Tovino Thomas's superhero movie Minnal Murali to be premiered on Netflix

Tovino Thomas's Malayalam superhero movie  Minnal Murali is slated to arrive on Netflix. On Monday, the streaming service announced that it had acquired the Indian superhero movie and that it would be "coming soon”.

The Minnal Murali poster, which was unveiled by Netflix, shows Tovino in a folded dhoti, regular shirt and a red scarf that covers his face, presumably to protect his identity.

Directed by Basil Joseph, the film sees Tovino play an ordinary man who gets superpowers after being struck by a bolt of lightning. The film was set to be released theatrically in 2020 but it was postponed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a press statement, Basil said, "We wanted to create a superhero that people could relate to and connect with on an emotional level. Though the essence of a superhero movie is action, our effort was focused on a strong narrative that could stand on its own while backing the action."

Tovino, who earlier worked with Basil in his sports comedy Godha (2017), said, "I've been attached and committed to the character of Minnal Murali from the very beginning. I spent all my time communicating with my director to ensure the best possible outcome and immense amounts of work went into creating Minnal Murali. I’ve learnt a lot and I’m grateful that during these strange times, people can still appreciate cinema from the comfort of their homes through Netflix. I hope everyone who watches the film loves Minnal Murali just as much as I do."

The film is being bankrolled by Sophia Paul of Weekend Blockbusters. While Sameer Thahir is the director of photography, Shaan Rahman is the music composer for the film.

Talking about the production, Sophia said, “As a producer, this was my most challenging yet gratifying experience. I am proud of this journey. We brought together the best team of actors, technicians and platforms for the rise of this local superhero: Minnal Murali. This superhero movie transcends languages, as at the core, it's a human story of emotions and circumstances. I am thrilled and proud of Minnal Murali. I am glad that we got an opportunity to join hands with Netflix on their upcoming Malayalam film. Minnal Murali is just the beginning. We are just getting started.”

Minnal Murali also stars Guru Somasundaram, Harisree Ashokan, and Aju Varghese. It will be dubbed in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada — besides Hindi and English.

Netflix is yet to announce the release date of the movie.