Maareesan, starring Fahadh Faasil and Vadivelu within the lead roles, was released in theatres on July 25, 2025. The pre-release promotions mostly hinted at a buddy road movie vibe. The film received mostly positive critical reception and audience response, reflected in its IMDb rating of 8.2 out of 10. In its first 4 days, Maareesan managed to gross INR 4.51 crores, leading to a net collection of 3.83 crores from the Indian domestic market. Did it deserve a greater opening weekend? And must you shell out your money to spice up its numbers?
Maareesan’s Misses: What Fell Flat
Let’s start with the negatives. The primary half is a slow burn, and at times, it has quite a lot of lag. Then there are the plot holes and the portrayal of police incompetence. The Tamil Nadu police should not as incompetent as shown within the film. However the story demands that level of incompetence. And what about CCTV cameras, surveillance, and notifying the general public by issuing wanted posters and other such measures? Where are those on the earth of this film? If it was set within the mid-2000s, when feature phones dominated the market and CCTV wasn’t as common, a few of these issues might have been explained away.
Maareesan’s Wins: What Totally Clicked
The performances by the forged are where the film truly won the hearts of the audience. For a long time, the Tamil film industry wasted Vadivelu’s potential by giving him roles that served only as comic relief and had nothing to do with the predominant plot. But in recent times, things have modified. He’s now showcasing his talent by taking up well-written roles one after one other and delivering a few of his best performances, surpassing even some superstars when it comes to acting.
As for Fahadh Faasil, we already knew he would perform well since he has played similar roles previously. The primary and second halves of the film feel like entirely different movies; the tone, pacing, and overall vibe shift drastically for the entire movie. Composer Yuvan Shankar Raja did job with the music. It didn’t stand out by itself, nevertheless it blended well with the world of the film and felt like a natural a part of it. Overall, it’s an enjoyable film, but revealing anything more would spoil the experience for you.
Maareesan Plot
Dhayalan, recently released from prison, is a petty thief who gets back to his old ways by stealing a motorbike and breaking right into a house to rob it. There, he stumbles upon an old man chained up and affected by dementia. The old man pleads with Dhayalan to set him free and guarantees a reward of INR 25,000. After taking the cash, Dhayalan discovers that the old man has INR 25 lakhs in his checking account. Sensing a possibility, he comes up with a plan to extract the remaining of the cash by taking the old man on a road trip. In an interview with OTTPlay, director Sudheesh Sankar revealed that the film’s title, Maareesan, is inspired by the Hindu epic Ramayan. Maareesan was a shape-shifting demon.
Maareesan Trailer
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