How 'Maharaja' turned a modest budget into a Rs 109-crore global triumph

By Vikas Meshram* 

Directed by Nithilan Swaminathan, the Tamil thriller 'Maharaja' became a resounding success upon release, powered by the compelling performances of Vijay Sethupathi, Anurag Kashyap, and the rest of the cast, and it continues to be talked about today both for the success it earned and for the storytelling craft behind it. Released in theatres on June 14, 2024, the film drew positive responses from critics and won over audiences, going on to consistently perform well at the box office and cross the hundred-crore mark worldwide.

Made on a modest budget of just Rs 20 crores, the film earned a total net domestic collection of Rs 71.30 crores, translating into a profit of as much as Rs 51.30 crores. Including taxes, its total collection within India stood at Rs 84.13 crores, while overseas markets contributed around Rs 25 crores, bringing its combined worldwide earnings to Rs 109.13 crores.

This success is especially remarkable because the film had no aggressive promotional campaign behind it, yet it still found its way to audiences in the right measure. The success didn't stop there: on November 29, 2024, 'Maharaja' was released in China, and within just two weeks it earned over Rs 630 crores there, moving toward a place among the highest-grossing Indian films in China and becoming the first Indian film to be released there since 2020. The film subsequently became available on Netflix as well and received a warm response on OTT too, a further sign of the story's universal appeal.

A distinct sense of dread runs through every film Nithilan has made so far, one in which even morally upright people are easily corrupted when confronted with ordinary human beings at their most depraved. Nithilan writes with great care, so that evil comes across as ordinary as possible.

When the camera first introduces us to Selvam, Anurag Kashyap's character, chatting with a friend about onions in the kitchen, a zoom-out shot simultaneously reveals bound women in the background, a shot that closely echoes the opening of Nithilan's 2017 debut film 'Kurangu Bommai'. This is no accident; the director deliberately repeats certain ideas of his own, making the audience aware of his particular filmmaking style. He consistently turns to the uncertainty of life to advance his plots, a fan could fall on your head, a snake could appear from anywhere, a truck could crash into your home, and through this same interplay a specific object becomes a symbol that turns the story. In his first film it was a bag with a monkey's face; in 'Maharaja' it is a dustbin, which raises the question of whether something truly loses its worth simply because we consider it useless.

The work Vijay Sethupathi and Anurag Kashyap have done in this film is truly unmatched. Nithilan Swaminathan has crafted a slow-burning, mysterious thriller in such a way that even its hero is not invincible, but equally vulnerable, wounded, and enraged. The first half of the film shows Maharaja being mocked and beaten by the police machinery, while the second half takes a more serious turn and becomes increasingly powerful.

Vijay Sethupathi has masterfully elevated both arcs, the man before the incident and the man after it, while Anurag Kashyap's character also undergoes a transformation, which he portrays with equal force. Known for delivering distinctive performances as a director in his own right, Kashyap gains a fresh and special identity through this film, without a doubt. Sachana Namidass, Mamta Mohandas, Natty, Bharathiraja, Abhirami, Singampuli, Aruldoss Munshikanth, Vinod Sagar, and Manikandan also appear in the film.

Alongside all these performers, a cobra too plays a significant role, and its presence leaves many wondering why it was included. The cobra is broadly viewed in two contrasting ways: as a protector, and as a vengeful, grudge-bearing creature. No one truly knows how a real snake behaves, but the fear of being bitten lingers in everyone's mind upon seeing one, and there are also popular notions that a cobra sometimes consumes its own eggs. The director has skilfully drawn upon all these good and bad symbolic associations people hold about snakes, and whether this cobra represents vengeance or protection is a question the film itself answers once you watch it.

The film is built around a single incident and the chain of events that follow it. Questions about what the ending will be, and what exactly will unfold from the incident, keep running through the viewer's mind, and as the climax approaches we assume that good will ultimately triumph, which turns out to be true to some extent, but not entirely.

The characters, too, carry unusual habits: a notorious murderer plays cricket with children on the street, while a gangster, a die-hard fan of Kamal Haasan, beats a man for not having watched 'Pannaiyarum Padminiyum' and for losing spectacles gifted by the late actor. Kalki Raja, who played a thief in the director's first film, returns here as a thief named 'Police', who steals TVS 50 mopeds simply because he cannot ride geared vehicles.

Vijay Sethupathi's Maharaja, a man with a bandaged ear, walks into a police station with an unusual complaint, that his house was robbed the previous night and he lost his precious 'Lakshmi', an iron dustbin that once saved his daughter's life in an accident. Maharaja offers police inspector Varadarajan (Natty) as much as Rs seven lakhs, which raises suspicion that the complaint is merely a pretext for something bigger, and Natty and his colleagues play along, hoping ultimately to outwit Maharaja.

The proceedings at the police station are intercut with flashbacks connected to the life of Maharaja's teenage daughter and to Kashyap's character Selvam, weaving everything together. Nithilan Swaminathan co-wrote this powerful screenplay along with Raam Murali. The film is not the story of any larger-than-life hero, but of an ordinary man striving to recover his stolen 'Lakshmi', and the mystery built up around 'Lakshmi' in the trailer unravels just fifteen minutes into the film.

Blending action and humour beautifully, 'Maharaja' takes audiences through the past and present of its central characters via a meticulously crafted script. The labyrinthine path the director has chosen may feel somewhat tiring at first, but staying with the film until the end brings genuine satisfaction. The film never drags, and the story moves forward in a non-linear way, telling multiple threads simultaneously, and the entire narrative is woven together so beautifully that a strong connection with the audience is established from the very first half itself.

As Maharaja, Vijay Sethupathi brings remarkable depth to the complexity of a man whose entire life revolves around his daughter. With great economy of expression, he portrays both the emotional and violent scenes with such conviction that in the hands of a less gifted actor, the same role could easily have become overwrought.

Mamta Mohandas's role as a physical education teacher was limited, yet she carried it off well, while Anurag Kashyap, playing the villain, instilled genuine fear through his sheer presence. Despite the strong performance, his character is somewhat let down by uneven lip-syncing, though all the supporting actors have otherwise performed their parts admirably. Philomin Raj's editing deserves praise for navigating the non-linear narrative with great clarity, while Lokesh's music effectively builds tension and keeps the audience gripped throughout.

Much like his directorial debut 'Kurangu Bommai', Nithilan excels at storytelling in 'Maharaja' as well, weaving the past and present together to craft a thrilling narrative. A film that manages to draw laughter even amid tense moments, it delivers a final twist that leaves the audience with yet another powerful jolt.

Having become one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of 2024, its extraordinary return relative to its budget proves that a good, honestly told story can still connect deeply with audiences today. 'Maharaja', then, is a film that lingers in the mind and stays etched in memory, offering a fresh experience worth watching without missing a single frame.

Film: 'Maharaja' | Director: Nithilan Swaminathan | Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Anurag Kashyap, Mamta Mohandas, Abhirami | Duration: 142 minutes

---

*Contact: vikasmeshram04@gmail.com