You’d be well within your rights to state that the Malayalam film industry has come up with some really good original stories, regardless of genre. Mura, for example, is a crime drama focusing on a group of young boys and their mentor as they take on criminal activities. Directed by Muhammed Musthafa, the director of Kappela, this is yet another engaging tale of the crime world and its underbelly in the towns of Kerala.
Spoilers Ahead
What were the young boys up to?
Mura began with Rama Chechi, a rich, corrupt businesswoman who has many henchmen working for her, being killed by two unknown men in Bangalore. The movie moves to a flashback that introduces Manu, Manaf, Anandhu, and Saji, four young boys working for a local rowdy named Ani, who is in turn Rama Chechi’s right-hand man. These four boys carry out illegal activities like ransacking and vandalizing a specific office space. Ani protects them from serving any jail time, and the boys idolize him. Their immediate boss, Chokli, was the bridge between them and Ani.
Ani notices that the boys have the vigor to protect him at any cost and is impressed with their combat skills as well. Anandhu, on the other hand, was seen with an older woman and her child, and many of his rowdy friends assumed both were having an affair, but it turned out they share a brother-sister relationship, and he goes out of the way to help them. Anandhu and his friends were arrested for their role in vandalizing the office, and the police told their respective parents about the life the kids were choosing, which would be bad for all of them.
What kind of work were they assigned by Ani?
Even though the boys went back to taking up some menial jobs in the town, they were again approached by Ani, who was impressed by the four boys and their loyalty. Ani learned of an abandoned factory in Tamil Nadu where tons of black money had been kept. Ani asks Manu, Manaf, Anandhu, and Saji to steal the money from the factory and talks about a failed attempt by two local Tamil men as well. He also states that he is unaware of the actual amount stored, so he cannot let them know how much they would get as a commission once the task is over. Anandhu asked for the contacts of the Tamil men whose attempt was foiled, and Ani offered it up. On reaching the town, they tracked down Sitrarasu and Malarvendhan and convinced them to join their group to rob the factory. The six of them became fast friends and drew up rough plans to rob the money.
What happened after the robbery?
Despite the many obstacles the six of them faced on the way to the factory, they were able to rob the money. To their shock, Ani either underestimated the amount of money stored in the factory or purposely never mentioned the amount to the boys. All six of them were successful in executing the robbery, but it had a rippling effect as there were goons sent to beat them up. Anandhu contacted Ani and demanded a commission since they put their lives at risk for this task. Ani pacified them by stating he would give them a generous amount once everyone in the hierarchy was given their share of the money. The black money belonged to businessman Ratnam and the police officer Deva and they began to search for those who they thought might have robbed them. The four boys were asked to head back to Kerala, and they had a bittersweet farewell with Sitrarasu and Malarvendhan.
Did the boys get the money?
On reaching Kerala, the boys were asked to meet Ani, Rama Chechi, and their men. These boys were offered ten lakhs each for the robbery. Anandhu fought back and stated that the amount they robbed was a huge sum and asked to be given fair compensation. Rama Chechi’s final offer was twenty-five lakhs, and it seemed Ani wanted to give the kids a better amount since they were young. Anandhu and the gang refused to take the money and demanded more, which led to a scuffle between them and Rama Chechi’s henchmen, including her son Rahul. They beat the boys black and blue, which was a cause of concern for Ani.
Ani spoke in favor of the boys and let them go. This was followed by retaliation by Manu, Manaf, Anandhu, and Saji, who beat up Rahul and Rama Chechi’s other henchmen in the broad daylight, causing plenty of ruckus. Fearing that the local police might get involved and it would wreak havoc on their business, Rama chechi agreed to give fifty lakhs to each. Manu, Manaf, Anandhu, and Saji, however, refused to take the money and decided to go to the police to get back at all of them. Ani was the only sane person who could understand their hunger for money and a better life that would come with it.
Why did Anandhu want revenge?
Just a few days after the boys were promised the money, Manu and Manaf were killed in a freak bike accident. Ani was by Anandhu and Saji’s side in no time. Though the accident seemed like a mistake the boys made, there was a sense of belief that Rama Chechi could be behind it since she was not keen on parting with the stolen money. Anandhu and Saji did suspect her, but since they did not have the money or the power to file a case against her, both the boys let it go. Ani was also on their side in no time, and they could not doubt him or his sidekick Suni’s role in the deaths of their friends.
Adding to that, Anandhu and Saji were given fifty lakhs and they had decided to give a share of the money to the deceased’s family as well. Anandhu and Saji were disturbed by the untimely death of their friends, and giving their families the money that was owed to them was the only way for them to be grateful for what they did. All four had been friends from a young age, and Anandhu and Saji could not find it in their hearts to betray Manu and Manaf’s parents. Anandhu and Saji left for Madurai as planned with the money and let Ani know as well. Saji, in passing, mentioned that he needed to give a part of the money to Chokli as well since they were in this field because of him. The boys were young, and they felt offering their gratitude was the right thing to do.
Just like what happened after the robbery, Anandhu and Saji were attacked on their way to Madurai. They tried to run away as fast as they could, leaving behind the bag of money, but Saji was killed by these rowdies. It was still not clear who was behind these attacks, and Anandhu was in distress after witnessing another friend of his being killed brutally. It was not that difficult to connect the dots and conclude that Rama Chechi could be behind these attacks since she’d parted with a big chunk of money from the stolen lot. Eliminating the boys would mean they would have fewer people to share the money with. Anandhu wanted revenge against those who’d killed his friends, and right now, devoid of money and brute strength, he knew only one person that would divulge the details he was looking for.
Who killed Rama Chechi?
Anandhu confronted Chokli Anna since he suspected if the latter may be behind the killing of his friends as well. A petrified Chokli let him know that all the killings after the robbery were carried out by Ani and Rama Chechi. They were rattled by Anandhu and his gang’s strong demands. Since Rama Chechi and Ani were more powerful, it was not that hard to eliminate Anandhu’s friends, who were just rookies in this field. This also proved that Ani and Rama Chechi were ruthless enough to eliminate their own people, as they had a track record of being rowdies, and the police would hesitate to investigate their deaths as well.
Anandhu was not surprised by these revelations since he had an inkling that pointed to the fact that Rama Chechi was involved in the deaths of his friends. It was Ani’s involvement that shocked him, and since he had nothing to lose, he was planning to go on a revenge spree to avenge his friends. Anandhu also shared all of these details with the woman he frequently met, and it turns out she was the daughter of his father from his first wife. They were siblings, and hence they were there for each other all along.
Anandhu’s first course of action was to kill Ani, and he did so. Ani had been accused of murder in the past, and ever since his release, he only stuck to henchman jobs and claimed to have left behind the life of crime. The irony was that he was still hiring men to kill people and wanted Anandhu and his friends dead. Anandhu’s next course of action was to find Rama Chechi and kill her, and he shares the same with Sitrarasu and Malarvendhan. He visited them for what seemed like one last time since he was aware he might get killed as well by Rama Chechi’s henchmen. Sitrarasu and Malarvendhan had become close friends of Anandhu and his gang, and they were upset to see their friends brutally killed by what seemed to be a mafia headed by Rama Chechi.
Rama Chechi was in Bangalore facing the aftermath of the robbery since Ratnam and Deva had tracked her down and were asking for their money back. This was how the crime world operated, even though it was not made clear how these two men found out Rama was the mastermind behind the robbery. Anandhu, on the other hand, had reached Bangalore and had begun to tail Rama Chechi in the hope he would find an opening to kill her. Anandhu was filled with rage, and he had no option but to follow the criminal path and go to prison for it, as he believed he did it for his survival and his friends, who were needlessly killed. Before Anandhu could approach Rama Chechi outside her gym, he was run over and killed by Chokli, who turned out to be Rama Chechi’s loyal henchman. Anandhu was the last standing man, and the chances of him getting killed were high since he had nothing to protect himself. This ended the cycle of violence and it shows the real face of the society. The people in power always win was the message being given out.
In Mura’s ending, Anandhu lost his life, and this was the last straw for Sitrarasu and Malarvendhan. Mura ended by revealing that Sitrarasu and Malarvendhan were the two people that stabbed Rama Chechi to death. Their friendship with Manu, Manaf, Anandhu, and Saji was deep, and they had to react. In their opinion, everything that happened to them was unfair, and they killed Rama Chechi to avenge the deaths of these four boys who had become their good friends. There was no answer to if the two were caught in the act of crime, but they were successful in seeking revenge and finished Anandhu’s job.
