics to an extent. The movie revolves around a fictional village with the story set in the 90s.

Does Minnal Murali have a super suit?

While the initial posters revealed Tovino’s character attempting his superhuman feats, with a towel wrapped around his face, the recent character poster by the makers had him in a blue and red suit with a mask. However, there’s no confirmation if this is the final suit that the actor will be wearing.

How did Tovino prepare to play Minnal Murali?

Tovino had begun extensive workouts for the film, right before it went on floors in December 2019 in Wayanad. The actor had initially set up a gym at his hotel, where he would do high-intensity exercises before and after the shoots.

With the filming of Minnal Murali coming to a halt during the lockdown, the actor had installed a gym at his house in Irinjalakuda to continue the training and also to maintain continuity when the shoot resumed.

The film also has a massive action sequence during its climax. For this, the team had roped in action director Vlad Rimburg, who had worked as stunt choreographer in series such as Lucifer, Marvel’s Inhumans and True Detective. Incidentally, Extraction director Sam Hargrave, who had worked as a fight choreographer for Avengers: Endgame and Atomic Blonde, shared the first teaser of Minnal Murali.

Minnali Murali marks the second collaboration between director Basil and Tovino after Godha, which was an action comedy. Similar to that film, Tovino had said that even if all the superhero elements were removed from Minnal Murali, it would still be an entertaining watch for the viewers as the base story has elements that would appeal to all kinds of the audience. Tovino had also mentioned in an earlier interview that the makers are planning to develop Minnal Murali as a franchise and there are possibilities of a sequel for the movie.

Why were the Minnal Murali sets destroyed?

During the lockdown in May 2020, a huge set of a church that was erected in Kalady, Ernakulam, was vandalized by right-wing groups, citing that it overlooked a temple. Minnal Murali’s producer Sophia Paul had said that the vandalism had cost them Rs 50 lakh. The team then resumed the shoot of the movie in Karnataka and had concluded its shoot in July 2021 in Alappuzha.

What is the budget of the Minnal Murali?

The big budget film is backed by Weekend Blockbusters, who had produced the blockbuster Bangalore Days in 2014. Minnal Murali is reportedly made on a budget north of Rs 20 crore with Netflix initially buying its digital rights after the theatrical release for Rs 13 Crore. This was the highest for a Malayalam film that wasn’t opting for a direct-to-OTT release. While the figures are yet to be revealed, industry sources claim that the rights have been clinched by Netflix for a record deal.

When will Minnal Murali release?

Netflix has officially confirmed that the movie will drop on Christmas Eve on December 24. 2021, on the platform. The movie is expected to release in six languages – Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, English and Hindi.

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