'Mogul Mowgli' Trailer: Riz Ahmed's Rap Career Is Sidelined By A Degenerative Disease

Last year, Sound of Metal found Riz Ahmed earning an Oscar nomination for his role as drummer whose life is turned upside when he begins to lose his hearing. Soon we'll see the Rogue One star in similar story that was actually completed and premiering at film festivals before Sound of Metal was ever released.

Mogul Mowgli follows Riz Ahmed as a British-Pakistani rapper on the verge of finding fame in the United Statues. But his career is sidelined when a degenerative disease strikes his body. On top of dealing with the loss of his life's passion, he is suddenly forced to confront his family's past as unhappy memories begin to wade around in his mind. Watch the Mogul Mowgli trailer below.

Though Mogul Mowgli appears to tread similar territory as Sound of Metal, it has a very different filmmaking style. There are flashes of Riz Ahmed's character Zed as a child in somewhat surreal moments, and the prominence of what appears to be Zed's father seems to indicate some kind of culture clash. This is also bound to feel a little more personal than Sound of Metal as well, with Ahmed himself being a rapper and acting as co-writer and producer on the film.

The Guardian called Mogul Mowgli "abrasive, confrontational film-making, with a machine-gun assault of ideas and influences." Meawhile, Guy Lodge at Variety reassures that this isn't simply a retread of Sound of Metal, "This is gutsy, spiky, imperfect independent filmmaking that finds the formal gusto to complement and buoy its star's aggressive dynamism: Ahmed affirms his standing as one of Britain's most vital, risky actors, even in a role we thought we'd already seen him play."Mogul Mowgli is directed by Bassam Tariq, who was just hired by Marvel Studios as the director of their Blade reboot. So if you're a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then you may want to seek out this film to get a grasp on this filmmaker's style before he heads into blockbuster territory. Plus, it's just good to broaden one's horizons outside of comic book movie fare every now and then.

Here's the official synopsis for Mogul Mowgli:

British Pakistani rapper Zed (Riz Ahmed) is a rising star on the cusp of his first world tour. But, struck down by an illness that threatens to derail his big break, he's forced to confront his past, his family, and the uncertainty of his legacy. The debut fiction feature from the award-winning documentary filmmaker Bassam Tariq (These Birds Walk) and co-written, produced by and starring the Emmy award-winning Ahmed, Mogul Mowgli is a bold, vital and electrifying exploration of heritage and identity.

Mogul Mowgli opens in New York and Los Angeles starting on September 3, 2021, but it's not clear if/when there will be a wider release across the United States.