2019 is being a very good year to Mollywood. A bunch of good realistic and excellent film making is delivered in the first half of the year. Unda is the latest addition. You know what a Mallu will expect seeing Mammootty as a cop. He will expect mass dialogues, slow motion scenes, fighting the bad guys single handedly etc. You're completely wrong if you guessed Unda will be like that. Mammootty is a simple police officer with no extraordinary talents. What even more interesting is that Mammootty is suffering some diseases that every common man does and his medicine box shows that. Have any police movie with a big star done that? Mammootty here apologises to his fellow subordinates as he was helpless in a tough situation. He does not catch a petty thief who he sees stealing. Instead he smiles at the thief as the thief stop what he is doing. Unda surprises us in these simple small things. To be more clear, Unda is nothing like Mollywood has ever seen. Mammootty was at his best as Manikandan, a simple good cop. All the supporting cast has also done a good job. The music, cinematography and direction was also very good. The movie has serious plot and some very serious scenes but still finds to put in good humour. Overall, Unda is a must watch classy film.
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Azanspy16 June 2019
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Before I get to the stunning details that make 'Unda' a wholesome entertainer, I would like to appreciate the choice of storyline that director Khalid Rahman decided to base his second film on. 'Unda' is vastly different from his first film ('Anuraga Karikkin Vellam'), and in my opinion, several notches above it in terms of storytelling. Khalid (supported by screenwriter Harshad) sets his story in a sparsely populated, partly forested, Maoist-prone village in the state of Chhattisgarh, where a bunch of police officers from Kerala have been stationed for overseeing the elections.
Manikandan (Mammootty, sans the machismo) is leading a pack of 7-8 officers and sets up camp in a classroom-turned-poll booth. The surrounding area is said to be a Maoist hub and attacks can occur at any time, according to ITBP officer Kapil Dev (an intimidating-at-first-but-fun Bhagwan Tiwari) who accompanies the team. While this storyline may sound befitting a moody thriller, 'Unda' turns out to be the exact opposite. It tickles your funny bone during the entirety of its run-time, courtesy the engaging banter and camaraderie between the young officers. Another striking feat that 'Unda' achieves is gracefully bringing back the Mammootty we all (still) adore, in a restrained act that viewers will hold close to their hearts for years to come. As Mani, he completely sheds his superstar skin, and portrays an aging officer who's struggling to muster up courage in holding the team together, to great effect.
Now, onto the smaller but utterly significant details. Prashant Pillai comes up with an atmospheric score, quaintly reflecting the impending danger that lurks in the vicinity but keeping things upbeat during the somewhat formulaic climax set-piece. While the core plot is straightforward and the writer/director sticks to it for the most part, he also gives each cop character a fair bit of texture. HDR Jojo (Shine Tom) is in the midst of a divorce; PC Gireesh (Arjun Ashokan) is about to get married; PC Varghese (Jacob Gregory) is self-absorbed and clumsy at times; PC Aji Peter (Rony David) is having a bit of a beef with Gireesh, the details of which are revealed later on; PC Biju (Lukman) is the recipient of a joke regarding his tribal ancestry every now and then by PC Unni (Abhiram); PC Noushad (Noushad) wants to become an actor one day; and PC Gokulan (Gokulan) is about to become a father shortly. It's brilliant how Khalid and Harshad embed these individual stories within the larger picture while reminding us of the core element that binds all of them together - their duties as cops.
Equally remarkable is the way Khalid puts forward certain notions without being politically aggressive - for instance, the rural poor (in the area) struggling to hold on to their pieces of ancestral land. Biju understands and feels for their plight the most and we clearly understand why without even having to explain. The writing is excellent here, and that shows. Also, towards the dire end of the movie, the team realize who the real 'Maoists' are and whether the 'ammunition', expected to arrive as reinforcements earlier, was indeed necessary to brush aside their hurdles.
The film is not without its share of flaws. The somewhat-overblown climax sequence is a stark contrast from everything that precedes but it was gratifying on the whole. Also, a side-track involving two cops played by Asif Ali and Vinay Forrt doesn't get proper closure. 'Unda' does lack the presence of a strong female character as well, and while the story doesn't really demand one, it would have probably added an extra layer of adoration to Manikandan if more of his conversations with Lalitha (Easwari Rao) had been shown on-screen.
'Unda' is the kind of film that warrants repeated viewing not only for its dark and situational hilarity but also for its notable subtext and the authenticity that the director strives to maintain. 2019 continues to be a shining year for Malayalam cinema - 'Ishq', 'Virus', 'Thottappan', and 'Thamasha' have already won our hearts, and here's one more to add to that list. -
shyammukundan15 June 2019"Unda" (Bullet) Malayalam movie
Khalid Rahman, the writer-director of this presentation, has taken the audience by surprise, after his previous outing 'Anuraga Karikkinvellam'. Mammootty as a Sub Inspector of Kerala Police leading his team to oversee smooth elections in Maoist infested Basthar, Chattishgarh. The story takes us through the love and hate relationship between the team-members, their personal problems, to add to the issues... the fact how ill equipped the team is for this mission, in terms of their outdated and negligible armaments, lack of intelligence reports, poor communication equipments ... list grows by minutes.
Music is superb to keep the mood of the movie and make the audience feel the tension. Photography needs special applause for timely usage of drones. Mammootty as the team leader is portraying a different kinda picture, mostly not palatable for hard-core Mammootty fans. Black humour is pronounced through out the presentation against the social and political situations., alerting the audience.
8 on 10 for this serious thriller with a lacing of black humour. If you are expecting a superhero movie, sorry... you're in the wrong auditorium. -
Excellent movie with 100% team work.. Nice BGM music and nice directional approach... Malayalam Filim industry is growing... 2019 Mammootty's Year... No doubt..
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syamsajikarthika16 June 2019This movie will definitely not gave you a bad feeling for 2hrs 11min as it is full time realistic Entertainer. Of course mammokka and all the characters show their best as they could and the direction by Khalid Rahman was Fabulous So all must watch this movie in theaters and I'm sure that this will not disappoint you in any way.
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siddarthsas14 June 2019A good realistic malayalam movie.. Mammootty sir's acting is so good The first half is thrilling with humorous moment In the second half the movie is very thrilling... And climax is awsome and superb.. UNDA is Very good movie Don't miss the theatrical experience
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jubairmohammed15 June 2019Some roles are to be done only by a particular Actor !! This character of SI Mani sir is such a role !! And it can be done only by our own Mammookkaa !! #Unda
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joppanLive26 June 2019'Unda' is a different experience. It is not like the ordinary mass action police movies that we have seen in the past. Unda is a very realistic movie with only humans, no super heroes. If you expect another King/Balram movie seeing Mammotty in the police uniform, then prepare to get disappointed.
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adarshsuresh-7249314 June 2019Superb film nice feel good and climax is perfet, overall feel good film
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tintuvjoe20 September 2019It was frustrating to see how Kerala police officers are so lame and untrained for these type of task. But big heart and understanding using what ever skills they have to assess the situation. Going to a mission with lack of tools , unplanned and miscommunicated might still happen today not shocked or surprised about that. Mammotty's character is pretty much disabled throughout the movie barely does anything even towards the end he just direct his crew on how to hit and where to hit then all of sudden he turns into captain india in a corny show off way. Lame
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anandbalanbs18 June 2019A well executed Malayalam film of 2019 which is highly realistic and enjoyable.From Mammootty to young actors all performed well in this movie.This is the film we can see the real actor inside Mammootty, a well talented actor.This movie shows the real power of Kerala police and goosebumps moments are waiting for the audience.Every people can watch and enjoy this movie.
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sriramthestranger14 August 2020The plot is about a troop of Kerala police on election duty to a Maoist affected area. The movie stays rooted to reality - where a senior police officer accepts he has never used a gun, one policeman suspects whoever he sees as a Maoist, and add others affected with their own personal family. The movie works as it keeps the viewers guessing when the Maoist will attack only to end with a much worse attack than that. One scene, I particularly liked was the small fight between two police officers themselves and the forthcoming scene. Other censor boards would have created a big fuss about it. A nice movie for viewers, with patience!!
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raabjoseph24 January 2021Waited the entire movie for something to happen. Nothing ever does.
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sunilpatel30 May 2021Being from chhattisgarh, this movie rhythms me heart. Very realistic and well researched.
Thanks for making this movie. -
nishanthappu-187717 July 2019Such an outstanding movie which comes with a realstic police situation Iam not mentioning any particular actors name all actors did well And of course khalid rahman 👍👌
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judemarcus-116 June 2019With some exceptional individual performances and rib ticking situational humour, unda hits the target without resorting to any masala/mass ingredients. Simply put, its a movie you can't afford to miss....!
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siddarths15 June 2019It is a very subtle movie, showng common human challenges and fears yet keeps you hooked to your seat. Plot is very clear and simple, which keeps you refreshed at the end. Its like having a salad, that tastes great but keeps you refreshed to have more.
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nairtejas4 August 2019Khalid Rahman's Unda (Bullet) has a climax that not only feels hurried (so as to fit into the 2-hour running time) but also deviates from the realistic cap that it was donning since the start where a group of policemen from the Indian state of Kerala are sent, unprepared and without sufficient resources, for election duty to a remote location in another Indian state of Jharkhand, this one known for its high Maoist activity. The film is a stark description of the laxity of the police force in India, general unpreparedness, rivalry between state governments, caste discrimination, and much more. But what comes out as the biggest takeaway from Unda is how the job of a police office is looked at by those who aspire to become one. Mammootty has acted and been directed so well that you get to see that rare acting prowess that he possesses, and when it comes out along with wonderful performances from his other cast members (notably Arjun Asokan in a lovable role and Rony David), it appeals the viewers so much that such a climax can be forgotten and forgiven for. Rahman's crime drama film is authentic, relevant, and one that has been told so objectively you can't disagree with what's happening. I think we have added one more director into the short list that we should take seriously in Malayalam cinema. TN.
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niyasshanavas-8203026 September 2019Unbelievable year for mammookka. Peranbu, yatra, madura raja, then unda. Unda is a police story. All people likes this movie.
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opotraining5 August 2019The movie shows the problems faced by policemen during election duty in remote village which is moist area. The story is good and correctly highlights the plight of policemen. They don't have proper place to stay, water issue, moist fears, policemen do not know how to handle situation is all highlighted correctly.
What doesnt work is the climax. It's like usual movie climax where hero beats villain with hand type of fight. Mamooty just keeps laughing at when other policemen keep fighting. That's very disappointing. Overall just watchable once movie. -
ranishareeri18 June 2019What a movie....what a social content ....level making with excellent bgm work... Mammookka acting is outstanding.....one of the best movie in 2019 ..
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ShammiHero29 October 2020The Movie is solid, however, the movie could of been done better without Mammootty. To be frank, this movie does not compliment acting skills. Mammooty movies are very good when he outshines his supporting Cast. In this case, He has very few dialogues and some of it is just corny, cliche (Avade Adikk, Igane Alla etc). I would think Suresh Gopi could of mastered this role very well. Anyways its a 6/10 for me.
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melmat-698565 April 2020The scenes are all over the place and most serve no purpose. The movie has no clear objective. Casting could have been better. And what was the purpose of bringing Asif Ali?
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TreeFiddy5317 August 2023After a break from watching movies, I FINALLY got around to watching Unda/Bullet (Malayalam, Prime). It had been on my list of movies to watch for a looooong time, glad I got around to it.
I'm a sucker for Police movies, but sadly, we mostly only get a ton of masala. Unda is movie is apparently based on true events. A group of police officers from Kerala are stationed in Chatthisgarh on election duty. What happens in the 4-5 days they are there for makes up the main plot.
Unda makes you look back at the Sigam/Singham, Dabbang, Saami kinda movies and think "Those might have been entertaining in a certain way but oh lord, there was so much drama and mirch-masala. #YTho?" One of the things that I really liked about the movie was the plot - no mafia, no drug lords, no flying cars, no nonsense.
When you look back, you'll feel like this was a nothing-burger plot because this must happen pretty much everyday, but I love how Mallu movies can make amazing movies out of a plot which seemingly has nothing. Goes to show that everyone has a story, just needs to be told a certain way. Gotta be good with words and with storytelling.
Interesting choice of titles. I'd like know why they chose to name this movie Unda/Bullet, I have my own interpretation towards this, but, curious to know. Most police movies in cinema have infinite ammo but in real life, you have to be accountable for and judicious with each bullet. And it's hardly the case in the movies.
This movie also shows the distance between the people at the top and the folks out in the field, in this case, in the Kerala Police dept. Loved the music. Loved the subtle mentions of "this is our land, where do you expect us to go if you shoo us away?" The risk with recommending a movie like this is that a few words here and a few words there, I might end up revealing too much. So i'll stop RH, check it out. 2 hours long. -
apn12620 June 2019One of the most realistic movies I have ever seen. Such was the class in the performances given by the actors. Such a simple story but a strong message conveyed. Mammootty was brilliant as S.I Mani, Khalidh Rahman is proving to be an asset to the Malayalam industry with his class direction, and special mention to music and background score.
Overall a great experience. 10/10