Mogul Mowgli

Riz Ahmed has so much starpower that he keeps this very thin and confused movie interesting. He’s simply one of the very best right now. His interview in Louis Theroux’ podcast enlightens things a little bit but judging from that this movie seems to be more of a personal document?

İngiltere'de rap yapan Pakistanlı Müslüman 1 mültecinin konusunu izliyoruz. Rapçimiz, kısmı felç geçirince, hayatının parçalarını da seyirciye aktarıyor. Hızlı kurgusu, Riz Ahmed'in harika oyunculuğu, aile içinde birliği çok iyi anlatılmış. Tek kötü yanı, sanki bu filmi 1 yerde izledik. Rapçinin hırsları, çaresizlik travmaları, müslümanlığı da sorgulanıyor. Filmin sonunda, Toba Tek Singh. İnadına hayat. Tükürükle çocuk olmaz.

This is a film about frustration, cultural identity, heritage, self expression, lack of self control, family but mainly perseverence. There are some mildly disturbing visuals in the slightly surreal elements - indian religion/spirituality mixed with the contemporary (London?)/urban setting. This is certainly a quirky watch. Yes I'd recommend it.

Frustratingly insubstantial drama is intriguingly structured as a fractured intermingling of fantasy, reality and flashback, giving an evocative feel for Ahmed's confused and increasingly beleaguered state of mind. Unfortunately the film proper is too much a confused jumble, with some arresting sounds and images not enough to sustain interest. Worth seeing for Ahmed's terrific performance, which has some (coincidental?) resonances with the far superior SOUND OF METAL.

This wouldn't have been quite as good if it wasn't slightly odd. It does a few things visually and narratively that I did not expect because I thought it would be more straightforward fare. Ahmed is awesome here, although he's a rapper so it's less of a stretch for him. However, that doesn't mean that he doesn't put in a lot of heavy lifting, juggling some tough contrasts. Kinda funny at parts, a little sad, more than just a movie about a rapper.