April Movies Part 3: Monkey Man & Murder Mubarak

OK, did I choose to review both of these films because they are set in India and both have alliterative titles starting with M? Yes. But did I enjoy them both for very different reasons? Yup.

Monkey Man: Dev Patel directed this film, co-wrote it with Paul Angunawela, John Collee, and Jordan Peele, and then starred in it. If this is the direction this man wants to go with his career, I am wholly supportive, because this is one of the most fascinating and unique movies I've seen all year.

Patel stars as "Bobby" (not his real name, but that's what I'll use so I don't just have to keep referring to him as Monkey Man in the rest of this post). He is a poor young man in Mumbai who takes part in staged boxing fights, dressed in a monkey mask, to make some money. But we keep getting flashbacks to his past with his mother. It is clear she was very loving and doting, but then something horrific happened. As the movie progresses, we will piece together his traumatic story via many flashbacks and see how they all relate to his vengeful mission to destroy the people who ruined his life.

All of that sounds pretty standard, but where this film excels is in its execution. It does a brilliant job of capturing not only the claustrophobia of the slums, but also the exhilaration of navigating through those narrow alleys and byways and the thrumming pulse of the city where all these people magically manage to co-exist. The music choices are always excellent, with action sequences being set to rap, Bollywood, or occasionally, incredible instrumental music (renowned tabla player Zakir Hussain shows up in this film for a spectacular cameo that I can't stop raving about). The mythology of Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god, and the Ramayana runs throughout this film, setting up a righteous fight between good vs evil that very appropriately crescendos at Diwali. The cinematography by Sharone Meir is fluid and vibrant. Patel's direction is remarkably self-assured, with scenes that are shot with such an artistic and unusual point-of-view that you know this man storyboarded every frame to death. Moments of this film truly reminded me of The Green Knight, one of the best movies Patel ever starred in, as that too is a film that makes great use of mythology, imagery, and a lone man's quest.

Yes, this movie is a gory and violent action thriller, but I was so captivated by how it chose to depict that violence that I had a big smile on my face even during the bloodiest moments. There is also a significant plot involving a group of hijras (a transgender community unique to the Indian subcontinent) that is beautifully done. I am so used to Bollywood cinema always portraying hijras as villains, but here they get to save the day alongside our hero and also share some of the Hindu mythology that is so relevant to their history. This film has many remarkable themes that it weaves together effortlessly, speaking to the many minorities in India that don't always get a fair share, whether it be indigenous communities, LGBT folk, or women. Bobby's whole mission is driven by the violence done to his mother, and ultimately it is very satisfying to see him beat a man to death with a woman's shoe. I know an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, but there is certainly something poetic about watching a misogynist get beaten to death with a glittery heel.

I don't know what it means that this movie has come out right before the Indian elections. To me, it's taking a pretty anti-Hindu nationalist stance, as all the villains in this piece are people who are trying to preserve the status quo and stomp out the rights of minorities. This is definitely the kind of movie Bollywood doesn't make, but Hollywood would never know to make it either. Instead, it takes someone like a Dev Patel, who can straddle both worlds, to come up with something that is so artful and thought-provoking but can also serve as his audition for James Bond. Because damn the man looks great in a tux while slaughtering a bunch of bad guys. 

Murder Mubarak:  Written by Gazal Dhaliwal, Tamojit Das, and Suprotim Sengupta (who adapted the novel Club You to Death by Anuja Chauhan), and directed by Homi Adjani, this movie is definitely the sweariest and sexiest Hindi movie I've seen. Which accounts for why it went straight to streaming on Netflix - this is not the kind of movie you release in theaters to the more conservative masses. Apart from that however, this is still a pretty typical Bollywood film, with some pretty typical performances. What that means is that it's light and frothy, occasionally a little gory, but overall, a pretty good time if you're looking to while away a few hours.

The action takes place at a swanky member's only club in Delhi where a Zumba instructor named Leo Mathews (Aashim Gulati) has been murdered. Though there's a fair amount of misdirection at the beginning of this film for you to even figure that out. Which sets the scene for the rest of this film and its complexities. There is a sprawling cast featuring people like Pankaj Tripathi, Sara Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Karisma Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, etc., etc. Everyone is playing a rather heightened character, and as ACP Bhavani Singh (Tripathi) proceeds to investigate this case, it becomes increasingly clear that every single person had a motive.

The mystery is rather over-complicated and it makes sense that this story started out a novel - I might have to read the book now. Nonetheless, I never got bored while watching this film, even if at times I did feel a bit perplexed. Every actor looked like they were having a blast portraying these varied characters, and at the end of the film, the Poirot-esque denouement was quite enjoyable, as we not only solved the main murder mystery, but about a dozen other mysteries besides. Don't go into this movie expecting a polished script, but certainly expect to be entertained by a huge cast and a twisty plot that'll keep you guessing till the very end.