of Muhammad Mustafa MuraWith all its aspects of gangster drama – revenge, high-end action and bloodshed, the film has been a consistent hit at the box office. And the cast, especially the young and new faces, has been unanimously praised.

The interesting story, set in Thiruvananthapuram, is about four college dropouts from underprivileged backgrounds – Anandu, Manaf, Manu and Siju. The roles are played by Hriday Haroon, Anujith Kannan, Yedhu Krishnan and Jobin Das respectively, all of whom are natives of Thiruvananthapuram.

All four choose to work for a criminal gang led by Ani (Suraj Venjaramoodu), Rema’s (Mala Parvathy) trusted aide.

The youth undertake a high-risk task – stealing black money from a warehouse in Madurai, hoping that it will ensure a better future for them. Two young men from the area, Malar (Krishna Hassan) and Sitru (Vigneshwar Suresh), join them on the mission. But the robbery has unexpected consequences.

Currently, the boys are busy hitting the theaters and enjoying the praise coming their way. “It’s tremendous,” says the actor, who has excelled as street-smart, impulsive, hot-headed bad boys with their unbridled energy, especially in action sequences.

While Hridayu, Krish and Vigneshwar have worked in a few films, Anujith, Yedhu and Jobin are debutants. Mustafa says, “When we did the casting call, we got more than 6,000 entries. We chose applicants who are from Thiruvananthapuram because the story is based there. Then we narrowed it down to about 200 candidates. But we could not find suitable actor from that list. So the team went to colleges and acting schools in search of talent,” says the director.

An action scene from Mura Being shot Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

For example, Anujith, who is currently pursuing his final year of graduation in Islamic History at the University College, Thiruvananthapuram, was selected from his own campus. “Our team conducted an audition in the college. “Those who came had to present a scene that depicted conflict and Anujith impressed us,” says Mustafa.

Yedu came to know about the audition through his teacher. “Cinema was a dream. My tuition teacher, Ramesh, always encouraged me, so did my family. Sir himself told me Mura’s Gave an audition and I went there with my father. Since my 12th class examinations were going on, my father was not keen on me doing this. but our director Convinced him. My teachers also supported me,” says Yedhu.

Mustafa says, “He impressed us with his acting. We weren’t sure whether he would look older on screen or not, but he did.”

The team took time to find an actor to play Saji until they came across Jobin from Chengalchula (now Rajaji Nagar), Thiruvananthapuram. He was among the team of boys from the area who had gone viral four years ago with their video recreating a fight scene and song from a Tamil film. AayanStarring Surya. “I had seen the video and thought since they would have grown up by now, I would get my share of them. A member of the directing team, who had an acquaintance there, contacted him and that’s how we found Jobin,” says the director.

from still Mura
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The actors were put through a 10-day workshop to understand the nuances of acting, filmmaking and prepare for action sequences. Since they all are from different parts of Thiruvananthapuram, delivering the dialogues was an easy task. “We speak different variations of the Thiruvananthapuram dialect and we can keep it in the film,” says Anujith.

(From left) Actors Jobin Das, Yedu Krishnan, Hridayu Haroon and Anujith Kannan. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Other actors say having Hriday on board helped. He has done one web series and five films, notable among which are We imagine everything as light Which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival this year. “We had doubts about how he would be on the set. But he was extremely helpful and guided us,” says Yedu, who is currently studying law. To which Hridayu replies, “I have learned a lot from him too. They are dedicated, calm and hard working. It was a comfortable place for me and none of us had any hesitation.”

Mustafa says he chose Vigneshwar after seeing his role in a Malayalam film Thank you“He was perfect to play the character of Seetru. Through him I came in contact with Krish,” he says.

Both are happy that their work has been appreciated. “I came into the industry to be a writer and director, but ended up as an actor. Now I plan to get back to writing and directing,” says Vigneshwar, who played a small role in Qalb And will be seen next time in Krishand History of Sambhav Vivaranam Nalarsangham-4.5 Gang,

Krish’s portfolio includes films starring the stalwarts of Tamil cinema including Warisu, Thangalan And Vettaiyaan“I was pursuing a BDS course but left it to become an actor. When this role came, I started worrying about the language. But since my character is from Madurai, that part was taken care of,” says Krish.

actors on location Mura
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

“The boys are extremely talented and dedicated. “He nailed it with his performance,” says Mustafa. The actor minces no words when praising his director. ,ace (Elder brother) was patient with us and did not get stressed, even though there were enough reasons to be upset. It helps that he’s also an actor; They made us extremely comfortable,” says Hridayu. “He reassured us,” says Kris. Yedu says, in fact, he would often group them together and motivate himself.

PC Stunts’ stunt choreography pushed its limits, with the actors saying that the Madurai leg of the shoot was the toughest. “We had night scenes, and it was tiring. We were all exhausted during the week-long shoot,” says Hridayu.

a scene from Mura
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Anujith and Yadu noted that the terrain was rough and hot, and they had to walk through dry vegetation, during which stones and thorns would pierce their skin. Anujith says, “Even though we were in pain, we continued acting so that the shooting was not affected.”

The actor is extremely appreciative of the technical aspect of the film. “Editing, cinematography, music, focus pullers… all played a vital role in creating an entertaining story without any hiccups,” he says. He also pays special attention to the senior actors with whom he has worked on screen. Have shared. “They were all supportive and gave many suggestions that helped us execute the scenes,” says Yadu.