No one does rustic, rooted gangster dramas quite like director Kartik Subbaraj, but while his narrative style and panache soared in "Jigarthanda" (2014, soon to be remade by Bollywood as "Bachchan Pandey", starring Akshay Kumar) and "Petta" (2019), it has become repetitive and unoriginal off late especially with the colossal disappointment that was "Jagame Thandiram" (2021).
Yet, the maverick auteur sticks with his home genre in "Mahaan", a surreal gangster saga following the story of "Gandhi Mahaan" (Vikram) a schoolteacher brought up under stifling, strict Gandhian principles by his father who was a freedom fighter, only to rebel and lash out at having his personality and desire suppressed for so long. How he goes on to leave his upbringing behind and take up a life of crime to meet his ambition forms the rest of the story.
Bobby Simha is expectedly terrific as his consigliere as he builds a mafia empire, only to run into trouble from a crooked politician, played by Vettai Muthukumar, who delivers another staggering performance as an antagonist after an immense breakthrough role in "Sarpatta Parambarai". Dhruv Vikram is adequately menacing and stylish as the prodigal son who returns to throw his father's empire into a tizzy and his combination sequences with Vikram offer up some of the best scenes in the film.
While the journey from the subjugated, bookish professor to the hardened mafia don felt a little rushed and unrealistic, Vikram dominates every scene he is in and it is a joy to watch the National Award winner finally get a script that he can sink his teeth into after a string of recent flops. He ably juggles the eccentricities and quirkiness of his vibrant character with the anxiety of a worried dad and the sorrow of seeing his empire being picked apart.
Kartik Subbaraj's eclectic settings and cinematographer Shreyaas Krishna's vivid frames with sparkling colors makes even the overlong 2.5 hour narrative watchable. The supporting cast make their presence felt, with Sananth delivering a mature, layered performance as the hotheaded son of a don and Simran, measured and nuanced in a short but impactful role.
All this being said, there are large portions of the film that felt avoidable and overstretched, while some important sections like the coming-of-age of Dhruv Vikram's character seemed rushed and inorganic. The music from Santhosh Narayanan is another major letdown and fails to add any value to even clutch scenes where the tunes should have elevated the narrative and lent some vigour and urgency to proceedings.
From "I" (2015) to "Iru Mugan" (2016) to more recently, the abysmal "Sketch" (2018) and "Saamy Square" (2018), the career graph of one of Tamil cinema's most gifted leading men had been on a steady decline and "Mahaan" could well be the jolt to the system that "Chiyaan" desperately needed. I cannot wait for his next notable role, that in Mani Ratnam's highly-anticipated historical epic "Ponniyan Selvan", especially considering the incredible performance the veteran director brought out of Vikram in "Raavanan" (2010).
The immense actor in Vikram has been ably utilized by Karhtik Subbaraj to make an overstuffed, uneven and overlong gangster drama watchable, with some standout moments that make a lasting impression. This might not be your cup of tea if you abhor violence and slow-burn narratives. Set your expectations right and you won't be disappointed!
Yet, the maverick auteur sticks with his home genre in "Mahaan", a surreal gangster saga following the story of "Gandhi Mahaan" (Vikram) a schoolteacher brought up under stifling, strict Gandhian principles by his father who was a freedom fighter, only to rebel and lash out at having his personality and desire suppressed for so long. How he goes on to leave his upbringing behind and take up a life of crime to meet his ambition forms the rest of the story.
Bobby Simha is expectedly terrific as his consigliere as he builds a mafia empire, only to run into trouble from a crooked politician, played by Vettai Muthukumar, who delivers another staggering performance as an antagonist after an immense breakthrough role in "Sarpatta Parambarai". Dhruv Vikram is adequately menacing and stylish as the prodigal son who returns to throw his father's empire into a tizzy and his combination sequences with Vikram offer up some of the best scenes in the film.
While the journey from the subjugated, bookish professor to the hardened mafia don felt a little rushed and unrealistic, Vikram dominates every scene he is in and it is a joy to watch the National Award winner finally get a script that he can sink his teeth into after a string of recent flops. He ably juggles the eccentricities and quirkiness of his vibrant character with the anxiety of a worried dad and the sorrow of seeing his empire being picked apart.
Kartik Subbaraj's eclectic settings and cinematographer Shreyaas Krishna's vivid frames with sparkling colors makes even the overlong 2.5 hour narrative watchable. The supporting cast make their presence felt, with Sananth delivering a mature, layered performance as the hotheaded son of a don and Simran, measured and nuanced in a short but impactful role.
All this being said, there are large portions of the film that felt avoidable and overstretched, while some important sections like the coming-of-age of Dhruv Vikram's character seemed rushed and inorganic. The music from Santhosh Narayanan is another major letdown and fails to add any value to even clutch scenes where the tunes should have elevated the narrative and lent some vigour and urgency to proceedings.
From "I" (2015) to "Iru Mugan" (2016) to more recently, the abysmal "Sketch" (2018) and "Saamy Square" (2018), the career graph of one of Tamil cinema's most gifted leading men had been on a steady decline and "Mahaan" could well be the jolt to the system that "Chiyaan" desperately needed. I cannot wait for his next notable role, that in Mani Ratnam's highly-anticipated historical epic "Ponniyan Selvan", especially considering the incredible performance the veteran director brought out of Vikram in "Raavanan" (2010).
The immense actor in Vikram has been ably utilized by Karhtik Subbaraj to make an overstuffed, uneven and overlong gangster drama watchable, with some standout moments that make a lasting impression. This might not be your cup of tea if you abhor violence and slow-burn narratives. Set your expectations right and you won't be disappointed!