Chotta Mumbai

Anwar Rasheed's 2007 Malayalam film follows Vasco and his friends in one of the old quarters of Kochi. The group run small schemes but harm nobody; when they witness a murder a local gang targets them. The film's appeal is the quarter itself: narrow streets, relations between neighbours and local speech built in detail. Mohanlal's performance rests on ordinariness rather than heroism, which sets the film apart from other action productions of its time. The comedy in the first half is strong. Its weakness is the story turning to a revenge template in the second half, with the texture of the neighbourhood lost. Who it's for: viewers who like Malayalam action comedy and Mohanlal's work. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a single consistent tone, or avoiding violent content.