The Mukundan Unni Associates Movie was released on 11th November 2022.
Abhinav Sunder Nayak’s protagonist Mukundan Unni, a self-centred lawyer with just success on his mind, easily fits into the mould. But to make the films in this genre work, you also need a storyline that places its morally skewed character in situations where he’d go against the majority’s instincts, while also carrying the audience with him or her in the ride. Abhinav aces the former and apart from a disconnect every now and then, due to focusing more on the character’s even minor irritations, the film is a fairly enjoyable watch and a great directorial debut.
There is quite some irony in casting in this role someone like Vineeth Sreenivasan, who is known for his warm, feel-good brand of movies, where even the villains at times display a virtuous heart. On the contrary, Unni, an advocate who specialises in fake accident claims, has drained out his last bit of kindness. His relentless inner voice, which keeps appearing throughout the movie, tells us that he has followed the maxims of hard work and perseverance in an effort to be successful, but success has eluded him even in his mid-30s
The storyline is also tight with them defining what Mukundan is chasing and the hurdles along his way. Given the characters in the film are grey – even the victims, it doesn’t demand a hero to swoop in or a moral lesson to be thrown for the sake of it. Mukundan Unni Associates is unapologetically grey and that helps stay true to the genre. That said, a few coincidences that drive the story towards the protagonist’s favour lack the surprise element, even though they were smartly planted. This makes the film stay in the same zone from start till end, with maybe just one ‘accident’ truly elevating it once. The sequences that hark back could have been avoided too, given it’s a movie with a taut story. The setup in the second half seems too good to be true, especially when it’s pulled off by one man, even one as smart and shrewd as Mukundan Unni.
The only ones in the film with their moral compass intact are his friend, his former girlfriend and a judge, and none of them achieve “success”, as defined by the likes of Mukundan Unni. The script does not make any moral judgments, nor does it force fit a “positive” climax to deliver a message.
Cast
Vineeth Sreenivasan as Adv. Mukundan Unni
Suraj Venjaramoodu
Sudhi Koppa
Tanvi Ram
Jagadeesh
Manikandan Pattambi
Biju Sopanam
George Kora
Aarsha Chandini Baiju
Althaf Salim
Riya Saira
Ranjith Balakrishnan