Maharaja (2024) Review: An Engrossing Thriller Led by Vijay Sethupathi’s Stellar Performance

With Maharaja currently trending on Netflix since its streaming debut on July 12 (originally in cinemas worldwide last month), I was curious about this one of the year’s most talked-about movies in Indian cinema. Written and directed by Nithilan Saminathan, this is only his second feature after Kurangu Bommai in 2017. But he’s far from a rookie filmmaker as Maharaja proves his consummate skill in weaving together a mix of comedy, drama and revenge thriller which stays on you throughout its surprisingly efficient 141-minute length.

The movie begins in a lighthearted manner as we follow the titular character (Vijay Sethupathi), a boy and the owner of the hair salon engaging in a singing game of Antakshari. Maharaja works as a barber who lives a simple life with his wife and their little daughter.

Then a tragedy strikes and the next thing we know, we see the older Maharaja and his daughter, who is now a teenager (Sachana Namidass). His daughter miraculously survived the tragedy that otherwise took the life of Maharaja’s wife, thanks to an iron dustbin. They owe it to the dustbin and even named it “Lakshmi”.

And this is where the movie gets quirky: Maharaja shows up at a police station one day to report his missing precious dustbin. None of the police officers take him seriously, resulting in the most amusing scene as Maharaja tells one of the officers every detail about how it happened. He insists the police take on his case to the point he’s willing to bribe them if they manage to track down the culprit who stole his dustbin.

The first thing you should know about Maharaja is Saminathan’s approach to telling his story in a nonlinear fashion. This is the kind of movie that demands your full attention (mind you, there’s no time stamp on the screen) because some details in certain scenes are important to remember later on. Apart from Maharaja’s determination to find his missing dustbin with the help of the police, the movie also introduces other characters and among them are Selvam (Anurag Kashyap) and Sabari (Vinod Sagar).

The story jumps back and forth and it can be confusing for some viewers with short attention spans. But those who are patient enough will be rewarded with a story that immerses you in learning more about Maharaja’s peculiar reason for wanting his dustbin to be found at all costs. It may sound like an elaborate joke or at least the director wants you to think in such a way, making you wonder throughout the movie about the significance of the missing dustbin.

Under the hands of a lesser director, utilising a nonlinear narrative would be seen as a storytelling gimmick that’s all style but no substance. Not for Saminathan, as he uses it to his best advantage to keep you (it sure works for me) invested in his seemingly labyrinthine storyline. He even navigates his story with plenty of twists and turns, one of which reminds me of a certain acclaimed foreign-language film that would be a potential spoiler territory if I mention the title.

Credits also go to Saminathan for his sleight-of-hand direction in incorporating various genres into a single movie. One minute it’s a comedy and the next one morphs into a nihilistic thriller filled with gritty moments of blood and graphic violence. At one point, we see Maharaja go all berserk in a brutal and ugly fight (you probably never see the straight razor the same way again the next time you visit an Indian barbershop).

The movie also benefits from Vijay Sethupathi’s engaging lead performance as Maharaja. When we first met him, he was a mild-mannered guy who even had a tough time asking his boss for a day off. As the movie progresses, we follow his character arc turning into a desperate and emotionally distraught man. Strong supporting roles such as Anurag Kashyap’s antagonist turn as Selvam and Natarajan Subramaniam as the corrupt police inspector deserve equal mention.

Maharaja is notable for eschewing the usual formula devoid of showstopping song-and-dance moments and romance subplots, leaving a movie that emphasises heavily on crafty use of a narrative device to tell a compelling story with Vijay Sethupathi’s scene-stealing performance in the centre of it all. It was a cinematic gem that deserves a place as one of the best movies I’ve ever come across this year.

Maharaja is currently streaming on Netflix with a choice of Tamil (original), Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi audio available.