‘Maareesan’: Choppy ride in all wrong directions

Built on the time-tested chassis of a road trip, the Tamil film ‘Maareesan’ begins with a conman befriending an Alzheimer’s patient — only for the audience to later discover that the man is not afflicted with the disease at all. This could have been a multi-layered voyage through complex human emotions. Instead, it swerves down far too many paths — some mildly engaging, others plain jerky, and many utterly tedious. Not to mention, its dangerously simplistic reading of a complex disorder.

Fresh out of jail, Daya (Fahadh Faasil) breaks into a house and stumbles upon Velayudham (Vadivelu), a man chained and seemingly suffering from Alzheimer’s. Mistaking Daya for his son Kumar, Velayudham becomes prey when the conman discovers Rs 25 lakh in his account. Daya wastes no time in playing along. Thus begins their motorcycle journey — though only across physical landscapes, never within.

The second half — well, it suddenly metamorphoses into a thriller. The lush green countryside recedes; in comes vigilante justice. Velayudham seeks vengeance against paedophiles, while Daya discovers a father figure in him. The film keeps searching for a homogeneity it never quite finds. Oddly, women are almost absent from the story’s narrative arc — despite abuse being the very stimulus for much of the drama in the latter half.

It is almost painful to watch an actor of Faasil’s calibre — he delivered unforgettable work in the festival favourite ‘Kumbalangi Nights’ — shrink into a surface-level performance. The only consolation is Vadivelu — rhythmic, measured, and quietly powerful. Known primarily for comic roles, he proves that intensity doesn’t need exaggeration.

To be fair, the film’s unapologetic stance — criminals finding righteousness — feels oddly refreshing. After all, who isn’t a villain in in the real (world)? And if you’ve never watched a pirated copy of Anurag Kashyap’s ’Paanch’, you have missed smiling at our darkness inside.

The larger problem? Too many South Indian films breaking records on the OTT are increasing leaning on the same formula: a protagonist forever playing the fool. Even ‘Kantara’, hailed as a masterpiece by some learned critics, was undone by its hero’s almost obsessive monkeying, which overshadowed its sharp socio-political myth until the brilliant final sequence.

The audience deserves better from Faasil. He can convey vulnerability without words, without gesticulation, with just stillness — he is in a position to choose scripts that do justice to his range.

Perhaps if ‘Maareesan’ had trusted in that quiet — backed by crisper writing and sharper character work — something richer and multi-layered might have emerged. Instead, it stalls at every turn. Now everyone deserves a better ride — especially if it’s on the legendary Yamaha RX.