Mogul Mowgli

Mogul Mowgli is a 2020 drama film directed by Bassam Tariq, and written by Tariq and Riz Ahmed.[2] It stars Ahmed and features Aiysha Hart, Alyy Khan, Sudha Bhuchar, Nabhaan Rizwan, and Anjana Vasan. It tells the story of a British-Pakistani rapper who is struck down by a disease.

Mogul Mowgli
Directed byBassam Tariq
Produced by
  • Riz Ahmed
  • Thomas Benski
  • Bennett McGhee
  • Michael Peay
Written by
  • Bassam Tariq
  • Riz Ahmed
Starring
Music byPaul Corley
CinematographyAnika Summerson
Edited by
  • Adam Biskupski
  • Hazel Baillie
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • February 21, 2020 (2020-02-21) (Berlin)
  • October 30, 2020 (2020-10-30) (United Kingdom)
Running time
90 minutes[1]
Country
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Produced by Pulse Films, the film had its world premiere in the Panorama section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival on February 21, 2020.[1] It was released in the United Kingdom on October 30, 2020, by BFI Distribution.

Plot

Zed is a British-Pakistani rapper who is based in New York. Before his European tour begins, he gets an autoimmune disease. He returns to see his Pakistani family in London.

Cast

Production

The idea for the film first began in 2017 when Riz Ahmed met Bassam Tariq.[3] The film was tentatively titled Mughal Mowgli.[4][5] In March 2019, it was announced Ahmed would star in the film, with Tariq directing from a screenplay by himself and Ahmed.[6] Thomas Benski, Bennett McGhee, Michael Peay and Ahmed would produce the film, under their Pulse Films and Left Handed Films banners, while BBC Films, Cinereach, Vice Media, and RYOT Films would also produce.[6] That same month, Aiysha Hart, Anjana Vasan, Sudha Bhuchar, Alyy Khan, and Nabhaan Rizwan joined the cast of the film.[7] Production began that same month.[7]

Release

The film had its world premiere in the Panorama section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival on February 21, 2020.[1][8] In August 2020, BFI Distribution acquired U.K. distribution rights to the film.[9] It was released in the United Kingdom on October 30, 2020.[10] In December 2020, Strand Releasing acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.[11]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 97% based on 30 reviews, with an average rating of 7.44/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "An ambitious portrait of the complicated nature of identity, the challenging and emotionally raw Mogul Mowgli showcases a heartbreaking performance from Riz Ahmed."[12] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13]

Stephen Dalton of The Hollywood Reporter commented that "Although Mogul Mowgli is an admirably ambitious effort overall, a more complex, colorful, daring film seems to be trapped just below the surface."[14] Guy Lodge of Variety wrote, "This is gutsy, spiky, imperfect independent filmmaking that finds the formal gusto to complement and buoy its star's aggressive dynamism: Ahmed affirms his standing as one of Britain's most vital, risky actors, even in a role we thought we'd already seen him play."[15]

See also

References
  1. "Mogul Mowgli". Berlin International Film Festival. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  2. Ritman, Alex (February 21, 2020). "Riz Ahmed on Co-Writing Berlin Entry 'Mogul Mowgli' and Pushing for More Representation Onscreen". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  3. Rico, Klaritza (February 22, 2020). "'Mogul Mowgli' Star Riz Ahmed Aims to Open Conversations With Movies, Music". Variety. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  4. Ritman, Alex (March 5, 2019). "Riz Ahmed to Play Rapper in Pulse Films' 'Mughal Mowgli' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  5. Grater, Tom (January 21, 2020). "Berlin Film Festival Adds Riz Ahmed Pic 'Mogul Mowgli', Oleg Sentsov-Directed 'Numbers'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  6. McNary, Dave (March 5, 2019). "Riz Ahmed to Star in, Produce Music Drama 'Mughal Mowgli'". Variety. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  7. Grater, Tom (March 21, 2019). "UK rap drama 'Mughal Mowgli' finalises cast with 'Informer', 'Sex Education', 'Colette' actors (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  8. "Crossing Borders". Berlin International Film Festival. January 21, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  9. Ritman, Alex (August 14, 2020). "BFI Distribution Picks Up Riz Ahmed's 'Mogul Mowgli' for U.K." The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  10. "Mogul Mowgli". Launching Films. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  11. Keslassy, Elsa (December 16, 2020). "Riz Ahmed's 'Mogul Mowgli' Nabbed By Strand Releasing for North America (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  12. "Mogul Mowgli". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  13. "Mogul Mowgli". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  14. Dalton, Stephen (February 21, 2020). "'Mogul Mowgli': Film Review | Berlin 2020". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  15. Lodge, Guy (February 21, 2020). "'Mogul Mowgli': Film Review". Variety. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
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