Mikhael (film)

Mikhael is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Haneef Adeni and produced by Anto Joseph. It stars Nivin Pauly in the title role, alongside an ensemble cast of Unni Mukundan, Manjima Mohan, Siddique, JD Chakravarthy, Suraj Venjaramoodu, K.P.A.C Lalitha, Ashokan, Jayaprakash, Sudev Nair, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Sijoy Varghese, Babu Antony and Baiju. The music was composed by Gopi Sundar, while Mahesh Narayanan and Vishnu Panicker handled the cinematography and editing.

Mikhael was released on 18 January 2019 and received mixed reviews from critics and audiences, with criticism on the screenplay, plot, and Nivin Pauly's performance. On the other hand, Unni Mukundan's performance, casting, background scores, and climax fight received critical acclaim. The film was a commercial success.

Plot
George Peter, an influential gold smuggler and don in Kerala, and his driver are killed under mysterious circumstances. ACP Muhammed Easa and his colleague CI Isaac John arrive at the spot and discover that the murder was carried out with a surgical blade, deducing that a doctor was behind it. They start investigating medical stores. At the same time, George's cold-blooded younger brother Marco meets George's partners, William Davis and his elder son, Abraham, to ask whether it was their work. When Abraham speaks in a disgusting manner, an agitated Marco shoots him to death. During his funeral, Easa asks William and his younger son Francy about Abraham's murder, but they don't reveal anything.

One night, a mysterious person shoots Patrick, Davis's secretary. Easa and Isaac take him to Star Hospital, where he gets murdered despite being protected with maximum security. This solidifies Easa's and Isaac's theory that the murderer is a doctor. A contract killer interrogates a pharmacist to learn the truth about the murders. Both gangs start believing that someone is after them. Isaac becomes suspicious of Easa since he revealed that he had an informant, but did not reveal anything about him. Isaac investigates on his own, discovering that Dr. Michael John, a young surgeon of Star Hospital is both the killer and the informant. Issac also finds that Easa is helping Mikhael since they have contacted each other several times. Issac forces Easa to reveal everything to prevent Mikhael's arrest.

Past: When Mikhael was 10 years old, he persuaded his father, John, to let him drive his car, which resulted in an accident that killed him, a martial arts trainer. Michael's mother Ancy, blamed him for his father's death. Meanwhile, George's son, Gerald, challenged Jenny, Mikhael's sister, to a kung-fu fight in front of the entire school. Jenny defeats him, causing his friends and other students to tease him for losing to a girl. Depressed over the matter, Gerald commits suicide by jumping from the school terrace. George visits Jenny and asks her to jump from the school terrace in the same way Gerald had jumped or he will kill her entire family.

After George continuously disturbs and harasses her family, Jenny decides to jump off the school terrace. Before she jumps, Mikhael arrives and saves her. After learning about the harassment, Mikhael files a complaint to the police, but the SI thrashes and warns him, as they are allied with George. Ancy asks him to visit them in Christmas, but he refuses. George later kills Ancy, causing Mikhael to burn Peter's Audi Q7 car. George and his henchmen catch Mikhael, beat him brutally, and leave him on a railroad track to die. He manages to escape and eventually catches up to George and his driver and kills them.

Present: Marco learns about Mikhael and Jenny and vows to finish them. Easa also reveals that he ordered Mikhael to kill Patrick since he was a common connection between both teams and killing him will provoke a gang war. Meanwhile, Jenny gets kidnapped by William and Francy as they learn about Mikhael's involvement in Patrick's death, but Michael saves Jenny. William and Francy are arrested by Easa and he also arrests Marco for killing Abraham, but Marco is released on bail. He kidnaps Jenny and takes her to the helipad of a skyscraper and challenges Michael to a fight. Michael arrives at the helipad and fights with Marco. Using a hidden surgical blade in his pocket, Michael kills Marco and illegally donates his organs, thus saving Jenny and his family.

Production
Mikhael is the second directorial venture of Haneef Adeni, produced by Anto Joseph under the banner Anto Joseph Film Company. The film was announced on 12 July 2018. The pooja function was held in Kochi on 3 September, with principal photography beginning the same day.

Principal photography ended on November 26, 2018.

Music
The film features songs composed by Gopi Sundar.

Reception
Mikhael received mixed reviews from critics, with criticism on screenplay, plot and Nivin Pauly's performance, but praise on Unni Mukundan's performance, casting, background scores and climax fight.

Critical response
Sajin Shrijith of Cinema Express gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Mikhael sees Nivin successfully accomplishing something he failed to do in films like Richie and Kayamkulam Kochunni. With a role tailor-made for Nivin's personality, rides solely on the actor's shoulders, and he carries the film effortlessly." Renukha Padmanabhan of The Week gave 3/5 stars and wrote "The narrative takes recourse to frequent flashbacks, but the director makes sure that the audience do not lose track of the happenings as he switches between the past and the present. Gopi Sundar's background score fits well into the proceedings; however, there isn't much novelty and you are left with a sense of deja vu while listening to the score."

Deepa Soman of The Times of India gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "By the first half itself, the reasons for the events yet to unfold are almost clear and those waiting to be revealed post intermission hardly evoke any thrill as they arrive. The long second half is all about waiting to see what all the hero gets to do to the villains, to punish them." Behindwoods gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Mikhael is the kind of film which will entertain you if you do not expect everything to be logical. To enjoy the movie to the fullest you should let the film go in whichever direction it feels like going, and not think too much about anything. There are many characters and stories revolving around Mike's and his sister's story. Some characters are interesting while some are cliches in new covers."

Sowmya Rajendran from The News Minute gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Even if you watch the film knowing what to expect of Haneef Adeni, 'Mikhael' is disappointing." Manoj Kumar of The Indian Express gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote "Adeni could have named this film The Great Brother, instead of Mikhael" and also termed the film as a "migraine-inducing incoherent mess, which kills our desire to be entertained." Navamy Sudheesh of The Hindu called the film an average action fare, wrote that "while the film is engaging at some levels, it lacks that raw energy and intensity of a thorough thriller." Litty Simon of Malayala Manorama wrote "The slow-paced thriller won't really blow your mind, but it comes with enough masala for a Nivin Pauly movie."