| Maharaja | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Nithilan Saminathan |
| Screenplay by | Nithilan Saminathan Raam Murali[1] |
| Story by | Nithilan Saminathan |
| Produced by | Sudhan Sundaram Jagadish Palanisamy |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Dinesh Purushothaman |
| Edited by | Philomin Raj |
| Music by | B. Ajaneesh Loknath |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | see below |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 140 minutes[2] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
| Budget | ₹20 crore[a] |
| Box office | est.₹190 crore[5] |
Maharaja (transl. The Great King)[b] is a 2024 IndianTamil-languageaction thriller film[6] directed byNithilan Saminathan. Produced by The Route,Think Studios and Passion Studios, the film starsVijay Sethupathi, alongsideAnurag Kashyap and Sachana Namidass (in her major film debut), withMamta Mohandas,Natty Subramaniam,Abhirami,Divyabharathi,Singampuli,Aruldoss,Munishkanth,Manikandan,Bharathiraja and others. The story follows a barber inChennai who goes to the police station to retrieve his stolen dustbin, only for the police to find his intentions to be something else.
The film was officially announced in February 2023 under the tentative titleVJS50, as it is Sethupathi's 50th film as the lead actor.Principal photography commenced the same month, predominantly taking place in Chennai throughout a single schedule. The official title was announced in July, coinciding with the filmingwrapping and Think Studios joining as co-producers. The music was composed byB. Ajaneesh Loknath, with cinematography by Dinesh Purushothaman and editing byPhilomin Raj.
Maharaja had its world premiere on 12 June 2024 in India, and had a proper theatrical release two days later. The film received critical acclaim, who praised Vijay Sethupathi's and Anurag Kashyap’s performance, Philomin's editing and Swaminathan's script and direction. It set several records, including the highest-grossing South Indian film in China, and emerged thefourth highest-grossing Tamil film of 2024.[7][8]
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In a small, bustling Chennai police station, Inspector Varadharajan and his team are baffled by their latest case. A seemingly ordinary barber named Maharaja has filed a complaint about a stolen dustbin. Not just any dustbin, but one he affectionately calls "Lakshmi," a name he repeats with a strange, almost obsessive reverence. Maharaja’s demeanor is calm, but his determination is unnerving. He is willing to pay a hefty bribe, an amount far exceeding the value of any dustbin, to see the matter through. The police are convinced he’s either eccentric or this is a front for something more valuable. The case of "Dustbin Lakshmi" begins.
As the police follow the trail of what they believe is a ridiculous crime, the story jumps between time and circumstance, revealing fragments of a much larger, darker picture.
One moment, we see Maharaja in a serene past, a doting father to a young girl he calls Jothi. Their bond is unbreakable, built on laughter and quiet affection. In another, we are thrust into a world of brutal crime, following a ruthless man named Selvam and his accomplice Sabari. They are cold-blooded criminals, committing robberies and unspeakable acts of violence. The two worlds appear unrelated, but a subtle clue—a gold chain left behind at a barbershop—suggests a hidden connection.
The narrative continues to pull back the curtain, revealing a devastating event from years ago. A horrific truck accident, a scene of chaos and tragedy. We see a young woman, a loving wife, losing her life. A young child is saved from the wreckage, sheltered by a mundane object. The dustbin. The film plants these seeds of tragedy without explaining their full context, leaving the audience to piece together the emotional puzzle.
In the present, Maharaja’s relentless hunt continues. He is not just looking for a dustbin; he's on a silent, methodical quest for justice. He provides Varadharajan with a cryptic clue—a toll receipt found at the crime scene. Varadharajan is confused but intrigued. He sees that Maharaja's determination is not just for a dustbin, but a calculated, cold-blooded pursuit. He and his team, though skeptical, follow the trail to an unsuspecting man named Dhana.
The two timelines converge in a climactic, heart-wrenching scene at the police station. Varadharajan, frustrated by the lack of progress, asks Maharaja to retell the incident of the "stolen dustbin" to an informant, Nallasivam. As Maharaja calmly recounts the events, a slow, dawning horror spreads across Nallasivam's face. He is not just a fake thief; he was one of the three men who broke into Maharaja's house that night. The "stolen dustbin" was not the main crime. It was Maharaja’s clever ruse to get the police to do his work for him. The police’s "investigation" became his means of finding his targets.
The full truth is finally revealed: the truck accident claimed Maharaja's wife but also orphaned Selvam’s daughter, Ammu. Maharaja, a witness to the accident, took Ammu in and raised her as his own, renaming her Jothi. "Lakshmi" was the dustbin that saved her life. Years later, Selvam and his accomplices, seeking revenge on Maharaja, broke into his home and brutally assaulted Jothi. Maharaja, a man of peace, was pushed to an unbearable breaking point. The "stolen dustbin" was his cover, his justification to track and kill the men who destroyed his daughter’s life.
The police, having uncovered the tragic truth, choose to turn a blind eye and give Maharaja the final piece of his vengeance. He finds Selvam at a construction site. The final confrontation is not a battle of strength, but a devastating exchange of truths. Selvam, in his final moments, discovers that the girl he unknowingly assaulted was his own daughter, the child he had not seen since the accident. He commits suicide, his final act of despair a tragic culmination of his life of violence. The story comes full circle, a poetic and devastating portrait of a man who used a simple object as a weapon in a quest for justice and closure.
After the success ofKurangu Bommai (2017),Nithilan Saminathan was signed by Sudhan Sundaram's Passion Studios to direct his next directorial under their production.[9] However, the project was indevelopment hell for several years for unknown reasons. Nithilan then narrated the script toG. Dhananjayan, who suggested to the director that he should narrate it toVijay Antony, which he did and impressed the actor.[10] Nithilan, however, had to receive aNo Objection Certificate (NOC) from Sundaram's production house. The company was not in favour of passing the project to another house, therefore not giving the NOC. Soon after, the company then stated that they would narrate the script toVijay Sethupathi, and if he declines being part of the film, they would pass the project.[11]
Sethupathi, who was impressed by the script, agreed to be part of the film, leading to him replacing Antony. Sundaram's company made a public announcement on 1 February 2023, confirming the project. The project would signify Sethupathi's 50th film as a lead actor.[12] Tentatively titledVJS50,principal photography began shortly after a muhurat puja held the same day at a film studio inChennai with the presence of the film's cast and crew.[13] On 12 July, in addition to the principal photographywrapping, the film's official title,Maharaja, was announced by the production houses.[14]
Anurag Kashyap,Mamta Mohandas andNatty Subramaniam were announced to play the lead roles alongside Sethupathi, whileDivyabharathi,Abhirami,Aruldoss,Munishkanth,Manikandan,Singampuli,Bharathiraja,Vinod Sagar andP. L. Thenappan would appear in the supporting roles. Sachana Namidass introduced in the major role by playing the central character Jothi / Ammu.[15] Dubbing works were completed by 31 December 2023.[16]
| Maharaja | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 7 June 2024 | |||
| Recorded | February–July 2023 | |||
| Studio | Sound Town Studio,Chennai RM Studio, Chennai Abbs Studios,Bangalore | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 3:08 | |||
| Language | Tamil | |||
| Label | Junglee Music | |||
| Producer | B. Ajaneesh Loknath | |||
| B. Ajaneesh Loknath chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Maharaja | ||||
| ||||
The music and background score is composed byB. Ajaneesh Loknath, in his first collaboration with Sethupathi; second with Saminathan afterKurangu Bommai.[17] The second single "Raja Paya Onnu" was released on 15 June 2024, after the film's release.[18]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thayee Thayee" | Vairamuthu | Sid Sriram | 3:08 |
| 2. | "Raja Paya Onnu" | Vairamuthu | Jithin Raj, Harshika Devanath | 4:05 |
| Total length: | 7:13 | |||
Maharaja had its official premiere in India on 12 June 2024,[19][20] and was released theatrically on 14 June 2024.[21] Apart from its original Tamil language, it was also dubbed and released in Telugu.[22] The film was initially planned to be released in May 2024, but was later shifted to June due to unspecified reasons.[23] It premiered in Los Angeles on 28 June 2024, as it was selected as one of the closing night selections at theIndian Film Festival of Los Angeles.[24] The film was released in China on 29 November 2024,[25] in over 40,000 screens.[26]
NVR Cinemas bought the distribution rights of the film forAndhra Pradesh andTelangana.[27] AV Media Consultancy Release InKerala Through.[28] Mani's Cine World, a Kerala-based distributor released the film across North India.[29]
The film began streaming onNetflix from 12 July 2024,[30] and had its television premiere on 31 October the same year onStar Vijay.[31]
Maharaja received critical acclaim from critics, who praised Vijay Sethupathi's and Anurag Kashyap’s performance, Philomin's editing, and Swaminathan's screenplay and direction.[32][33] On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 83% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10.[34]
Arjun Menon ofRediff.com gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Maharaja is a surprisingly novel outing, rejuvenating the tired tropes of revenge films with a morally challenging revelation in the final hour, that compensates for the little contrivances in the writing."[35] Manikandan KR ofTimes Now gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Maharaja is a fairly good revenge/investigative drama that primarily works because of fine performances from its entire cast and some exceptional work by its stuntmen and stunt choreographer."[36]
Rakesh Tara ofABP News gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Maharaja is an ambitious attempt to blend serious societal issues with commercial cinema elements. While it succeeds in parts, particularly through strong performances and engaging music, it falls short in delivering a cohesive and compelling narrative."[37] Roopa Radhakrishnan ofThe Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Vijay Sethupathi is wonderful in his 50th film, and he has a well-written role at his disposal."[38] Anusha Sundar ofOTTPlay gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Maharaja is a film that feeds you information in every frame and second, so losing a grip on it might leave you unable to understand when the knots are tied."[39] Bhuvanesh Chandar ofThe Hindu wrote "Maharaja is yet another sign of the serious filmmaker Nithilan is, and shows us how a good writer can convert even a dated idea into a gripping big-screen experience."[40]
Latha Srinivasan ofHindustan Times wrote "Director Nithilan Swaminathan and Vijay Sethupathi have delivered a film that’s definitely worthy of your time."[41] Swathi P Ajith ofOnmanorama wrote "Maharaja is undoubtedly a thrilling revenge drama that deserves to be watched in theatres."[42] G.A. Gowtham ofUyirmmai wrote thatMaharaja wears the crown of box office by its gripping screenplay.[43]Ananda Vikatan gave 48/100 and wrote this film gives punishment hiddenly to those who have similar thoughts on children.[44]
Janani. K ofIndia Today gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Maharaja has a lot going on. Sadly, the hits and misses are not proportional, with the latter having the upper hand. These good moments get buried under dark humour, which hardly works, and many other shortcomings."[45] B. V. S. Prakash ofDeccan Chronicle gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Director Nithilan deserves a pat since he makes the girl victim stronger and determined who wants to meet scrupulous characters and question them for their heinous act face-to-face and throws up another twist in the end."[46] Kirubhakar Purushothaman ofThe Indian Express gave 2/5 stars and wrote "The overarching problem withMaharaja is its ‘wannabe’ nature to come across as a gritty, dark, and emotional rollercoaster. It is more concerned about how it wants to come across than what it really is."[47]
Maharaja grossed₹4.7 crore (US$560,000) on its opening day.[48] The film earned₹7.75 crore (US$920,000) on the second day and₹9 crore (US$1.1 million) the third day.[48][49] The film surpassedGarudan to become the third biggest opening for a Tamil film in 2024, behindCaptain Miller andAranmanai 4.[50] It grossed an estimated₹52.6 crore (US$6.2 million) on its opening weekend of three days, becoming the highest opening weekend for a Tamil film in 2024.[51] On its fourth day, the film crossed₹48.50 crore (US$5.7 million) from India, bringing its worldwide gross to₹50 crore (US$5.9 million).[52][53]
The film's worldwide collection crossed₹66 crore (US$7.8 million) globally in five days earning₹60 crore (US$7.1 million) from Tamil Nadu.[54] It grossed₹77 crore (US$9.1 million) in the six days of its release. The film became the fastest worldwide grosser for a Tamil film in 2024 and the fastest film of Sethupathi to reach the₹50 crore mark.[7] The film grossed₹63.50 crore (US$7.5 million) globally in seven days, becoming the highest grossing Tamil film of 2024 in its opening week.[citation needed] The film collected over₹70 crore (US$8.3 million) worldwide and over₹48 crore (US$5.7 million) from the Indian box office in nine days.[55] It crossed the₹80 crore mark at the box office worldwide in the 10 days of its release, grossing₹81.8 crore (US$9.7 million).[56] After its release in China, it grossed₹91.55 crores in the China box office, emerging the highest grossing South-Indian film in China to that point.[5]
After the success of the film, it was announced thatAamir Khan Productions acquired the Hindi remake rights, with its proprietorAamir Khan planning to portray Sethupathi's role.[57]
A barber sets out for revenge after his home is broken into in this Tamil-language action thriller
