After touring the festival circuit, Geetu Mohandas' second directorial Moothon has hit the screens. Starring Nivin Pauly, Sobhita Dhulipala, Roshan Matthew and Dileesh Pothan in lead roles, the drama is produced by Anurag Kashyap in association with Jar Pictures and Mini Studio.

Moothon tells the story of Mulla, who embarks on a journey from Lakshadweep to the mean streets of Mumbai in search of his brother Akbar, as he feels that his life has been devoid of elderly protection. As he languishes in the streets, Mulla finally meets Akbar, who has transformed into a vile, drug peddling hoodlum. 

Moothon excels at showing anthropological detail, where we see the way of life unfold in front of us. While the sequences set in Lakshadweep have a sense of polish to it (the scenic expanse is shown through aerial shots), the tone changes once Mulla reaches to Mumbai. You see the maximum city being stripped of its gloss as we go through its mean streets when Mulla meets Rosy (Sobhita Dhulipala). The film shows its characters without being apologetic about their shades.

Though the narrative has the quality of an art cinema, with a fluid, verité style camerawork, there are certain flourishes of a commercial film. For instance, we see a slo-mo introduction of Akbar/Bhai. The film soaks us in the bustling atmosphere, though we do not see any startling revelations, the narrative takes its time to unfold.

The second half carries a flashback of Akbar's origins as a young priest who performs Kuthu Ratheeb, a holy ritual that is foreshadowed in the initial moments. We see Akbar's innocence and his romance between him and the mute Aamir (Roshan Matthew). Geetu Mohandas handles an often tabooed subject with sensitivity. The second half shows a glimmer of hope, where we see Mulla getting acquainted by Akbar's friend (Sujith Shankar pulls a solid surprise). 

Moothon does have its low points like the flashback didn't quite fit into the film's scheme of things and the film paints a completely bleak picture of city's underbelly, which warrants a mature viewing. But the minor flaws can be overlooked by the well-written character arc of Akbar, who struggles to hold onto his inherently good nature, as he becomes responsible for his sibling well-being.

Moothon is packed with top-notch performances. Nivin Pauly beautifully straddles the contrasting sides of Akbar's character while Roshan Matthew memorably plays the sensitivity of Aamir. Shashank Arora deserves a special mention as Sameer. Moothon is a visceral, grim yet optimistic exploration of human nature.