Mukundan Unni Associates is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-language dark comedy crime film directed by Abhinav Sunder Nayak featuring Vineeth Sreenivasan, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Aarsha Chandini Baiju in lead roles.[1][2] The film received mostly positive reviews from critics.[3][4][5] The core plot of the film is inspired from Academy award winning American film Nightcrawler.[6]
| Mukundan Unni Associates | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Abhinav Sunder Nayak |
| Written by | Vimal Gopalakrishnan Abhinav Sunder Nayak |
| Produced by | Ajith Joy |
| Starring | Vineeth Sreenivasan Suraj Venjaramoodu Aarsha Chandini Baiju Sudhi Koppa Tanvi Ram Jagadish |
| Narrated by | Vineeth Sreenivasan |
| Cinematography | Viswajith Odukkathil |
| Edited by | Nidhin Raj Arol Abhinav Sunder Nayak |
| Music by | Sibi Mathew Alex |
Production company | Joy Movie Productions |
| Distributed by | Joy Movie Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 128 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Box office | ₹10 crore |
Plot edit
Adv. Mukundan Unni is a failure as a lawyer. His efforts to get cases are futile, and he loses his job because of his plan to speak to a politician. To be rich, he tries to live a structured life for years, but success eludes him. His mother fractures her leg after seeing a cobra and falling from a step ladder, and he is short on cash for her surgery. An insurance agent of lawyer Adv. Venu OV approaches him in the hospital and with Mukundan's permission, converts the case to a road accident and helps him get a claim. This allows him to pay for his mother's surgery. He also learns the strategy to make money via medical insurance claims.
Once Mukundan learns the techniques from Venu, he also starts doing the same. This creates enmity between the two lawyers. For a compromise, Venu gives an offer to Mukundan that they can get the contract of the security in the hospital and they can share the expenses, but Mukundan says he is not interested. Venu gets the contract and he blocks Mukundan from getting to his prospective clients. Out of options, a ruthless Mukundan puts the cobra in Venu's car and he meets with an accident and dies. Mukundan Unni does not have any competitors now.
Mukundan Unni gets a new client, who was thrashed by the police in custody. The police seeks his help to cover it up and Mukundan files it as an accident case and puts a claim in court. But he is unable to get a wound report from the doctor, so he forges one. The judge understands that it is a forged seal and files complaint against Mukundan Unni. Mukundan is now married to the hospital receptionist who was helping him all the way, and while on his honeymoon, he decides to kill himself because he does not find any way to avoid arrest. He tries to buy 10 sleeping pills but the pharmacist refuses to give him so many without prescription. So he gets two tablets and mixes it in a soft drink that the bus driver was drinking. The driver falls into sleep and the bus runs into an accident with a school bus carrying 31 kids who were going on a trip . All of them are hospitalized.
The judge Sanghameshwaran who was handling Mukundan's case is now in police custody and under suspension because they find evidence of fake judgement in his laptop that was planted by the hospital owner. Mukundan understands that the case against him does not stand in court anymore and he replaces the forged document in court with another one that his friend and advocate Robin gave him. Mukundan rushes to the hospital and tries to file claim on behalf of all the kids that are in hospital. To prevent the kids to be moved to any other hospital, he cuts off the electricity, short circuits the generator and pours water in the fuel tanks of all ambulances.
Robin tries to blackmail Mukundan while they were in his car and asks for half the amount Mukundan will get from the accident claim. Mukundan runs his car into a tree which instantaneously kills Robin. Meanwhile, one of the kids who was in the accident dies at the hospital due to lack of care and Mukundan manages to convince the owners to transfer the hospital administration to him. Now that he owns the hospital and a law firm that handles all accident cases, he emerges out to be the monopoly that he always wanted.
Cast edit
- Vineeth Sreenivasan as Adv. Mukundan Unni
- Suraj Venjaramoodu as Adv. Venu O V
- Aarsha Chandini Baiju as Meenakshi Jayaraj
- Sudhi Koppa as Adv. Robin Thazhatthu
- Tanvi Ram as Adv. Jyothi Lakshmi
- Jagadish as Judge Sanghameshwaran
- Manikandan Pattambi as Mani
- Biju Sopanam as Dr. Sebatti
- George Kora as Dr Vincent George Illikkal
- Sudheesh as George Illikkal
- Althaf Salim as Ambulance Driver Suresh
- Vijayan Karanthoor as ASI Chandrababu
- Riya Saira as Annie Kurian
- Ranjith as Adv. Gangadharan
- Sreejith Ravi as Clerk Satheeshan
- Noble Babu Thomas as DSP Sriram
- Asha Madathil as MLA Reshma George
- Jishnu Mohan as Hospital Attendant
- Thankam Mohan as Mukundan Unni's Mother
- Arun Kurian as Radhakrishnan Iyer, Jyothi's fiance (photo appearance)
- Salim Kumar as Adv.Mukundan Unni Sr, Mukundan's grandfather (voice appearance)
- Basil Joseph as himself (voice appearance)
Release edit
The film was released on theatres on 11 November 2022. Subsequently, it was released in digitally through Disney+ Hotstar on 13 January 2023.
Reception edit
Critical response edit
Princy Alexander of Onmanorama reviewed the film as outrageously deceptive and non-remorseful, and every move that the character played by Vineeth Sreenivasan makes, leaves one in stitches and shock; with the laid-in dark humor that on surface level looks a shrewd game of chess.[7]
References edit
- ^ "Vineeth Sreenivasan's Mukundan Unni Associates". STAGE SCREENing. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ "'Mukundan Unni Associates': Makers unveil the first look poster from the Vineeth Sreenivasan starrer - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ "'ഉണ്ണി മുകുന്ദൻ അല്ല മുകുന്ദൻ ഉണ്ണി ആണ്'; വിനീത് ശ്രീനിവാസന്റെ 'മുകുന്ദന് ഉണ്ണി അസോസിയേറ്റ്സ്' ട്രെയ്ലർ". Zee News Malayalam (in Malayalam). 23 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ "Mukundan Unni Associates trailer: Vineeth Sreenivasan promises a crackling dark comedy". The Indian Express. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ "Watch: Trailer for Vineeth Sreenivasan starrer 'Mukundan Unni Associates' out now! | Malayalam Movie News - Times of India". Times of India. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ Chatterjee, Ambar (20 January 2023). "Mukundan Unni Associates vividly documents a man's descent into greed and corruption". EastMojo. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ "Vineeth Seenivasan's 'Mukundan Unni' is delightfully deceptive : Movie Review". Onmanorama. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
