MAHARAJA Review

Vijay Sethupathy’s 50^th film is a well-crafted and intelligently scripted film with a non-linear story that is rich in visual imagery. Written and directed by Nithilan Saminathan after his successful directorial debut in Kurangu Bommai, Maharaja became Vijay Sethupathy’s first 100-crore hit. The film also stars Anurag Kashyap, Abirami, Mamta Mohandas, Nadarajan Subramaniam (Natty), Singampuli, Munishkanth, Bharathiaraja, Boys-fame Manikandan, Sachana Namidas, Mohan Raman and Vinod Sagar.

Vijay Sethupathy plays Maharaja, a simple, unassuming barber who is happily married and dotes on his only daughter, Jothi. A freak accident changes everything and Maharaja finds himself in a quagmire of events where the truth remains in a distant and misty horizon while events slowly turn up the heat to dissipate the mist.

The premise is beyond brilliant and the script shows meticulous detail, but it is the pace that impacts heavily on what could have been a flawless entertainer that neatly blended commercial cinema with a social message. Unfortunately, the pace of the first half leaves one wondering exactly where the story was headed in a film where the screenplay should have been uncomfortably taut. Instead, the slow exposition dilutes the overall effect of the film. One can only imagine how much more powerful the climax would have been had the screenplay been tighter.

Despite this structural flaw, Nithilan Saminathan has done a brilliant job of extracting the best from his cast and crew.

In a fitting tribute to the versatility and intense acting depth of Vijay Sethupathy, his 50^th film as lead star sees him once again take on the persona of Maharaja in disturbingly convincing manner. With what initially appears to be a homage to Vijay Sethupathy’s Nadavula Konjum Pakkathu Kaanum, the initial humour gives way to something deeply moving in the film’s second half. Vijay Sethupathy lives and breathes the character, drawing the audience tightly inward as the film progresses.

Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap who made his Tamil acting debut in Imaika Nodigall delivers an award-worthy performance as Selvam, whose complexity becomes more vivid as the film progresses.

Sachana Namidas as Jothi exudes natural acting flair and a charming demeanour that makes a lasting impression, Natty as Inspector Varadharajan is in a memorable role as is Abirami who brilliantly portrays Kogila with sharp intensity. It is a convincing portrayal by Singampuli in the aptly-named character Nallasivam.

Bharathiraja, Mohan Raman and Manikandan are under-utilised.

The solid acting performances are brilliantly supported by B Ajaneesh Lokanath’s creative background score, driving but not overwhelming each scene.

Cinematographer Dinesh Purushothaman matches the richness of the script with some brilliantly framed shots, creative use of light and a very varied palette.

While the film does take a long time to warm up, the events portrayed in the film’s first half take on additional meaning with the revelations that come in the second half. The film’s climax has to rank among the top climaxes of world cinema.

Despite some structural flaws and an awkwardly bad last fight sequence, the brilliance in the way the plot unfolds is what makes Maharaja stand apart from other films.

Maharaja scores 8 points out of 10.