[6][7] The story centers around the life of a Muslim family, who tries to reclaim its lost honor after its patriarch Murad Ali Mohammed (Kapoor) gets involved in terrorism.
[8] The supporting cast of the film includes Rajat Kapoor, Manoj Pahwa, Prateik Babbar, Ashutosh Rana, Neena Gupta, Prachee Shah Paandya and Indraneil Sengupta.
[11] Murad Ali Mohammed (Rishi Kapoor), a lawyer by profession, lives amiably with his family in a densely-populated diverse locality of Varanasi.
His close-knit family consists of his wife Tabassum (Neena Gupta), brother Bilaal (Manoj Pahwa) who owns a mobile phone shop, sister-in-law Chhoti-Tabassum (Prachee Shah Pandya), nephew Shahid (Prateik Babbar) and niece Aayat (Eshita Singh, credited as Vartika Singh).
Murad's son Aftab (Indraneil Sengupta) lives abroad with his wife Aarti (Taapsee Pannu), who is also a lawyer and is estranged from the family.
After Murad's birthday celebrations, Shahid leaves early morning for Allahabad and executes the attack as planned with two other acquaintances, which causes a lot of casualties.
Bilaal is taken to court for a hearing where Judge Harish Madhok (Kumud Mishra) denies his bail and grants police custody of him for 7 days for further interrogation.
As the legal proceedings begin after 7 days, public prosecutor Santosh Anand (Ashutosh Rana) tries to convince the court that Shahid's act is not a standalone incident but an eye opener about how Muslims are breeders of terrorists.
He argues that every single member of Murad's family was aware of and complicit in Shahid's activities, and his home was the den of terrorist operations.
With things turning against him at court, Bilaal, who is already tired, ashamed, confused, saddened, tortured and humiliated, suffers a massive heart attack and passes away en route to the hospital.
Judge Madhok dismisses the case, stating that the main problem is with people's mentality and everyone irrespective of their religion should fight against it to bring a change.
A newspaper report read by Anubhav Sinha became the point of origin of Mulk and prompted him to develop an idea which he shared with his friends for their feedback.
[18] In July 2017, it was reported that Rishi Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu and Prateik Babbar had been signed by Anubhav Sinha for his next film called Mulk.
Supporting cast adds strength... Manoj Pahwa, Ashutosh Rana, Rajat Kapoor, Kumud Mishra, Prateik Babbar and Prachee Shah Paandya, each actor excels.
[40] The Indian Express while giving 3.5 out of 5 carried the following line, "Any film that does not demonize, that talks of peace and brotherhood, in these dark, cynical times, is to be lauded.
"[42] On the other hand, The Times of India gave the film 4 out of 5 and opined, "Mulk focusses on some hard-hitting and burning issues, while also highlighting the crucial role that the media and various other channels of information play in disseminating the right news and facts to its citizens.
It has thought-provoking message which drives home the point – that being a true Indian and real patriot is about embracing people from every faith with an open heart.
"[44] Similarly, the critics at Filmfare rated the movie 4 out of 5 and writes, "The film makes you see these dark truths and you can't help but nod.
"[46] Khaleej Times, a daily English language newspaper published in United Arab Emirates, rates the film 3 out of 5 and states, "'Mulk' dares to tell a story not many filmmakers might want to associate themselves with.