Mogul Mowgli is a hypnotic, complicated, and often bold film only held back from true greatness by an abrupt resolution.

“Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ahmed is fantastic in this.  He’s a man with undeniable charisma and screen presence that, whilst he’s been great in many roles on film, both the Hollywood and British film industries have been unable (or unwilling) to figure out how to properly utilise.  With Mogul Mowgli, working with a script of his own and with a director/co-writer clearly determined to best communicate his strengths as an actor, Ahmed finally gets a chance to bring that earnest intensity he magnetically displayed throughout The Night Of into the realm of film.  He leaves it all on the screen, albeit without ever slipping into over-acting, with such a soulful and frustrated performance that’s commanding to witness and gutting at the times when Zed’s bile and pain spills out on those around him.  The supporting cast all make good impressions with what material they have, but the film’s specific focus on the character of Zed means that it’s all dependent on Ahmed and at times it really does feel like he’s exorcising something through his performance here.  And that’s before the times where the film pauses for Zed to communicate those feelings through rap which are electric to witness – and also are shared with Riz’s album from earlier this year, The Long Goodbye, which illuminates how both projects were clearly conceptualised at the same time.”

Full review exclusively on Soundsphere Magazine (link).

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