Marco: Unni Mukundan’s Violent Saga Divides Audiences and Sets New Benchmarks for Gore in Indian Cinema

The discourse around Haneef Adeni’s Malayalam film Marco, starring Unni Mukundan, evokes a bygone era when cinema elicited visceral reactions. Headlines like “A woman threw up on my shirt” and “It’s not for the faint of heart” harken back to The Exorcist (1973), which famously caused audiences to faint and vomit.

Proclamations of Marco dethroning films like Kill, Animal, or Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire as the most violent Indian film soon followed. The censor board’s request to tone down certain scenes only fueled the perception that Marco ventures into uncharted territory. While fans of gore are in for a treat, the film’s quality remains debatable.

Commercial cinema has steadily increased violence, toeing the line between entertainment and sadistic gratification. However, Marco pushes boundaries. The film opens with a violent gangster avenging a loved one’s death, using everything from acid to chainsaws. Despite its extreme violence, some scenes feel repetitive, with shock value overshadowing narrative depth.

The film’s most notorious scene, which caused viewers to faint, showcases a house drenched in blood, reminiscent of Stephen King’s works. Yet, despite the heightened gore, Marco struggles to offer emotional depth or clever writing. The technical prowess and performances are commendable, but the lack of a compelling backstory weakens the impact.

In contrast, Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s Kill (2024) strikes a balance between violence and narrative. The film’s limited setting—a train—and strong performances by Lakshya and Raghav Juyal enhance its emotional and dramatic weight, making the violence feel earned rather than gratuitous.

Despite its flaws, Marco has set a new benchmark for gore in Indian cinema, grossing over ₹79 crore worldwide and expanding from 89 to 1,360 screens. The film’s success signals a shift in Indian cinema’s approach to extreme content, marking a new beginning for the genre.