Latest news with #Velayudham
New Indian Express
26-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Maareesan Movie Review: A pleasant ride derailed by a string of unpleasant surprises
This is not the first time we have seen Vadivelu in a full-fledged non-comedic role, and certainly not the last time anybody is going to talk about the actor's seismic impact on Tamil pop culture. What is still surprising is how celebrated and yet unexplored his acting range is. Both in Maamannan and Maareesan, there are instances where Vadivelu breaks down after a moment of abject powerlessness, with similar emotions but wildly different reasons behind them. And yet, you don't see traces of his earlier characters. Sometimes, there is no Maamannan, Velayudham, or even Vadivelu, but just a man conveying a feeling authentic enough that it even crosses the context of a functional scene to move you. From world view to general countenance, there is a stark difference in characterisation between Dhayalan and Velayudham, and it is wonderfully accentuated by Fahadh's nonchalance. He could have played the well-established 'charming scammer' trope for this role and gotten away with it, but he never does. The actor achieves more by doing less and walks away with your respect.
Pink Villa
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Maareesan Explained: Why did Fahadh's Dayalan agree to travel with Vadivelu's Velayudham and what is latter's true identity?
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers. Maareesan, starring Vadivelu and Fahadh Faasil in the lead roles, was released in theaters on July 25, 2025. The movie, directed by Sudheesh Sankar, is a comedy thriller flick featuring the lead actors together on the big screen after appearing in Maamannan. If you are still wondering what the film is about, here's a quick explainer to help you understand. Why did Fahadh Faasil's Dayalan decide to help Vadivelu's Velayudham Pillai? Maareesan begins with Dayalan (played by Fahadh Faasil) being released from Palayamkottai jail. The convict was imprisoned due to the multiple thefts he had committed over time. As he explains his profession, he believes that some houses call to him, wanting to be robbed. After becoming a free man, Dayalan decides to resume his profession once again, entering a new home. After making his entrance, Dayalan spots an old man, tied to a bed with chains. The man is claimed to be Velayudham Pillai (played by Vadivelu), who mistakes the robber for his son. Pleading to release him from the chains, Velayudham is revealed to be suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Soon, the old man asks Dayalan to help him out and take him to the nearest bus stand so that he can travel to his friend's place in Tiruvannamalai. Although hesitant, Dayalan decides to help him out and soon realizes Velayudham has a sum of Rs 25 lakhs in his bank account. In hopes of swindling the entire amount, the thief sticks with Velayudham. Is Velayudham Pillai truly who he claims to be? As we move ahead, Velayudham Pillai often forgets about his intention and where he planned to reach. A frustrated Dayalan decides to take it upon himself, trying to squeeze out the maximum amount from the old man as they travel from Nagercoil to Tiruvannamalai. The two men embark on a journey that forms a relationship unlike anything they have experienced before. With Velayudham often misunderstanding Dayalan as his son or a stranger, humorous moments occur throughout. However, the final blow comes to Dayalan when it is revealed that Velayudham is a serial killer known as Maareesan. The police are in search of the culprit who targets people accused of harassing and abusing young children. With a grim past in his life, Maareesan is still trying to nail another person, even as cops are hot on his heels.
Indian Express
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Maareesan movie review: Fahadh Faasil, Vadivelu anchor this flawed comedy thriller
Maareesan movie review: If one were to make a list of the most disgustingly problematic Malayalam movies of all time, Villali Veeran (2014) would be a strong contender for the top spot from the last decade. While most films from that era featuring Dileep — accused of masterminding the sexual assault of a fellow actor in 2017 — were imbued with repugnant tropes, Villali Veeran stood out as the first among equals. Besides being an extremely shoddy film overall, it was loaded with high amounts of misogyny, and not to mention the many, many rape 'jokes'. Hence, when its director, Sudheesh Sankar, makes a comeback as a filmmaker after a decade, it's not unreasonable to have reservations about the movie. But considering that Maareesan features Fahadh Faasil and Vadivelu, can we afford to ignore it either? Soon after his release from prison, Dhayalan (Fahadh) returns to thievery and is on the hunt for something big, so that he doesn't have to waste time stealing small items like mobile phones, purses containing only a little cash, and bikes parked at movie theatres anymore. As a part of this plan, he breaks into a house that night where he meets an ageing man, Velayudham Pillai (Vadivelu), chained to a window. Scared by Dhaya's threat, Velayudham tells him that there's no money at home, but promises to pay him by making a withdrawal from an ATM. Meanwhile, the old man reveals to the thief that he suffers from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, which is why his son has handcuffed him to the window. At the ATM, Dhayalan notices that Velayudham has about Rs 25 lakh in his account. After paying some money to Dhaya, Velayudham decides to leave for either his daughter's place in Palakkad or his friend's in Thiruvannamalai. Assuring to drop him where he wanted on his bike, Dhaya takes the old man along, although his eye is only on the money. However, hurdles start cropping up in his path as Velayudham forgets the ATM PIN and even details about his life, with the elderly man sometimes mistaking Dhaya for his son Kumar. Nonetheless, the thief remains determined. As the movie progresses, though, we start getting the feeling that there's more to Velayudham than we see. Is he hiding something from us? Above all, who is he actually? For a movie titled Maareesan — a rakshasa character in the Hindu epic of Ramayana, who served as an ally of Ravana and played a key role in the kidnapping of Sita — it wastes an awful lot of time disguising itself as a fun comedy wherein the fate of a thief and his loot hinges on the mercy of the victim. Considering that the film's named Maareesan, it's almost impossible to believe that this storyline forms its core. Regardless, writer V Krishna Moorthy and director Sudheesh Sankar make the movie circle around a single focal point for so long that it becomes tiring soon. What makes it worse is that, when Maareesan shifts to a higher gear, Sudheesh fails to give it the dramatic elevation it requires, at least to jolt awake those viewers who might have dozed off. Instead, that entire portion of revealing a part of Velayudham Pillai's real identity, in the scenes leading up to the interval, is treated as if it isn't a big deal, thus wasting a good opportunity to showcase a genre shift well. Although Maareesan, under a different title and by taking a different narrative route, could have been something as heartwarming and amazing as director Barry Levinson's Rain Man (1988) — especially considering that Vadivelu and Fahadh are able to seep into the characters' souls effortlessly and the chemistry between them is spectacular, much like the case of Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise in the Hollywood movie — it is denied the opportunity to utilise that potential. And this happens primarily because the movie, after a point, swerves into the thriller territory and the hollowness that existed in the writing from the start — which we didn't notice initially because we were too occupied soaking in the charming chemistry that the lead two actors were creating — becomes too evident. What further detracts from the experience is the soap opera-ish kind of making style director Sudheesh Sankar has adopted — mirroring the many TV serials he has directed over the years — with the climax ending up as the most-affected sequence. Featuring a fight that makes us question our visual perceptual skills, simply because it's been choreographed and paced in an extremely odd manner, the climax almost ruins the few good things about Maareesan, which is ultimately saved by the lead duo. In fact, that can be said about pretty much the entire movie, with Fahadh and Vadivelu becoming the ones doing all the heavy lifting while Sudheesh and Krishna Moorthy, among most others, just watch with the cameras on. Despite this being the third time that he plays a complete thief (not just a character involved in fraudulent activities) — after Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (2017) and Vettaiyan (2024) — Fahadh ensures that Dhaya is nothing like Prasad or Battery. His ability to deeply dive into a narrative and fully immerse himself in a character, without relying on stock emotions or clichéd body language tied to the character's occupation, is evident here as well. His mastery as an actor is most visible in scenes where he is consuming liquor, and the way Dhaya's drunkenness progresses in an organic manner, devoid of cliches, is nothing short of splendid. Although Dhaya cannot be called even one of his best, what works in his favour here is the combination with Vadivelu. As if one is the Yin to the other's Yang, they not only complement each other's performances but also elevate and inspire one another to push beyond their limits. Even the most mundane conversations between Dhaya and Velayudham, deadened by mediocre dialogues and lazy writing (which gets worse in the second half), never lose our attention because it's a delight to watch the two's rapport unfold. Despite the character suffering from poor writing, Vadivelu's handling of Velayudham is nothing short of extraordinary. The way the innate innocence in his face translates into the character's blank stares is a sight to behold. Much like the comedic bits, he also excels at portraying the other shades of Velayudham — be it distress, sadness or even moments of villainy — with ease. It was also very satisfying to hear him singing again. On the technical front, Yuvan Shankar Raja knocks it out of the park with the background score and the tracks, contributing significantly to Maareesan's overall quality. Dinesh Manoharan's costume design and Abdul's makeup also deserve praise. Nonetheless, what truly drives the final nail into the film's coffin is the way Sudheesh Sankar and Krishna Moorthy have handled the core subject of child sexual abuse. Despite it being a sensitive matter, it's simply thrown into the narrative and dealt with in an extremely superficial and amateur manner, even to the extent that it prompts us to wonder if the makers really had good intentions while deciding to use it as the movie's crux. Much like most films directed by men and revolving around themes like rape and assault, Maareesan also completely invisibilises the victims and survivors and turns it into yet another male-saviour narrative. The erasure of victims is so blatant that the only time they are shown on screen is to give viewers a glimpse of the trauma they went through, to justify the actions of Velayudham. It's as if they had no existence before the crime they faced or an identity beyond that. Besides making Velayudham and Dhaya say dialogues denouncing child sexual abuse and the need for stringent punishments for the perpetrators, the film as a whole doesn't contribute to that cause, and hence, the lines eventually come across as performative. For a person to transform, realising their past mistakes and problematic mindsets, thus registering character growth, is totally plausible. So, the possibility that the same Sudheesh Sankar who made the atrocious Villali Veeran could have undergone a change of heart and chosen to make a film about child sexual abuse was not out of the question. However, the way the topic has been woven into Maareesan and handled makes one wonder, did he really mean to condemn it? Or was he simply and shamelessly playing to the gallery both times? First, by creating a misogynistic monolith when such harmful portrayals were normalised, and now, by making a film about child sexual abuse at a time when socially conscious cinema is in the spotlight. Maareesan movie cast: Fahadh Faasil, Vadivelu, Kovai Sarala, Vivek Prasanna, Sithara Maareesan movie director: Sudheesh Sankar Maareesan movie rating: 2 stars Anandu Suresh is a Senior sub-editor at Indian Express Online. He specialises in Malayalam cinema, but doesn't limit himself to it and explores various aspects of the art form. He also pens a column titled Cinema Anatomy, where he delves extensively into the diverse layers and dimensions of cinema, aiming to uncover deeper meanings and foster continuous discourse. Anandu previously worked with The New Indian Express' news desk in Hyderabad, Telangana. You can follow him on Twitter @anandu_suresh_ and write (or send movie recommendations) to him at ... Read More
Pink Villa
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Maareesan Movie Review: Vadivelu, Fahadh Faasil starrer is a road trip comedy thriller that forgets its destination
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.
India Today
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Maareesan review: Fahadh-Vadivelu's road trip takes wrong turn post-interval
'Maareesan' brings together Tamil comedy legend Vadivelu and brilliant performer Fahadh Faasil for the second time after 'Maamannan'. While the two have their individual strengths, they are terrific performers. Give them any role, their eyes are enough to pull them off. Director Sudheesh Sankar's 'Maareesan' is a comedy thriller, a genre that could either be effective or a total (Fahadh Faasil) is a thief who is just out of the infamous Palayamkottai prison. In his words, certain houses talk to him and call him, so he could rob them. Soon after his return, he finds Velayudham Pillai's (Vadivelu) house calling him. He breaks into the house to steal, but only to find Velayudham chained to his that he is an Alzheimer's patient, Velayudham requests Dayalan to drop him at the nearest bus stand, so he can go to his friend's place in Tiruvannamalai. A pit-stop at the ATM gives Dayalan a big reason to stay. Why? Because Velayudham has Rs 25 lakh in his account. Dayalan goes out of his way, acts nicely, puts up with his tantrums, only to get him to remember his ATM pin. As he offers to drop him in Tiruvannamalai, Daya and Velan take us through a journey of empathy, compassion, manipulation and betrayal. 'Mareesan' is a perfect title for a film that hinges so much on secrecy and manipulation. The initial few seconds of the film feature a tacky VFX sequence involving a snake and a rat. This sequence, which might seem out of place initially, captures the essence of the film. The film is about two men, with their ambitions and ideals, taking on life. One man, an Alzheimer's patient, escapes home to accomplish a mission that he guards with his life. Another man wants to steal money from the Almzeimer's patient for a better living. The tale of two contrasts makes 'Maareesan' so interesting that you are almost tricked into believing that it's another 'Meiyazhagan'. Be it Velayadham's cute tantrums or Daya's empathy, you can't help but fall in love with this duo. And when the big reveal happens during the intermission, you are just taken aback by the delightful twist that hits you in the face. Despite the film's slow pacing, it works because of how brilliant the first half is staged. You travel with the two characters as they embark on the road feel bad when Velayudham forgets even the simplest of things because of his condition. You revel in Dayalan's playful act. The way the two break into vintage Tamil songs and crack jokes on Kamal Haasan, there's a lot to love. But when the intermission happens and the film changes its track from a comedy to a thriller, the tone of the film changes. And it undoes all the goodness it packed in the first the film is refreshing and engaging pre-interval, it leans heavily on predictability and cliches in the way it deals with a heinous crime. Though the characters are morally flawed, the stance the film takes in dealing with criminals sticks out like a sore thumb. While traditionalists might agree with the film's climax, the makers fail to tap into a message that's politically of the main reasons why I would commend the makers of 'Maareesan' is for the way they portrayed the crime. As citizens of this country, we hear about such incidents every day. At a time when many filmmakers take an insensitive approach to causing shock, , the makers of 'Mareesan's' deserve special applause. There is no graphic depiction of the crime. A mere mention and a few details here and there, and we get the gravity of it. The why and how don't take precedence.'Mareesan' started on a great note, before buckling under the pressure of banality. Yet, it speaks to you in a language that is immersive. Thanks to the beautiful chemistry between Vadivelu and Fahadh Faasil, Yuvan Shankar Raja's music and cinematographer Kalaiselvan Sivaji's Vadivelu and Fahadh Faasil are terrific actors is a statement that everybody knows and believes in. When Vadivelu's Velayudham breaks down in a scene, you tear up. The fact that a comedy legend makes you cry with him is a testament to his acting prowess. Fahadh Faasil jumps into the character with ease. So much so that you begin to enjoy it when he's actually stealing and fooling people who believe it. Vivek Prasanna gets a solid role. Despite the limited screen time, he is effective as Ganesh.'Maareesan' is a comedy thriller that can make you smile, hold you on the edge of your seats and support the morally flawed characters. If we look past the convenient writing, especially with the flashback and post-intermission, there's a lot to love in 'Maareesan'.- Ends3 out of 5 stars for 'Mareesan'.
