The Hindu (Thiruvananthapuram)
Minnal Murali once again
Gets his own graphic novel brought out by Tinkle Comics’ new imprint
hen Minnal Murali directed by Basil Joseph released on Netix in December 2021, it was Malayalam cinema’s rst superhero lm. And now, another rst for Minnal Murali is that he is the hero of the
rst graphic novel brought out by Tinkle Comics under a new imprint, Tinkle Comics Studio. Which makes him the rst Malayali
Wilm director Dijo Jose Antony narrates the story of two unemployed youngsters in his third lm
Malayalee from India, which released on May 1.
Political satires have a special place in Malayalam cinema with movies such as
Panchavadippalam and
Sandesham becoming cult classics. Dijo’s Malayalee from India aspires to be a political satire.
The lm has its moments thanks to an in-form Nivin Pauly but it falters and splutters at several places. Nevertheless, it is a laudable attempt to talk about the current political scenario in Kerala and the divisive politics that has lured many.
Fsuperhero to get his own graphic novel. Minnal Murali Strikes Again was launched at the recently-concluded Mumbai Comic Con.
“It will soon be available on stands,” says Gayathri Chandrasekharan, editor in chief, Tinkle Comics. The novel has been brought out in association with actor Rana Daggubati’s VFX and production company, Spirit Media.
The setting is the same, Kurukkanmoola,
Dijo says Alparambil Gopi, Nivin’s character, has many of the traits we associate with the typical Malayali. Gopi’s politics is right of centre and he lives o his hard-working the ctional village where the lm is set. While some of the key characters from the original such as Bruce Lee Biji and Josemon have been retained, a few new ones have been added. The most notable is the female arch villain, Betty, who Minnal Murali takes on. mother and sister in Mullakara, a village that is a microcosm of the State.
“We created a village that has many of the elements of rural areas in Kerala. You cannot keep apart a Malayali and politics. So, it is a village that has its share of those who support all kinds of politics,” explains Dijo. Working with scenarist Sharis Mohammed for the third time, Dijo has more or less retained the same crew that he worked with in his sophomore lm, Prithviraj-starrer Jana Gana Mana.
“Cinema is a team eort. There is a comfort zone while working with a team that I know. That takes care of a certain set of aspects during the shooting,” says Dijo, who made his directorial debut with the sleeper hit Queen (2018).
“When Sharis shared with me the story of Gopi, I felt that Nivin would be ideal as the laidback youngster. Nivin burst into laughter when he heard the story and came aboard the project enthusiastically,” says Dijo. As Nivin and producer Listin Stephen were already discussing a project, Listin agreed to produce it under his banner, Magic Frames.
Dhyan Sreenivasan essays Malghosh, Gopi’s best friend. Anaswara Rajan, Manju Pillai, Shine Tom Chacko and Salim Kumar are also in the cast.
Dijo Jose Antony.
This is Tinkle Comics’ rst graphic novel. The process was collaborative, Gayathri adds. “We held discussions with the producers of the lm, since they are the creators of the character, about the idea and the storyline.” The makers of the lm were on board with how the novel developed. The story was developed by the creative team of Tinkle Comics Studio and the script is by Shreya Ghosh.
Vineet Nair, Art Director (Tinkle), and the illustrator is excited about having been part of the process of creating this version of Minnal Murali, calling it a ‘dream come true.’
Having worked with Tinkle for 12 years, he is the character designer and illustrator of two popular Tinkle comic series, WingStar and YogYodhas. He says that though he is more comfortable with a cartoon art style, he had to tweak it for Minnal Murali.
Though Vineet rewatched the lm as reference, he was careful not to make the comic character an exact lookalike of the lm’s Murali aka Tovino Thomas.
The 64-page graphic novel, priced at
₹299, also has stills from the lm, the story board and interviews with those involved in the making of the lm and the graphic novel.