Tovino Thomas' superhero movie Minnal Murali to premiere on Netflix

The world needs a superhero, and who better than a made-in-India one? Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas is now all set to appear as a superhero clad in the signature blue and red suit and bestowed with special powers, after he is struck by a bolt of lightning. Luckily, he will use his powers to fight evil and save the world and India.

The film titled ‘Minnal Murali’ centres around the story of an ordinary man turned superhero Murali, and seems to be inspired by the heroes of DC comics (A Flash Gordan?) but with an Indian touch.

In a statement to the media, Tovino Thomas said that he has been “attached and committed” to the character of Minnal Murali from the start. “I spent all my time communicating with my director to ensure the best possible outcome and immense amounts of work went into creating Minnal Murali”, he said. The film also stars Guru Somasundaram (‘Aaranya Kaandam’), Harisree Ashokan (‘Oomappenninu Uriyadappayyan’) and Aju Varghese (‘Vellimoonga’)in pivotal roles.

Produced by Weekend Blockbusters, this action movie, ‘Minnal Murali’ is directed by Basil Joseph of ‘Godha’ and ‘Kunjiramayanam’ fame and will premiere on Netflix shortly.

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In his statement, Basil Joseph said that they had wanted to create a superhero that people could relate to and connect with on an emotional level. Though the essence of a superhero movie is the action, they had focused on building a “strong narrative” that could stand on its own to back the action. While Sophia Paul from Weekend Blockbusters said that they had brought together the best team of actors, technicians and platforms for the rise of this ‘local’ superhero – ‘Minnal Murali’.

It’s a human story of emotions and circumstances, said Paul who is glad that they got an opportunity to join hands with Netflix on their upcoming Malayalam film. “Minnal Murali’ is just the  beginning. We are just getting started,” added Paul.

While Pratiksha Rao, Director, Films and Licensing, Netflix India pointed out that Malayalam cinema has gripped the audiences with innovative storytelling and incredible filmmaking craft. And as they expand their “film slate to include more diverse Malayalam stories”, they have now bought the widely-anticipated ‘Minnal Murali’.

It was during the shooting of this superhero film last year that Tovino Thomas took to Facebook to reveal that a group of religious fanatics had vandalised a church set in Ernakulam, which had been exclusively erected to shoot major portions of the film.

The actor said that the set was built after obtaining permission from the concerned authorities even before the lockdown. He also pointed out that the act of vandalising a movie set in the name of religion had caused distress to the entire team and they had decided to go ahead with legal proceedings, said media reports quoting the actor from his Facebook post at that time.