Maareesan Movie Review: Vadivelu, Fahadh Faasil starrer is a road trip comedy thriller that forgets its destination

Pink Villa

25-07-2025

Maareesan is a comedy thriller road trip movie starring Vadivelu and Fahadh Faasil in the lead roles. The Sudheesh Sankar directorial marks the actors' reunion on the big screen after Maamannan and has been released in theaters on July 25, 2025.
If you're planning to watch the movie in theaters this week, here's the Pinkvilla review you need to read.
The Plot
Maareesan features the story of Dayalan, a convict who was recently released from the infamous Palayamkottai prison. A thief by profession, he believes that some houses talk to him, begging to be robbed.
In such an instance, Dayalan enters the home of Velayudham Pillai only to find the old man tied to a bed with chains, calling out for his son. Pillai requests Dayalan to untie him and drop him off at the nearest bus stand, revealing him to be an Alzheimer's patient.
In hopes of robbing some money from Velayudham, Dayalan decides to help him out. However, what follows is a comedic thriller in which both men travel together, making it a journey of empathy, betrayal, and manipulation.
The Good
Maareesan starts as exactly one would expect, with performers like Vadivelu and Fahadh Faasil reuniting. The actors who were at odds with each other in Maamannan delve into a relationship of camaraderie with this venture.
While the screenplay could be criticized as a whole, the flawed and raw nature of the main characters is what makes the movie a pleasant watch. Both Velayudham and Dayalan are rooted in reality, so their journey would feel like taking a look into the life of someone around us.
The initial half of Maareesan reminds us of the layered conversations and narratives that existed in Meiyazhagan. The bond formed by Velayudham and Dayalan becomes an unlikely friendship that warms your heart, making you love them, despite their flaws.
The movie's execution is done by Sudheesh Sankar, who made it somewhat of a good watch. This was unexpected, knowing that Sankar was responsible for a mess of a movie like Villali Veeran starring Dileep. However, far from redemption, Maareesan stands firm in his filmography.
With the technical side being aided by Yuvan Shankar Raja's music and Kalaiselvan Sivaji's cinematography, the movie tugs at your heartstrings, at least in the first half.
The Bad
Maareesan had a promising start, even though it stumbled with its setup at certain points. With the rocky first half, the film held together with consistency, but miserably failed when it took a genre shift in the second half.
The screenplay waters down the comedy and road trip aspects of the movie, transforming it into a hunt for criminals. The fault in the writing isn't that the makers took a genre shift, but rather that it was so conveniently placed.
Filling the storyline with clichés and stereotypes, Maareesan just becomes an average thriller film. With every week bringing a new movie release, it seems tacky and lazy from a writer's perspective.
The lack of inventive storytelling and reliance on flashbacks to make the narrative sense is amateurish. While the makers are to be lauded for not depicting graphic visuals to emphasize the crimes, the impact loses its prominence in this world.
With the audience already struggling with the new narrative in the comedy thriller, what makes the movie a struggle to watch is the runtime. The editor could have easily cut out many portions, and the narrative would remain coherent.
The Performances
As mentioned earlier, Vadivelu and Fahadh Faasil are the top performers in making the movie a promising venture. As Vadivelu plays Velayudham, you would experience how a man known for comic timing for most of his career is actually a brilliant performer, meant to be regarded as one of the greatest in Tamil cinema.
While Fahadh Faasil is no stranger to playing a thief, the Aavesham actor continues to reinvent himself with a quirkiness to his character. Moreover, white veterans like Kovai Sarala and Livingston provide heartfelt performances; actor Vivek Prasanna's comedic timing needs a special shoutout.
Watch the trailer for Maareesan:
The Verdict
Maareesan is not a film one would recall years later and consider ahead of its time. It is a simple venture with powerful performances by the core cast.
While the narrative is sluggish and clichéd, one would love to watch it for the sake of the leading actors.