Maharaj

A barber seeks vengeance after his home is burglarized, cryptically telling police his "lakshmi" has been taken, leaving them uncertain if it's a person or object. His quest to recover the elusive "lakshmi" unfolds.

Release date: June 14, 2024 (India)

Director: Nithilan Swaminathan

Maharaja movie review: Vijay Sethupathi is stellar in this thrilling tale of a desperate father

Maharaja review: Vijay Sethupathi shines in a realistic portrayal of Maharaja, while Anurag Kashyap surprises with a strong performance.

Director Nithilan Swaminathan made his directorial debut in 2017 with Korangu Bommai, a well woven crime thriller that had critics raving. He comes back to the screen after seven years with Maharaja, another thriller, which is also incidentally Tamil star Vijay Sethupathi’s 50th film. (Also read: HT Interview | Vijay Sethupathi: ‘Producers didn't promote my recent film well despite my repeated requests')

Maharaja revolves around the titular barber (Vijay Sethupathi) who is a simpleton. His life revolves only around two aspects: his duty to do his job every single day and to look after his daughter (Jothi), come what may. His life doesn’t veer from these two aspects and it runs like clockwork. Jothi is a budding sports champ at high school and she looks up to her PT teacher (Mamta Mohandas) who’s a great source of encouragement. The father and daughter share a relationship where it's Jothi who parents her father. One thing the two share though is their love for a dustbin that they fondly call ‘Lakshmi’.

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