| Minnal Murali | |
|---|---|
 Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Basil Joseph |
| Written by | Arun Anirudhan Justin Mathew |
| Produced by | Sophia Paul |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Sameer Thahir |
| Edited by | Livingston Mathew |
| Music by | Songs: Shaan Rahman Sushin Shyam Background Score: Sushin Shyam |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 159 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Budget | ₹180 million[2] |
Minnal Murali (transl. Lightning Murali) is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language superhero film directed by Basil Joseph and produced by Sophia Paul, under the banner of Weekend Blockbusters. The screenplay is written by Arun Anirudhan and Justin Mathew. The film stars Tovino Thomas and Guru Somasundaram. The story follows the life of Jaison, a young tailor who gains superpowers after being struck by lightning, and transforms into a superhero.
The film was formally announced in January 2019, but due to the extensive pre-production works, the film's principal photography took place during December 2019. Though shooting got disrupted twice following the two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and the vandalism of a church set by right-wing groups, the makers managed to complete the shoot within July 2021. The film was predominantly shot in Kerala, with few sequences being shot at Hassan in Karnataka. The film score was composed by Sushin Shyam while the songs featured in the film were composed by Shaan Rahman and Sushin Shyam. The cinematography was by Sameer Thahir and Livingston Mathew served as the editor.
The film was set for a theatrical release in late-2020, but was postponed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2021, the makers announced that the film would be released directly through the streaming platform Netflix, as a result of closure of theatres due to the pandemic. It premiered at the Mumbai Film Festival on 16 December, and was premiered worldwide on the occasion of Christmas Eve (24 December 2021).[3][4] It received critical acclaim praising the cast performances (particularly Tovino Thomas and Guru Somasundaram), writing, direction, action sequences, VFX and soundtrack.
- ^ "Minnal Murali (Film)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ Johny, Ritu Maria (14 January 2022). "BuzzFix: How 'Minnal Murali' Rescued the Indian Superhero Movies and Why it Should Matter". CNN-News18. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ "Netflix announces release date for Tovino Thomas-starrer Minnal Murali". The Indian Express. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ "Tovino Thomas' superhero flick 'Minnal Murali' to release December 24 on Netflix". The Hindu. PTI. 23 September 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.