Maharaja Movie Review: Vijay Sethupathi is Phenomenal in Nithilan Saminathan's Cleverly Deceptive Revenge-Thriller (LatestLY Exclusive)

Maharaja Movie Review: There is a saying in Hindi: "Jab seedhi ungli se ghee na nikle toh tedi karke nikalo" ("If you cannot take out the ghee with a straight finger, try taking it out with a crooked one"). This is the underlying principle that writer-director Nithilan Saminathan has smartly followed in his new film, Maharaja. The plot is quite simplistic, but it takes time to realise this as you start watching Maharaja, which is its lead star Vijay Sethupathi's 50th film (only 50? I thought I saw him in nearly every weekly release till last year). Once you grasp where the film is heading, even the headline of this review might feel like a spoiler, and you will be impressed by what's unfolding before you. Maharaja Movie Review: Vijay Sethupathi's Action Drama Receives Positive Response From Critics, Call It a ‘Mix of Humour and Drama’.

Maharaja (Vijay Sethupathi) is a widower who lost his wife in an accident. He works at a salon and is a protective father to his teenage daughter Jyothi (Sachana Namidass). One day, he arrives at the police station with injuries on his face, claiming that someone robbed his house, assaulted him, and took 'Lakshmi' away. There is no mystery about the identity of 'Lakshmi'—it is established early on that Lakshmi is a wastebasket that saved his daughter's life when she was a toddler during the accident that killed his wife. The police try to dismiss him by cajoling, insulting, and using force, but Maharaja obstinately remains at the station, clinging on like a monitor lizard until they find the bucket.

Watch the Trailer of Maharaja:

Running parallel to this track is the story of a couple of thieves (Anurag Kashyap and Vinod Sagar) who violently rob houses at night while working as shopkeepers during the day. There is also a criminal mechanic (Manikandan) involved in a violent incident with a local goon. How these three tracks connect forms the rest of the story.

Maharaja Movie Review - A Good Buildup That Hides Its Secret Well

The first act leisurely builds up its idiosyncratic protagonist and his stubborn nature, made evident in a scene where he refuses to leave the office of his daughter's principal until the latter apologises to her for a wrongful accusation. It deliberately establishes that Maharaja may not be right in the head, and after the incident at the police station, we are led to believe there is something psychologically wrong with him. Of course, like other plot elements in the film, even this comes with many layers that are soon peeled off to reveal a gritty and twisty side to the hero.

The screenplay, written by Nithilan Saminathan and Raam Murali, has a thing for paradoxes. A doting father to a daughter is shown being okay with his associate sexually assaulting women. An act of kindness leads to misunderstood chaos that ruins two families. And so on. It even plays around with genres with smart precision. The scenes at the police station are laced with black humour (though I am still no fan of Tamil cinema's casual treatment of police brutality... come on, you made the eye-opening Visaranai and Jai Bhim!). So when it smoothly shifts to action near the interval with a deftly choreographed brutal fight scene (that slyly uses VJS' stocky build), I was pleasantly surprised. Similarly, whenever Maharaja begins to describe how 'Lakshmi' was stolen by each cop he meets, it elicits laughter each time. But when he narrates the same tale for the last time, there is no laughter, just a troubling, gut-wrenching feeling.

Maharaja Movie Review - Deceptive Use of Timeline-Tampering

However, it is not just paradoxes or genres that Maharaja plays with; the movie also messes with time. I like to believe that Nithilan Saminathan was influenced by a certain Christopher Nolan film that meddled with time (no, not the one that first comes to mind). And it is this aspect that brings me back to the first line of this review.

Maharaja is essentially a revenge thriller, but what makes it so captivating and interesting is how it is narrated. The non-linear format works in the film's favour, at least for most parts. However, if you are smart enough to catch up with the screenplay's games, you can see some of the aces it tries to hide behind the convoluted timelines. The moment I realised that the film was playing with timelines, I found it easier to deduce some of its twists long before the film revealed them. It also helped that I recognised similarly patterned scenes in other movies in the past. For instance, when a character is shown listening to his dear one's voice notes and video messages, I was strongly reminded of a villain's track in a multi-starrer Marvel movie from eight years ago. This track also ended up having a similar effect.

Maharaja Movie Review - Impressive Direction

At times, I felt the movie was trying a little too hard to keep up with its deceptive timelines (like the one involving Mamta Mohandas' character). However, kudos to Philomin Raj's editing for using this non-linearity to maintain a good pace. Also, even when I thought I had figured it out, I had to give it to Nithilan for still surprising me by including a few trick elements. For example, when the movie moves into the revenge arena in the second half, I initially found the police track intrusive and less interesting. But then the director dropped an absolute bombshell that left me clapping with glee!

In another instance, it is the performances and how the emotions in a scene are tackled that come to the rescue. There is a twist in the finale, which is easy to deduce once you are shown what happened at Maharaja's house that night. But when the twist is revealed, the shocking impact of its repercussions on a character and how it leaves that person emotionally damaged make the whole scene work so effectively, leading to a poignant and poetic conclusion.

Maharaja Movie Review - The Performances

Of course, Maharaja also excels in the performance department. Leading the show is Vijay Sethupathi, who is in absolutely solid gold form here. Come to think of it, he had restricted to two films this year—Merry Christmas and Maharaja - and both involved deliberately convoluted revenge dramas with a significant portion set in a police station. What's more, both films turned out to be so good. Merry Christmas Movie Review: Sriram Raghavan Delivers Dark and Delectable Post-Xmas Treat With Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi's Fresh Pairing.

Returning to the actor, it's the deceptive quality, backed by the writing of course, that Sethupathi brings to his performance that makes his Maharaja so unpredictable and often unreadable. There are places where the actor plays it poker-faced, but when he lets down his shield, like in the scene of his final narration of what happened to 'Lakshmi', it is difficult for me as a viewer to hold back the emotions. It is a superlative performance, and I do hope that Sethupathi stops signing projects left, right and centre, and starts being more selective with interesting films like this.

Another surprisingly impressive performance came from director Anurag Kashyap. Even though Kashyap had played negative roles in the past, even in Tamil films, I was initially sceptical about seeing him pitted against a powerful actor like VJS. But I was truly blown away by his portrayal, both as a menacing criminal and a tender family man. In the third act, the actor truly excels, though credit is also due to the artist who dubbed for him.

Natarajan Subramaniam is effective as the corrupt but well-meaning senior cop, as are Aruldoss and Munishkanth. I found Singampuli's performance a little odd, particularly after a certain plot development. His comical way of speaking felt jarring in a crucial scene.

A major flaw I felt in Maharaja is the lack of well-written female parts, despite the fact an important plot element is linked to them. Sachana Namidass gets a couple of good scenes to perform in the second half, but she is mostly kept on the sidelines otherwise. Mamta Mohandas' character hardly has anything to do in the movie, except being a supportive teacher, while Abhirami, who plays Kashyap's wife, is also restricted to a couple of scenes without much impact. It seems we can't have it all, and that's unfortunate.

Maharaja Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Maharaja is a compelling and cleverly crafted film that stands out for its intricately woven narrative and performances. Nithilan Saminathan's direction, combined with Vijay Sethupathi's masterful portrayal, creates an engaging thriller that will keep the audience guessing until the end. There are glaring chinks in the film, but Maharaja's strengths far outweigh its flaws. Do not miss this!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 15, 2024 01:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).