“Maharaja” (2024) is a Tamil crime thriller directed by Nithilan Swaminathan. It is the versatile performer Vijay Sethupathi’s 50th film. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap plays the chief antagonist, his second time playing a villain in a Tamil film following “Imaikka Nodigal” (2018). “Maharaja” also features an ensemble of well-known supporting actors, including Natarajan, Mamta Mohandas, Abhirami, and Singampuli. Like “Maharaja,” writer/director Nithilan Swaminathan’s debut feature, “Kurangu Bommai” (“Monkey Doll,” 2017), also followed a hyperlink, non-linear narrative and crafted a darkly fascinating tale of crime and punishment.
One of the biggest strengths of Nithilan’s movies is the casting. In both films, he has used oft-typecasted actors (Elango Kumaravel in “Kurangu Bommai” & Singampuli in “Maharaja) to play unexpected roles. “Maharaja,” despite excellent performances and unpredictable twists, does have its share of flaws. The film’s insensitive portrayal of sexual violence, the core theme of revenge, and the convenient coincidences in the script don’t help to rise above its mainstream framework. Nevertheless, “Maharaja” is worth watching for the way it builds its simple story, consistently surprising you in the second half. And, of course, if you are a VJS fan, no special reason is required to witness the actor’s yet another understated performance. Now, let’s look at the complex, non-linear narration of “Maharaja” and unveil its twists. Be warned, spoilers lie in wait!
Maharaja (2024) Plot Explained:
A Fateful Day in the Life of Maharaja
“Maharaja” opens at a barbershop (Ramki saloon) in Chennai. Vijay Sethupathi plays the titular character, a professional barber who asks his employer for leave the next day. Maharaja requests a holiday to go out with his wife and kid to purchase stuff. Their conversation is disrupted as a man balding on top has come for a haircut. Later, we see Maharaja at a gift shop looking at stuffed dolls. He comes out of the shop to show the dolls to his wife, who is sitting with the kid in the doorway of the house, which is situated exactly opposite the shop.
She nods her head to a rabbit doll (after rejecting a monkey doll – perhaps a reference to Nithilan’s previous film, “Kurangu Bommai”). Between this, there’s also a shot of a metal dustbin imprinted, ‘Use Me’ that’s kept above in a slab in the house’s living room. Just as Maharaja purchases the stuffed doll, he also chooses to buy a mother-child statue. Suddenly, an out-of-control lorry crashes into the front of the house, bringing down the roof. As people rush to see what has happened to the mother and toddler, Maharaja remains shocked and drops the statue in his hand.
A Father’s Unconditional Love and a Daughter’s Dreams: What Challenges Await?
The narrative then jumps ahead as Maharaja’s now grown-up teenage daughter, Jothi (Sachana Namidass) – in a voiceover – talks about her life with her single father. Jothi is a talented athlete, although she is a bit weak in her studies. Jothi’s sports dreams are supported by her PT teacher, Aasifa (Mamta Mohandas). The girl also reveals that Aasifa is training her for the 100-meter zonal competition that’s supposed to happen soon. The third member of Jothi’s family is Lakshmi. Jothi’s mother has passed away in the accident (as seen in the prologue). Then who is Lakshmi? It’s the metal dustbin that saved the toddler Jothi by protecting her from the wreckage. The sentimental value placed upon this inanimate object plays a crucial role in the narrative.
Maharaja has his own barbershop now (Jothi saloon). We are also introduced to one of his regular clients, a doctor. Maharaja is a man of a few words. He lives and earns for his daughter, and their only entertainment is visiting the bustling shopping street of Chennai (T-Nagar) on the weekends. He also likes his daughter bossing him around. The loss of the mother is the reason behind the intriguing dad-daughter dynamics. Jothi narrates one incident at her school, which signifies Maharaja’s unwavering belief and devotion to his daughter. Jothi’s school principal accuses her of wrongdoing. When it becomes apparent that Jothi is not the culprit, Maharaja literally stands firm, asking the principal to apologize to his daughter.
Is Maharaja a Victim of Robbery?
After all this character establishment and expository information, the section ends with yet another crucial piece of information: Jothi is going away for a week for the training camp with her schoolmates and PT teacher. Before embarking on the trip, she requests her dad to take care of Lakshmi. Later, we see Maharaja closing his shop at nearly 10 p.m. and reaching home. A snake enters the home through the bathroom. It reaches the living room, and we see things scattered and broken as if someone has committed burglary. The snake leaves, passing through the unconscious Maharaja lying on the floor.
In the morning, a politician, thug, and self-proclaimed fan of actor Kunal walks into a local car service. He complains that priceless sunglasses (claiming that they belong to the actor) were stolen from his car. The employee, Dhana (Manikandan), is under fire because he was supposed to deliver the vehicle last evening but only gave it to the politician early in the morning. The man threatens Dhana and asks him to return the stolen sunglasses by tomorrow. In the evening, Dhana visits the politician at a bar. He breaks the sunglasses before him and beats the politician and his men.
The Missing Case of Lakshmi
The following morning, we see Maharaja at his area police station. He wants to file a police report to find the missing Lakshmi. Maharaja narrates that he returned home from his saloon to be surprised by two burglars hiding in his room. Maharaja says while he overpowered one man and tried to run away, a third man whom he hadn’t seen struck him with an iron rod. Then, the three men stole Lakshmi. Believing that Lakshmi means money or gold (Lakshmi – the goddess of wealth and prosperity), the SI (Aruldoss) presses for more details. But when it becomes clear that Lakshmi is neither money nor a person, the SI is confused. Subsequently, Maharaja shows a pic of Lakshmi, the dustbin.
The SI gets furious as he thinks Maharaja is either a mentally disturbed person or mocking the police just for the sake of it. But when the police try to chase him away, it becomes an insurmountable task. Like at the school, Maharaja stands rooted in a place, and the use of force doesn’t deliver the desired results. The narrative then cuts to Inspector Varadharajan (Nataraj), who, after having retrieved stolen jewels – belonging to a wealthy employee – asks the thief to reenact the crime at the house. After handing over the jewels, the owner says that they are fake. In truth, the inspector has conspired with the thief to keep the retrieved jewels and hand over the fake ones. When the wealthy man questions where the original ones are, the inspector accuses him of conspiring with the thief to cheat for the insurance money.
Why did the Inspector take up the Lakshmi Case?
The inspector’s corrupt nature plays a pivotal role in taking up Maharaja’s Lakshmi case. Though the inspector initially treats Maharaja with contempt, when he promises five lakhs for finding the dustbin (before Jothi arrives from the sports camp), the inspector starts thinking. The police officers believe Maharaja has hidden something precious in the dustbin, which he can’t reveal to them. The police can make a fake dustbin that looks like Lakshmi and book a culprit. According to the inspector, if Maharaja had only lost a dustbin, he will take it and leave calmly. If there is something else in the dustbin, they can press for more details and earn more money. Either way, it’s a win-win situation for Inspector Varadharajan.
The inspector, SI, and a constable (Munishkanth) examine Maharaja’s house and shop. They also find Maharaja’s bank passbook, which says he has 15 lakhs in the bank. Meanwhile, Maharaja looks at a video message from Jothi, inquiring about him and Lakshmi. When the inspector asks again about what’s in the dustbin, Maharaja casually says he will give them an additional two lakhs if they find Lakshmi before his daughter’s arrival. The narrative then cuts to introduce Selvam (Anurag Kashyap) and his friend Sabari (Vinod Sagar). They are in the middle of a burglary. Having tied up the mother and daughter, they relax, cook a dish, and eat. Eventually, Sabari sexually assaults the young daughter and kills both of them, setting it up as a gas leak accident.
A Killer, Thief, and a Father
Selvam comes home to his wife, Kokila (Abhirami), and his little daughter, Ammu. He gives the kid something he picked up from the home from which he stole the jewels. When the kid doesn’t like it, Selvam discards it in a dustbin that looks similar to Lakshmi. Meanwhile, the constable wanders through the city to buy a metal dustbin. Maharaja remains at the police station in the day, and the police officers exploit and ill-treat him. On the one hand, Maharaja spends a lot of money to find Lakshmi. On the other hand, Selvam – who runs an electrical shop – keeps breaking into people’s homes and looting their jewelry.
Selvam is seen tending to his kid Ammu’s injury near her shoulder. The narrative keeps emphasizing Selvam’s contrasting natures: a ruthless thief and a loving family man. The constable’s search for a metal dustbin brings him in contact with the police informer, Nallasivam (Singampuli). Nallasivam agrees to assist the constable in his quest. Meanwhile, the SI gives Maharaja’s mobile number to the cyber cell so that they can trace his movements over the last twenty days. They are still preoccupied with the possibility that Maharaja is hiding something.
Why did Maharaja follow Dhana?
One day, the car service employee and a friend of the roguish Dhana visit the police station to file a missing persons case. Dhana hasn’t been seen since he beat up the politician in the bar (three days before). While sitting next to him, Maharaja seems distressed to see the photo of Dhana. The narrative cuts to the near past when Maharaja gained consciousness after the alleged burglary. One clue the burglars left at Maharaja’s home is the toll slip featuring vehicle no. By tracing the vehicle number, Maharaja finds the politician at the bar – the same evening, he was beaten up by Dhana. Maharaja learns from the politician that Dhana has used the car the entire night.
A while later, Maharaja witnesses the chaos at the bar and understands that Dhana is one of the burglars. Maharaja follows him, but Dhana deliberately goes to an abandoned mill, understanding that he is being tailed. There, Dhana and his men ambush Maharaja. Dhana seems to know who Maharaja is and why he has followed him. He orders his men to torture and kill him. But Maharaja outsmarts them and fights like a man possessed by a demon. After incapacitating the goons, Maharaja asks Dhana to reveal the identity of the two other men. It might seem an odd line of questioning at this point because Maharaja doesn’t ask him about Lakshmi or why they broke into his home.
What is Maharaja’s Motive Behind the Lakshmi Case?
Before trying to escape by injuring Maharaja, Dhana reveals that one of the men works at the local police station. This is why Maharaja is at the police station, i.e., to find the second culprit. It’s also apparent that Maharaja’s rage isn’t over losing a dustbin (whatever sentiment is attached to it) because the way he beheads Dhana (as he tries to escape on his motorcycle) denotes a deeper wound.
After inquiring about Dhana with his friend, Maharaja leaves the police station only to find the injured politician coming to meet the inspector. Dhana’s missing case has prompted the police to question the politician because he has a feud with Dhana. But the politician reveals about the man who came inquiring about Dhana at the bar. Though Maharaja told him his name, the politician doesn’t remember it now and later wrongly says, ‘Ilayaraja.’ Upon hearing this, the inspector asks one of his SI to trace their numbers (Dhana & politician), hoping they might strike some gold after solving the crime.
How Selvam Meets Maharaja?
The police informer, Nallasivam, aids the constable in making a new metal dustbin. Meanwhile, Selvam takes his wife and child, Ammu, to buy jewelry for the child’s upcoming birthday. He buys a costly diamond necklace. At home, Selvam says to his wife, Kokila, that money shouldn’t be a hindrance to his child’s dreams and desires. These scenes are interspersed with Jothi at the sports camp, who misses her dad. The two different SIs from Inspector Varadharajan’s station accidentally meet at the abandoned mill. They share the details of their respective Ilayaraja and Maharaja cases without yet knowing it’s the same case.
Everything is ready at Selvam’s home for the birthday celebrations. He gets the diamond necklace from the shop. On his way home, Kokila calls him to get a few things and asks him to trim his beard. Selvam finds a barbershop in his locality. Before Kokila calls Selvam, we see a shot inside the Maharaja saloon, making us think Selvam will end up precisely at that saloon. But Selvam enters Ramki saloon, the barbershop where Maharaja worked in his younger days.
What does the Newspaper say about the Robberies?
The button cell phones were a hint, but now it becomes clear that Selvam’s story is set in the past—the same past shared by the Maharaja before the death of his wife in an accident. The Selvam narrative meets the Maharaja narrative right after he asks his owner for leave. The man balding on top (with a cute dog) just leaves the shop. The younger Maharaja watches Selvam talking on the phone, instructing someone to deliver something to his home and giving directions. The owner leaves the shop to have tea. Maharaja trims Selvam’s beard. While working, Maharaja casually asks Selvam if there’s a function at his home, which he learned from the phone conversation.
Selvam says it’s his child’s birthday celebration. But when Maharaja tries to establish a conversation, Selvam scoffs at him and instructs him to finish the work quietly. When the trimmer’s battery is down, Maharaja leaves the shop to buy batteries. At that moment, Selvam receives a call from Sabari, asking him to see a newspaper report about a robbery case they were involved in. When Selvam reaches for the newspaper and reads it, he faces away from the shopfront. Sabari is spooked about the detailed manner in which their methods are described. Selvam advises his friend not to panic and to be on time for the function.
How Selvam Misconstrues Maharaja’s Presence?
After cutting the call, Selvam turns, shocked to see Maharaja standing before him. Maharaja directs his glance at the news report Selvam holds, so Selvam instinctively hides it. Although Maharaja doesn’t say a word, Selvam wonders what the barber had overheard. At home, Selvam looks gloomy, and when Sabari arrives, he tells him everything about the barber. They think it would be wise to move the stashed jewelry and money and to follow the barber and kill him. Soon, however, Kokila asks Selvam about the bag with the diamond necklace.
The necklace is at the barbershop. Maharaja wants to return, having overheard the man’s address. After searching the bags, Selvam realizes it must be at the saloon. He comes outside the house to see Maharaja arriving on his bike, followed by a jeep full of police officers. Selvam misinterprets what he sees and thinks Maharaja has heard what he told about the robberies and has brought the police. But in reality, the police have come to capture Selvam after their own investigation. The police officer bashes Selvam in front of his wife and the neighbors. Kokila is shocked to hear about the accusations. But when Selvam stands still, and Sabari takes out a gun from his bike to threaten the police, it becomes clear to Kokila that her husband is not the person she believed him to be.
The Search for a Scapegoat
In the ensuing chaos, Sabari shoots a police constable, and the inspector kills Sabari. Selvam is taken away as he stares at Maharaja, believing he is behind his arrest. At present, Maharaja is informed that Lakshmi has been found. Meanwhile, Nallasivam gets the replica of Lakshmi. He takes it to the inspector’s house and makes it look old and damaged, exactly like in the picture of Lakshmi. Maharaja listens to a WhatsApp audio note from Jothi, telling him that she will return from the camping trip tonight, and asks him to buy her a new pair of red shoes.
Since the dustbin is ready, the inspector now tries to find a culprit who can falsely confess that he stole Lakshmi. If Maharaja had only lost a dustbin, he will accept the culprit’s confession, give the police officers the seven lakhs, and take the dustbin. If this is not about a dustbin, the inspector believes they can extract more money. But it proves to be an uphill task for the inspector to find a scapegoat as the criminals feel it’s beneath them to go to jail for robbing a dustbin. When Nallasivam hears the inspector will pay 50,000 for the job, he agrees to play the culprit role.
What Really Happened on that Bleak Night?
The inspector calls the station and asks a constable to record Maharaja’s detailed statement of theft again. This way, they can record the call, and Nallasivam will reenact the scene the following day at Maharaja’s home. As Maharaja repeats what happened, the visuals, this time, tell a different story. Maharaja closed his shop at 10:00 p.m. But he didn’t return home and instead went to buy shoes for Jothi. Now, we learn that the scenes of Jothi at the sports camp also don’t belong to the present timeline. It’s in the near past, and the three burglars waiting at Maharaja’s home attacked Jothi as she reached home after the week-long stay at the camp.
One is the now-deceased Dhana, and the other is Nallasivam, the police informer. The third person who strikes Jothi with the metal rod is Selvam. The motive is clear: revenge. Nallasivam has followed Maharaja for days to report his routine to Selvam. But they didn’t know Jothi would return from the sports camp that night. As Selvam waits for Maharaja, the uncouth Nallasivam and Dhana sexually assault Jothi. It gets late at the shop for Maharaja to get the shoes, which, in a way, saves his life. Selvam eventually decides to leave, and when Dhana decides to kill Jothi, he asks them to just leave.
What is Maharaja Actually Looking for at the Police Station?
When Maharaja recalls the ‘Lakshmi’ incident now, he tears up, making a police officer understand that this was never about a dustbin. Nallasivam also listens to the detailed statement recorded on the inspector’s phone. It spooks him, and he finally understands Maharaja’s motive for complaining about the missing dustbin. Before his brutal death, Dhana has deliberately misguided Maharaja by telling him one of the coconspirators is from the local police station, while actually, Nallasivam is only a police informer
Moreover, before getting beaten up, Jothi finds that one of her attackers has a tumor on his back. This is one of the details mentioned in Maharaja’s statement, and it’s why he gets close to the police officers (and in one moment, he even checks Dhana’s friend) to look for the tumor. In fact, Nallasivam is the man with the lump in the back. Maharaja simply wants revenge for what happened to his daughter without yet knowing the chief culprit’s identity.
Nallasivam panics and surreptitiously calls Selvam to tell him about Maharaja and the Lakshmi case. Selvam asks him to do exactly what the police say for now and that they can take care of Maharaja later. When Maharaja returned home after buying the shoes, he immediately took his daughter to the hospital – the clinic under the charge of his client/friend. This is one of the many convenient plot points in the film. A hospital organization should mandatorily report a crime against a minor. But by cursorily introducing the doctor character earlier, it’s now used to fuel the revenge narrative.
Maharaja (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
How does Maharaja Know Nallasivam is the Second Culprit?
While Jothi recuperates at the hospital, Maharaja hunts for the culprits. Lakshmi is with Jothi at the hospital (under her bed). There’s also an emotional moment as Jothi asks her dad to take her to the culprit when he finds him. Jothi says she wants to face him and ask why he did this to her. It becomes the motive for Maharaja’s unconventional search for the perpetrators. In the present, a visibly distressed Nallasivam reaches Maharaja’s home with the inspector, SI, and the constable. While acting out the robbery scene, Nallasivam slips up at one crucial point. When Nallasivam says Maharaja was shocked to see him in his room, he rushed to cover his mouth. Nallasivam, a person of very average height, precisely enacts the scene as if he has covered the mouth of a person of Jothi’s height.
This particular detail doesn’t go unnoticed. As Maharaja calmly stares at Nallasivam, the alleged burglar slowly stands on his toes to match the person of Maharaja’s height. Filled with suspicion, Maharaja also joins the reenactment, saying he fell on Nallasivam and fainted. Under the pretense of falling upon him, Maharaja checks Nallasivam’s back to find the tumor. Having confirmed his suspicion, Maharaja tells the inspector that he wants to have a word with Nallasivam. Though Nallasivam is scared, he casually asks the dad of a sexually assaulted daughter to let it go. Then, he even subtly threatens Maharaja.
How did the Police find out about Maharaja’s Daughter?
At this point, the inspector intervenes and asks Maharaja what the punishment for such a crime could be. Maharaja calmly tells the inspector to let the man go, thinking he could have his revenge later. But Inspector Varadharajan puts forth a shocking question: “Do you want to forgive him for all his crimes, even for raping your daughter?” The SI, who was ordered to follow Maharaja’s mobile phone movement in the past few weeks, and the SI tasked with Dhana’s missing case earlier met at the abandoned mill. From that investigation, it must have become apparent that ‘Ilayaraja’ is Maharaja. Moreover, Dhana’s mobile, which was found in the mill, has received many unattended incoming calls from Nallasivam.
Further investigation of Maharaja’s movements brought them to the hospital, where Jothi is admitted. The previous night, just as the inspector was looking for a scapegoat for the dustbin robbery, the SI informed him about Maharaja’s daughter. The inspector, SI, and the constable have knowingly brought Nallasivam to commit an extrajudicial killing. Maharaja takes his revenge on Nallasivam as the police officers wait outside the house. They have also learned the whereabouts of the third culprit, Selvam. This information is passed to Maharaja, who beats up a few people at the constructive site where Selvam works.
Jothi Confronts the Most Despicable Man
When Selvam rushes to the site, Maharaja expresses profound shock and sorrow. Now Maharaja understands why Selvam and his men were waiting for him at the house. But there’s also a deeper meaning to the shocked expression. Selvam thinks he has had his revenge on Maharaja, and now he can kill him. But Maharaja overpowers and incapacitates Selvam to wait for his daughter, Jothi’s arrival. As Jothi has requested her father, she sits in front of Selvam to confront him. Believing that the men came to their home for jewels, Jothi throws her jewelry to him. Jothi also firmly states that this incident wouldn’t break her, and she will move on in life. Finally, the girl says she is showing him mercy by letting him live.
Selvam, however, doesn’t feel an iota of remorse, as he says his men should have killed her that day. As Jothi, accompanied by her dad, leaves the place, one piece of jewelry catches Selvam’s eye. It is the same diamond necklace he bought for his daughter Ammu for her birthday. A flashback reveals the younger Maharaja and his wife (with their toddler) visiting Kokila after her husband Selvam’s arrest. They have come to give the diamond necklace that was left in the barbershop. Kokila has moved from the previous neighborhood after facing humiliation due to her husband’s despicable deeds.
The Truth is Too Much for Him to Handle
Kokila, however, refuses to take back the necklace, lamenting it was earned by killing and robbing people. Therefore, Maharaja’s wife asks him to buy a doll for Ammu from the fancy store opposite the home. This is the moment we see in the prologue, believing it is Maharaja buying a stuffed doll for his child after getting his wife’s approval, who is inside their home. But there were two mothers and two toddlers when the lorry crashed into the house. Only one child survived, thanks to the metal dustbin, Lakshmi. It was Ammu. The injury mark close to her shoulder makes Selvam realize Jothi is his daughter. Selvam, the incarcerated criminal, has long believed that his child and wife were killed in the accident.
Having realized he has committed the worst crime against his own daughter, Selvam – without being able to walk – crawls and begs for forgiveness. He calls her Ammu. But she leaves the place with her teacher. Though he knows who Jothi is, Maharaja maintains that she is his daughter. Unable to bear the burden of his crime, Selvam kills himself by falling from the building. The blood spilled from his body fills Jothi’s footprints (a visual that screams poetic justice!).
Final Thoughts on “Maharaja”:
Nithilan Swaminathan’s screenplay offers some clever tricks that take us by surprise in the second half. However, the writing also has some drawbacks, such as the jarring attempts to infuse humor and the obviously deliberate attempts to establish character shades and motivations. Tamil filmmakers, at times, get carried away while trying to emphasize the monstrous nature of their antagonists. Particularly, the filmmakers need to be careful when they choose to exhibit this monstrosity by visualizing violence against women. One of the most irritating aspects of Lokesh Kannagaraj’s “Leo” (there are many!) is the way the filmmaker portrays one of his antagonists (played by Sandy) who preys upon the kids. Though the director might think he is being suggestive, even those leering glances and certain choice of shots make it exasperating to watch.
Last year, S.U. Arun Kumar’s “Chithha” showed how a filmmaker can handle sensitive topics like sexual assault and abuse in a mature manner. It also criticized the male savior complex, which desires revenge more than anything else. But “Maharaja” is a simple revenge drama narrated in an intriguing manner. We think everything is happening in a single timeline, but we gradually learn that it’s three different timelines, where all the three central characters’ – Maharaja, Jothi/Ammu, and Selvam – fates collide. While we are invested in Maharaja’s quest, once the film ends, we do have a lot of questions about the handling of themes like revenge, sexual assault, and karmic justice.
