When it comes to director Lal Jose, there is no difference in opinion about the quality of movies that he creates. In the past few years he was the only director who has been able to deliver consistently, movies that appealed to critics and masses alike. Be it with `Arabikkatha', `Classmates' or `Meesa Madhavan', all his films were a sure bet at the Box office.
The director-actor association of Lal Jose and Dileep, who started working for films almost in the similar period as assistant directors, have to their credit a string of success with films like 'Chandranudikkuna Dikkil' followed by the blockbuster 'Meesa Madhavan' and 'Chanthupottu'. And after his last hit `Arabikkatha' Lal Jose's eagerly awaited much hyped flick, 'Mulla' another Dileep starrer is all set to hit the stations for this Vishu.
Dileep who had a poor show at the box office in recent times is waiting finger crossed for the Box office reports of the film. According to the preview reports 'Mulla' is destined will be a big hit.
Dileep plays a very different title character, in a different get up and tonsured head, in the movie. Scripted by Sindhuraj, the movie is about Mulla, an inhabitant of a colony where criminals, thieves, prostitutes and pimps live.
Mulla, the son of a sex worker in a criminals' colony is also a goonda, and a petty thief who engages in all kinds of suspicious activities even while working in the role of a hotheaded tea vendor on trains.
The plot of the film revolves round the romance between Lachchi, hailing from a lower middle class background, and Mulla. On one side of the criminals' colony is a meter gauge railway track. Mulla, meets Lachchi regularly, in a train passing through by. The story is narrated through the memories of Lachchi while she travels in a train.
According to the scriptwriter Sindhuraj, 'Mulla' is a dark love story that unfolds against the backdrop of a criminals' colony and tells more about how circumstances create a criminal.
Meera Nandan, a popular compere who earlier anchored the popular TV show 'Star Singer', plays the character Lachchi, a bubbly girl, an expert in decorating cakes, who works in a bakery run by Thommichan (Maala). She also works as a part time painter, henna designer and also as a local beautician for a living.
'Mulla' also introduces three more debutants - Sruthi Menon, a dusky beauty from Mumbai in the role of Vasanthi- a gypsy girl who goes around in trains singing songs. Another important character in the film is Malathyakka, the wife of Ambi Annan (Biju Menon), a dada in the colony, is played by 'Vanitha Ratnam' fame Reena Basheer. The third debutante of 'Mulla' is Micheal who plays the accompanying security personal of Malathiakka. Saiju Kurup plays the villainous role of the local sub inspector in the movie. Biju Menon, Innocent, Mala Aravindan, Salimkumar, Sukumari, Anoop Chandran, Bineesh Kodiyery and Rizabava also make their appearance in pivotal roles in the film.
The film was shot inside a rented train for 16 days. An entire song sequence was also shot for the film inside the train. A portion of the colony was specially designed by art director Gokul Das. Vipin Mohan cranks the camera for 'Mulla' which was shot at Pazhani and Palakkad.
The movie also features five songs set to music by Vidhyasagar and penned by Vayalar Sharath. One of the Tamil songs of the movie was visualized upon Tamil actors Ashok and Suja. The film is produced by Sagar Sherif and Sounder Raj under the banner of Sagar Balaji Creations.