Movie Review: Mukkabaaz

Movie Review: Mukkabaaz
Rating: 3/5
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Anurag Kashyap, Vineet Kumar Singh, Mukti Singh Srinet, K.D.Satyam, Ranjan Chandel, Prasoon Mishra

Mukkabaaz Movie Trailer

Mukkabaaz PosterAnurag Kashyap has chosen a story which could just work fine if word of mouth clicks. Yes, this too will find it difficult to survive under tha Tiger Zinda Hai dominance & upcoming threat of Padmaavat but a liked film can surpass any roadblock.

Kashyap covers casteism, politics in sports, domestic violence & many more relevant issues in a single film. Good thing is, nothing mixes up to create a chaotic dish. Prashant Pillai’s background score is bang on making your interest glued to the scenes. Anurag Kashyap one of the many brilliant traits is placement of songs.

Special mention – Rachita Arora, the music director. Apart from Nucleya’s Paintra (Which also is used very well in the movie) all the songs are composed by Rachita. Her work in Newton went unnoticed but I so hope people recognize this young talent in this one. Every song is situational and is fitted perfectly to finish up this beautiful puzzle. Follow Spotlife Asia for the latest news and updates.

Vineet Kumar Singh deserves every praise possible, he literally has spent every last drop on portraying the character of this boxer who’s in a war between his heart & mind. The whirling sounds of his punches land straight to the heart making us feel for Shravan. He fights like this is the finale of his life & wins it.

Zoya Hussain as Sunaina speaks out the most even after being the one who can’t speak and is deaf-mute by birth. She expresses her anime face so well, you’ll not feel she cannot speak. The big issue was text used by makers while she speaks or texts, it’s interrupting as the font & size used are too weird.

Jimmy Sheirgill lights up the screen with his charismatic presence yet again. He’s so mean, which makes you hate his character. Retaining the swag throughout he never lets you sympathize with Bhagwan Das Mishra. Ravi Kishan comparatively has smaller screen time but he leaves the maximum impact. A coach who has been a victim of racism, Ravi articulates his tangled emotions in the most plain way.

Mukkabaaz keeps getting darker. In one of the scenes, Bhagwan Das asks a waiter to bring another jug for a harassed, helpless coach Sanjay Kumar (Ravi Kishan in a very unlike Ravi Kishan role), who belongs to a backward caste. Bhagwan Das, who is blind in one eye, immediately notices that the waiter’s right eye is of stone. For a second, it appears like the nature’s way of teaching him humility. But he isn’t the one to leave his caste pride.
Men like him are the reason boxing tournaments take place in open and the place allotted for it becomes somebody’s private property. Players don’t understand the difference between medicines and prohibited drugs. For them, winning the state or national level championship is about getting a government job. They never aspire to win medals. Kashyap brings all these facets out in the open and then makes strong comments.
Don’t expect a Rocky or Gangs Of Wasseypur, because this is not. Growing comfortably in its own little space, Mukkabaaz fits perfectly to the genre of Anurag Kashyap films but this time it’s comparatively less dark & more entertaining.