Mukunda Murari review: Sudeep is god, but  Upendra steals the show

A still from Mukunda Murari
A still from Mukunda Murari

Film : Mukunda Murari.

Cast: Upendra, Sudeep, Nikitha Thukral, Devaraj, Ravi Shankar, Prakash Belwadi, Avinash

Director : Nanda Kishore

Be good, do good and you will find God. This is the message of Mukunda Murari, which also says any difference of caste, creed and religion are man-made and therefore false.
The story was first staged as a Gujarati  play titled Kanji Virudh Kanji. It was then made into a feature film in Hindi, Oh My God, with Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal. Then, in Telugu, with Pawan Kalyan and Venkatesh. The story can be told once more because it carries a universal message of social good.   
In Kannada, the director does not deviate from the original.

Mukunda (Upendra) faces a crisis when his only shop collapses in the earthquake. And when he is declined of money from the insurance company citing ‘Act of God’, he files a case against God itself.
Whether Mukunda gets justice and what happens when  Murari (Sudeep) takes charge of the situation forms the rest of this satirical film.
Mukunda Murari runs mostly on conversation that only adds up to this light-hearted comedy.

Director who has a penchant for making every remake look fresh has succeeded again. He already had a good script in hand, so he enhanced the film with the right actors and presentation. But the best was the local flavour he has managed to bring in, which is important when dealing with such a subject.
While Sudeep is every inch Lord Krishna,  Mukunda Murari is Upendra’s show. He is at his conversational best and the audience is sure to love him. The best thing about Upendra as Mukunda is that he does not preach, but the words will stay in your mind for long.
The situations created around Murari only add to the story, with the chemistry between Upendra and Sudeep working like alchemy. Upendra’s courtroom drama keeps the viewers glued to their seats and thinking.
Another highlight of the film is Ravi Shankar’s portrayal of Leeladhar Swamy, with negative shades. The actor tells his piece through expressions and less actions. Moreover his role, along with others, draws from real life and remind us of swamijis who call themselves God’s messengers.
Rachita Ram and Bhavana do their dance moves well in a song composed along classical style. Arjun Janya’s music blends well with the story, and the songs and background score are a fusion of indo and western music. Cameraman Sudhakar S Raj has kept to the director’s instructions.   
Watch the film, not as a remake, but as something that stands on its own.

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