Maaran Movie Review: Dhanush's actioner has no substance, only style

Director Karthick Naren’s Maaran featuring Dhanush, Smruthi Venkat and Ameer is an underwhelming film. With a cliched storyline and so-called twists, the film struggles to hold your attention.

Dhanush is back with another OTT release after Jagame Thandhiram and Atrangi Re. His third OTT venture Maaran, directed by Karthick Naren, was supposed to release in theatres. But, the makers decided against it. And we know why. 10 minutes into the film, the audiences are taken for a ride where they will guess every ‘twist’ and even utter the dialogues before the characters. Certain films will make you question your existence and Maaran, unfortunately, falls in this category.

Sathyamoorthy (Ramki) is an honest investigative journalist. He gets killed for publishing the truth. Before his death, he tells his son, Mathimaaran (Dhanush), that honesty and smartness are equally important. While Sathyamoorthy gets killed, his wife dies in a hospital after giving birth to a baby girl named Shweta (Smruthi Venkat). As expected, Mathimaaran raises his sister.

When he grows up to be a journalist just like his father, it affects his sister too. Mathimaaran exposes politician Pazhani’s (Samuthirakani) plan to win the election by changing the EVM machines. Mathimaaran publishes the truth and gets into trouble. If you guessed that his sister would be kidnapped, 10 points to you.

Director Karthick Naren’s Maaran prefers style over substance. He lived up to this statement even in his previous film, Mafia: Chapter 1. And, it is high time that the filmmaker realises that style alone is not enough to win over the audience. Calling Maaran’s story cliched would be an understatement. Right from the start, you could guess every scene and by the time the conflict arises, you are already tired of watching this lifeless film.

Here's the trailer of Maaran:

There’s action, brother-sister sentiments and an investigation underway. But, you feel none of it because you’ve have already guessed it all. When the director introduces the so-called twists and turns, you stare at the screen with zero emotion. The build-up to the revelation and the reasoning are just outrightly ridiculous. Watch out for the scene where Ameer explains why he abducts Dhanush’s sister.

Dhanush’s role is so badly written that even his acting couldn’t salvage the film. The film is all about Maaran and his intelligence. Maaran is always ahead of the police officials and he plays them too. During that scene, you laugh instead of feeling surprised at the twist.