Mogul Mowgli

Released Sep 3, 2021

1 hr. 30 min.

Drama

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93%

103 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

MOGUL MOWGLI is the debut narrative feature from award-winning documentary filmmaker Bassam Tariq. It follows the story of a British Pakistani rapper (Riz Ahmed) who, on the cusp of his first world tour, is struck down by an illness that forces him to face his past, his family, and the uncertainty of his legacy.

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Critics Consensus

An ambitious portrait of the complicated nature of identity, the challenging and emotionally raw Mogul Mowgli showcases a heartbreaking performance from Riz Ahmed.

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john s

BROWN RAP Anothe Riz Ahmed project dealing with the possible derailment of a music career due to a health issue? Yes, and this may be Oscar nomination number two for the young upstar(t). "Mogul Mowgli" does an excellent job of setting up the trending career of British born to Pakistani parents rapper Zed - easy since it parallels the real life of actor, writer, rapper Ahmed (Riz MC to you), but it is the physical and mental torment that ensues with a family visit that is the real pulse in the film. Attacked by his more traditional circle who find it hard to recognize the high flying rapper, and attacked by his body's immune system because it cannot recognize itself, Zed the rapper and Zaheer the son sees his rosy world come crashing to a violent halt in a double whammy of identity theft. During a frantic hospital stay on the eve of a major tour, an unsettling past haunts a desperate Zaheer in a series of hallucinatory sequences as he searches for his mind and his body. The historical context, left unexplained except for a few cloudy clues, refers to the 1947 Pakistani and Indian partition, more specifically the short story "Toba Tek Singh" that deals with the repercussions of creating a border and shuffling people based on religious lines. Oh those crazy Brits. Identity is a complex struggle Zaheer is forced to reconcile as his life crumbles, and he is literally and figuratively stuck in no man's land. Borderless. Slickly edited, from flashy concert scenes to humble immigrant apartment life, "Mogul Mowgli" flows freely from English to Urdu in a wonderful rhythm, especially poignant when father and son move from stilted social niceties to butting stubborn heads. All of this heaviness boils down to the Riz Ahmed and Ally Khan show, and a damn fine show it is. - hipCRANK

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A solid performance by Riz Ahmed with a story with unlimited potential that is lazy and in need of a major rewrite. A five star performance. A 2 1/2 star direction and 2 1/2 star story that drags often.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

dave d

Riz Ahmed elevates a film that was merely pedestrian to somewhat entertaining. Ahmed, who co-wrote, can't make up for the lack of words on the page, but does his best with a nuanced performance with all the facial expressions he had in his arsenal. Besides Ahmed's genius, this is a slog at times, with things happening too quickly at times and repetitive at others. When the film reaches the fantasy it took me out of the movie. Worth watching, but a definite mixed bag. Final Score: 6/10

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

jaime h

Riz continues to shine. This film is deep. Dark. And a wonderful showcase for the continued evolution of Riz's incredible ability to shape-shift into the characters he portrays. Not a perfect film, but perfect for what it is. Intense. Bold. Brave.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

nice flick, original

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Joe C

After seeing him in "Sound of Metal" and here, he's almost the same character: intense musician facing a health crisis. Here it's superimposed on his ethnic and religious background and his life choices diverging from them. He's great, different than the drummer guy but the same, and the movie is effective at conveying the pressure and emotion of the contradictions of being British born but not seen as British. I wish it had gone further and really explored the heritage and faith issues rather than just fast cuts and flashbacks. It also deserves a better conclusion, we see promise but no fulfillment. A well done movie overall, I look forward to the director's next and hopefully more mature work.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/07/21

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Bassam Tariq

Director

Riz Ahmed

Zed

Alyy Khan

Bashir

Sudha Bhuchar

Nasra

Aiysha Hart

Bina

Kiran Sonia Sawar

Asma

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Mogul Mowgli: Trailer 1

1:23

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Kimber Myers

Crooked Marquee

Not every scene fully hits its marks, but Mogul Mowgli is never content to be a standard indie drama.

Rated: B+

Oct 11, 2021

Full Review

Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

The audience is thrown into Zed's world (or rather, worlds), and it's Ahmed's astounding performance that provides the through line. It's OK to be lost, because Zed is.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 9, 2021

Full Review

Emily Zemler

Observer

This is an intimate story, sometimes uncomfortably so, but it's also an expansive one, about whether our societies allow people to live outside prescribed boxes and whether it accepts them when they do.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 5, 2021

Full Review

Rhys Handley

Vague Visages

Centred by a performance which further confirms Ahmed’s bona fides as a leading man, Mogul Mowgli has energy to spare, but it could do with a mite more stillness to find its truest self.

Jun 5, 2023

Full Review

Dallas King

Flick Feast

An incredibly raw and powerful piece of acting... Between this and The Sound Of Metal, it cements Ahmed as one of the finest actors working today.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 12, 2022

Full Review

Kathy Fennessy

Video Librarian Magazine

Mogul Mowgli confirms Bassam Tariq's facility with resonant themes and strong performances. Its success would land him a coveted job as the director of Marvel's Blade reboot.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 4, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

MOGUL MOWGLI is the debut narrative feature from award-winning documentary filmmaker Bassam Tariq. It follows the story of a British Pakistani rapper (Riz Ahmed) who, on the cusp of his first world tour, is struck down by an illness that forces him to face his past, his family, and the uncertainty of his legacy.

Director: Bassam Tariq
Executive Producer: Suroosh Alvi, Danny Gabai, Philipp Engelhorn, Leah Giblin, Elliott Whitton, Hayley Pappas, Dimitra Tsingou
Screenwriter: Bassam Tariq, Riz Ahmed
Distributor: Strand Releasing
Production Co: Vice Studios, Left Handed Films, Inc., Pulse Films, Cinereach, BBC Films, RYOT Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 3, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 10, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $52.1K

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