Spoilers ahead!
Maharaja is a Tamil film that was released in the theatres on 14th June, 2024. This is a crime-drama directed by Nithilan Saminathan. The story revolves around a widowed barber living with his daughter in the city of Chennai, a seemingly simple crime, different criminals involved, and how different people come together to solve the issue at hand. But what’s so special or different about this film that it’s so quickly made quite an impression and is seeing such high profits in just a couple of weeks following the release?
A powerful cast
One of the selling points for those who have no idea what Maharaja is about is that this is Vijay Sethupathi’s (aka VJS) 50th film. For fans of VJS, the Tamil actor who is known for performing unconventional roles and his talent as a natural, he certainly doesn’t disappoint!
We also have Bollywood star Anurag Kashyap playing an interesting and important role and Natarajan Subramaniam playing a smart and corrupt police officer. Abhirami seems to have given her role her best, too. Director Bharathiraja plays a guest role, nothing significant.
The plot of Maharaja: what is it really about?
Maharaja (played by VJS) is introduced as a humble and naïve simpleton who lives with daughter, a young girl who is interested in sports, and “Lakshmi”. Maharaja’s only activities in life are running his shop and taking care of his family. The story starts with Maharaja going to the local police station and complaining that “Lakshmi” has been stolen. VJS manages to play this part well, too, convincing the audience with his innocent, harmless expressions, as he explains who or what Lakshmi is.
Until this point, Maharaja feels like an intentionally silly comedy, and the director satirically shows how corrupt cops can be when that’s what they choose to do with their power, but soon, characters that lead double lives and a few different criminals, are introduced. There are two different men – fathers of daughters, who share only one thing in common: their love for their family.
Nithilan manages to craftily maintain the suspense until the very end, as he opens up the story further and further to show how the lives of different characters are interconnected by this well-imagined, well-written crime plot.
What connects all these characters together? What role does the lead character play? Nithilan manages to craftily maintain the suspense until the very end, as he opens up the story further and further to show how the lives of different characters are interconnected by this well-imagined, well-written crime plot.
Simple, straight-forward dialogue that conveys not more, not less
The dialogue, screenplay, and background music of Maharaja also go hand-in-hand with the story and screenplay. The comedy is light yet funny in common Madras style, keeping the initial stage of the film very light, until it gets more and more intense, little by little. There is no unnecessary “punch dialogue”, precious music effort is not wasted to support any hero entry, and we don’t have to roll our eyes often because frequent reminders of how alpha our hero is are not thrown at us.
No deeply sentimental songs that insist on proving how much a common man could love his family either. Could this be possible? Yes, Maharaja is clearly a film that can stand tall on its own feet with no toxic masculine nonsense because the real hero here is the story. This way, we get some hope that maybe the Indian film industry is progressing, leaving behind its cringe must-have elements?
Maharaja: questioning one’s morals and double standards
Could there be a good criminal and a bad criminal? What is the difference between a hero and a villain when both are motivated by the same thing – revenge? When you have the power to destroy what means the world to someone, and when you are seeking vengeance against them, what must you do? To what extent can one go in the name of seeking revenge for feeling wrongfully punished? Is it really love if you lie to the love of your life?
What bitter truths would you disclose when you know that it can indeed hurt someone for life? Would you break the law if you were a cop in certain circumstances when you feel that the criminal deserves to be violently punished? What must you do when the society labels you a victim, but you know that you are above their pity? What makes a man a good father? What makes someone a good human? For those who believe in justice, morality, responsibility, building character, and humanity, Maharaja offers interesting perspectives and a few hours of food for thought at least!
Maharaja is not misogynistic, but wholly male-centric
In a patriarchal society, working in a highly misogynistic industry, the director seems to have used his storytelling powers well to throw at the audience some really tough questions, very much relatable to the issues we see popping up in the news often, and still, nobody in power seems to take such cases seriously at all. But what one certainly can’t deny is that despite all these efforts, Maharaja is still yet another non misogynistic film that will resemble almost every other male-centric Indian film.
Maharaja is still yet another non misogynistic film that will resemble almost every other male-centric Indian film.
It has always got to be a “hero”, and rarely a “shero” who stars in the film, right? This lead character could have easily been a woman, but why, why would an Indian director write such a story, why would an Indian producer produce such a film, and why would the normal Indian film buff even go to the theatre to watch such a film? No matter how much a director wants to break stereotypes and go the no-nonsense, rebellious way, sometimes, a film simply can’t have a shero, we all know.
No, directors, giving women one or two unconventional side roles here and there is not convincing at all. In this aspect, Kollywood and all of Indian cinema have a really long way to go.
Questioning sexual violence and the punishment for rape as a cis-het man in Maharaja
The saddest part is the reminder that there are still men in this country who find sexual violence and rape justifiable, that even in this day and age, the people of our society need reminders. Again, a topic that mostly concerns women’s safety, yet it boils down to another cultural issue men can sit and discuss the ethics and morals around when or why rape can be justifiable over their cup of coffee because not one politician anywhere in the country seems to think these instances must be taken seriously! Will stories like these bring about any change? It could or it may not, but at least, it is good to watch a not-patriarchal film like Maharaja being received so well at the box office!
Maharaja: masala mass cinema, or not?
VJS and Anurag Kashyap totally rock in Maharaja, Natarajan Subramaniam has also acted well, which is not surprising, and almost every actor who plays a villain role has also acted pretty well, so with this combination of an intense plot with highly-skilled acting, Maharaja is undeniably a must-watch for all film lovers.
All those who are fans of either Vijay Sethupathi or intense crime/drama or engaging stories or suspense will enjoy this film for sure. And fans of VJS would probably insist that no other actor could have performed this role better, and in that case, you might want to agree with them after all. In summary, Maharaja is a smart choice for his 50th film!
