Mahaveeryar Directed by Abrid Shine is a fantasy courtroom drama laced with black humor. This film begins in the 18th century where the King (Lal) is suffering from frequent hiccups where no amount of water or medication works out. In the meantime, the king commands his minister Veerabhadran (Asif Ali) to bring him the most beautiful woman in the kingdom who is as pure as tulsi.
The movie then cuts to the present where a sage Apoornnananthan (Nivin Pauly) is accused of robbing the idol of the main deity in a temple. He is then taken to court where he fights his own case which is a mix of black humor and political satire that is fresh and fun to watch. What happens next is a time travel moment when the two worlds collide and the battle for justice happens in the court where the hearing of the King’s case happens in the court and rest form the crux of the film.
Performance
1. Nivin Pauly as Apoornnananthan shines in the first half, but he gets less screentime in the second half.
2. Lal as King and Asif Ali as minister gives their best.
3. Siddique as Judge gets good space to perform.
4. Lalu Alex as a prosecutor and Krishna Prasad in the defense give a neat and stellar performance.
5. Shanvi Srivastava as Devayani has very little scope to perform.
Plus
1. Performance of the entire cast is a major plus.
2. Interesting first half.
3. Timing comedies are worth mentioning and it works out well.
4. Court Scenes are excellent, and one can thoroughly enjoy every portion.
5. Excellent cinematography by Chandru Selvaraj.
Minus
1. Writing could have been better as certain portions might not be understood by the common man because of the complexity.
2. Second half is the major downside of the movie.
3. Portion of the Female lead character could have been written well.
This experimental fantasy courtroom drama deserves the watch for its fresh and unique making.
Mahaveeryar Movie Review By Vidya Chandrababu
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