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Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive . Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.

Yedumati Lakshmi brahmaiah 1 90 days ago

Master piece, super movie, wonderfull movie

vijayduniya 508 days ago

User santhosh 594 days ago, jay smoorthy 736 days ago.

Waste of time. The ONLY message is 'Don't follow Principles, drink alcohol. Only the goon wins. A family of IPS officers or Armyman fails.' Alcoholic entrepreneurship is best for youngsters to come up in LIFE. Do we need this kind of film ??

Hasvini 795 days ago

good movie but same style of how they take. good bgm. Great act from Dhruv vikram. We can just watch for those kings and the movie is quite interesting

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Mahaan review: Vikram, Dhruv deliver a spicy action drama

Mahaan review: the vikram and dhruv-starrer is a spicy action-family drama that captures the moral and spiritual struggle of our time. it could have been more if karthik had slowed the pace a little and dug deep into the period and atmosphere..

Director Karthik Subbaraj’s new movie Mahaan tackles an important question: What does it mean to be a Gandhian in today’s day and age? In a post-truth world where self-centeredness, vanity, intolerance, hunger for fame, and political distortion are the order of the day, how does one follow the teachings of the Mahatma?

Our protagonist is named Gandhi Mahaan, played by an in form Vikram , and there is nothing remotely Gandhian about him when we meet him first. He is seen drinking, gambling and even killing in his fantasies. Karthik uses a classic Freudian method to demonstrate the protagonist’s repressed wishes and desires. Gandhi is forced to lock away his true personality and identity to live up to the moral codes imposed on him by society. He didn’t choose to live a Gandhian lifestyle, but it is thrust upon him by his family who believes in following the apostle of peace’s teachings.

In a scene, an adolescent Dadabhai Naoroji, that is the name of Gandhi Mahan’s son in the movie, is taught never to lie by his Gandhian grandfather. And when Dada asks why shouldn’t one lie? His grandfather, instead of explaining why, simply says, “You just can’t. That’s all.” But, the same man, when on his deathbed, makes a young Dada promise that he will take revenge against Gandhi on his behalf. That makes it clear that the grandfather himself didn’t fully understand the Gandhian ways. For him, drinking is the greatest sin but seeking vengeance is not. The blind and unquestioned following of any ideology is toxic, both to society and the soul.

In his own way, Gandhi finds out how to live like a “Mahaan” (Mahatma). He eventually discovers great moral strength with him, to do what’s right even when it feels he’s beyond the point of redemption. Before that awakening, however, Gandhi leaves a trail of dead bodies, plundered wealth, broken laws and hundreds, if not thousands, of empty alcohol bottles.

The majority of the story is set in the late 1990s. Gandhi is in his forties, and is living in a small house in railway staff quarters allotted to his wife Nachi (played by Simran). His son Dada is still young and attached to his father. It is his birthday and his wife asks him to wear a new shirt. He goes to his wardrobe and swaps his old khadi white shirt for a new khadi white shirt. Like his dress, his life is also colourless and bland.

He is close to his breaking point, and is terrified that he’s not living his life to its full potential in the fear of violating his family code. His life feels like a trap. So on his 40th birthday, when his wife and son take a pilgrimage trip, he decides to go wild. He breaks his bank and spends money on drinking, gambling and eating meat. In the process, he discovers his instantiable urge for what is considered a sin by his family. He always wants more. More drinks, more gambling, more violence, more money and more power. When he reconnects with his childhood friend, Sathyan (Bobby Simha) and his son Rocky (Sananth Reddy), Gandhi finds his key to the life he so desires.

And all hell breaks loose when Gandhi’s son Dada returns to his life. He is not there to inherit his father’s liquor empire, but to destroy from within. Dada is a cop assigned to wipe out Gandhi’s gang. Things get complicated when Gandhi is forced to choose between his real family and people who are like family.

Vikram feels natural and effortless in his role. He brings a unique style to his character Gandhi, which adds to the film’s overall appeal. His performance is well complemented by Bobby Simha, whose character undergoes a spiritual epiphany that is very similar to Samuel L. Jackson’s Jules in Pulp Fiction after a near-death experience. Vettai Muthukumar fits the role of cunning and amoral politician with great ease.

And then there is Dhruv as Dada. He has these bursts of powerful performances. He knows how to get angry and fly into a rage for the camera. He channels the unapologetic meanness and guilt-free desire for revenge.

Composer Santhosh Narayanan’s background score, cinematographer Shreyaas Krishna’s camera enriches the mood and atmosphere of Karthik’s vision. If Karthik had slowed the pace a little and dug deep into the period and atmosphere of his characters, Mahaan could have been his own version of “Once Upon a Time in America.” But, that doesn’t take away the fact that it is a spicy action-family-drama that in a way captures the moral and spiritual struggle of our time.

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Mahaan review: Vikram, Dhruv’s intense drama pits father and son against each other in battle for revenge

Mahaan review: the film extracts a very uninhibited performance from vikram, who is refreshing in a character that spans over five decades..

Karthik Subbaraj has always been an exciting filmmaker among the new crop of directors who are redefining Tamil cinema. With mostly novel attempts to his credit, including the heavily panned Jagame Thandhiram with Dhanush, Karthik has emerged as one of those directors whose work you want to closely follow. With Mahaan , which features father-son duo Vikram and Dhruv Vikram for the first time together on screen, Karthik weaves a very interesting relationship drama that takes two popular Gandhian ideologies – non-violence and prohibition of alcohol – to spin an interesting story around faith and freedom.

Mahaan is centred on Gandhi (Vikram), who is born in a Tamil family that idolises Mahatma Gandhi and his beliefs. The protagonist named Gandhi’s grandfather and father have played a vital role in India’s independence. From a very young age, Gandhi was strictly raised with Gandhian ideologies, eventually taking away his basic freedom to live life the way he wants. Cut to 30 years later, on his 40th birthday, Gandhi decides to spend the day doing everything he always wished for when his wife and son are away on a trip to Tirupati. Gandhi meets a former student, Rocky, who now owns a chain of bars with his father.

Rocky decides to celebrate Gandhi’s 40th birthday in a big way and in the process, gets him drunk. All hell breaks loose when Gandhi goes home the next day and his wife decides to leave him. Gandhi goes back to join Rocky and his father Sathyavan (Bobby Simhaa) in their liquor business and soon transforms into the most successful liquor baron. 20 years later, when Gandhi crosses paths with his son Dadabhai Naoroji aka Dada, the drama that ensues forms the crux of the story.

Mahaan raises a very important question about taking someone’s ideology and imposing it on others, expecting them to embrace it wholeheartedly. Vikram’s character is the perfect example of that kind of person who has been forced to live a certain way because of an ideology that was imposed upon him by his family. It is that same ideology that turns him into an extremist. Karthik takes this idea about ideological beliefs turning into extremism and pits a father and son in a battle for revenge which makes Mahaan a terrific relationship drama.

Also read: Veeramae Vaagai Soodum review: Vishal’s film is a quintessential vigilante drama with decent action

Mahaan extracts a very uninhibited performance from Vikram, who is refreshing in a character that spans over five decades. This is a very mature performance, and he embraces the character’s flaws and vulnerability so convincingly. Dhruv Vikram looks even more comfortable in his second outing as an actor. After leaving a strong impact with his debut film, a remake of Arjun Reddy, he delivers a slightly exaggerated performance which suits the character. Bobby Simhaa gets a meaty part and even though you find him in almost every Karthik Subbaraj film, he manages to surprise each time.

Film: Mahaan

Director: Karthik Subbaraj

Cast: Vikram, Dhruv Vikram, Bobby Simhaa and Simran

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‘Mahaan’ review: A spirited attack on righteousness

Tamil director karthik subbaraj’s movie stars vikram, dhruv vikram, bobby simha and sananth..

Of all the sideways tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, this one has to be the most spirited.

In Tamil director Karthik Subbaraj’s Mahaan , a character named after the symbol of non-violence and teetotalism struggles to live up his ideals. Gandhi Mahaan (Vikram) doesn’t as much cross over as he paddles furiously to the other side, where lie the joys of criminal behaviour, immense wealth and endless rivulets of liquor.

Gandhi has had the misfortune of being born into a staunchly Gandhian family. His wife Nachi (Simran) is a devotee of self-abnegation too. So when Gandhi turns up one day after having broken the no-liquor rule, Nachi, their son Dadabai Naoroji (Dada for short) and the rest of the family walk out in disgust.

Gandhi has little time to mourn their departure. This commerce professor breaks bad in a big way. Teaming up with Sathyavan (Bobby Simha) and Satyhavan’s son Rocky (Sananth), Gandhi becomes the gangster version of Vijay Mallya.

The trio, with the help of politician Gnanam (Muthu Kumar), bilk the system and milk the ensuing profits. Payback comes in the form of Dada (Dhruv Vikram), an aggressive police officer who has sworn to raze Gandhi’s kingdom to the ground.

It’s a formulaic plot, told over a bottom-warming 142 minutes through a parade of flashbacks and raucous songs (by Santhosh Narayanan). Subbaraj brings to the movie his usual snarky humour, visual flair for staging scenes and immersion in the worlds of men. The one significant female character, Nachi, is barely visible and eminently forgettable.

Mahaan has been released with English subtitles on Amazon Prime Video. There’s more to the mission to cleanse Tamil Nadu of alcohol, the meandering movie will have us know. Rather than taking down Mahatma Gandhi a few pegs (he is an easy target anyway these days), Mahaan appears to be firing over the shoulder of the apostle of peace at the false gods who lurk in our midst.

Dada is a zealot who has been raised in a religious cult after being separated from his father. As much a moral policeman as an actual policeman, Dada represents everything that Gandhi – and the movie – abhors: an impossible standard of rectitude, a killjoy attitude towards pleasure, and disgust for people who live beyond the pale of society’s prescribed rules.

Gandhi draws an equivalence between his anarchic amorality and Dada’s trigger-happy righteousness by telling the young man, I may not be a good man, but you are no better than me.

Somewhere in this seemingly endless movie, might there be an allegory about the hypocritical times in which we are living? Perhaps it’s the alcohol talking.

At any rate, the gangsters are certainly having more fun in the movie than anybody else. Their camaraderie, loyalty and personal moral code bring to mind not one of the aphorisms attributed to Mahatma Gandhi but the line from Bob Dylan’s song Absolutely Sweet Marie : “But to live outside the law, you must be honest.”

Vikram delivers a Patiala peg of a performance, simmering with pathos and bathos as well as self-deprecation. Dhruv Vikram (the actor’s son in real life) is simply no match for the magnetic pater familias. Bobby Simha, the star of Subbaraj’s Jigarthanda (2014) is on fire too. The brotherhood between Gandhi and Sathayavan and Subbaraj’s subversive glee just about rescue Mahaan from unforgiveable bloat.

Corrections and clarifications: The review erroneously identified the film’s music composer as Anirudh Ravichander. It is actually Santhosh Narayanan.

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Mahaan Review: Vikram's Star Turn Has Support From Real-Life Son Dhruv Vikram

Mahaan review: it makes its share of mistakes and lives to tell the tale because vikram injects just enough variety into it with a performance that tempers some of the film's excesses..

Mahaan : A still from the film. (courtesy: Imdb )

Cast: Vikram, Dhruv Vikram, Simran, Bobby Simha, and Vani Bhojan with Sananth, Vettai Muthukumar, Deepak Paramesh and Aadukalam Naren

Director: Karthik Subbaraj

Rating: Two and a half stars (Out of 5)

Karthik Subbaraj's overlong Tamil crime drama Mahaan , streaming on Amazon Prime Video, alternates between the massy and the trashy but it does so with unapologetic flair. That is not to suggest that the film's erratic trajectory deflects lead actor Vikram from his path in any way. He holds firm and carries the film on his shoulders.

Vikram's oft-proven histrionic range is on full display as he transforms himself first from being an orthodox, middle-aged family man to an ageing rebel with a questionable cause and then from a king of the liquor mafia to a father torn between his paternal instincts and his loyalty to a boyhood friend.

But does the impressive star turn have the power to salvage a patchy film that struggles to find an emotional core for its story about the limits of freedom, the perils of militant conservatism and an all-out clash between a father and a son? The two men stand on opposite sides of a moral divide and face off in a fight that endangers many lives.

Unfortunately, neither the ethical questions that arise nor the emotional complications that are triggered by the father-son confrontation assume proportions that can elevate Mahaan to the heights that could do justice to the title. The film's gloss is strictly surface level.

The general quality of the acting is of a high order. Vikram has support from his real-life son, Dhruv Vikram, cast as his estranged screen son. The cast of the film includes Simran, Bobby Simha, Sananth and Muthukumar in the role of the principal antagonist.

Vikram plays a man from a Gandhian family who is stifled by the burden that his name, Gandhi Mahaan, puts on him. In one of the early scenes following a prelude set in 1968 - it shows three village boys playing a card game that ends in a violent scuffle - it is revealed that the boy's grandfather was a freedom fighter, his father an anti-liquor activist. Gandhi's best pal, Sathyavan is, in contrast, the only son of a toddy brewer.

Cut to 1996. On Gandhi Mahaan's 40th birthday, the staid commerce teacher decides that he has had enough of unquestioning adherence to the morals and principles enjoined upon him by his lineage. He throws caution to the wind. He gambles and drinks himself silly in a bar owned by Sathyavan, with whom he reconnects in the city quite by chance.

That one bacchanalian night changes the course of Gandhi Mahaan 's life forever. In a drunken state, he kicks up a huge kerfuffle when he returns home with Sathyavan (Bobby Simha) and the latter's son Rocky (Sananth). A couple of slaps and angry words are exchanged. Matters spiral out of control and Gandhi's wife Nachi (Simran) and son Dada leave him for good. Soon after, the landlord orders the man to vacate the house.

Left to his own devices, the hero bounces back quickly by setting up a liquor empire in partnership with Sathyavan, finds a son in Rocky and makes rapid strides in the business with a mix of calculated risks and strongarm tactics. At one point, Gandhi Mahaan admits that while he has the gift of the gab, he isn't particularly adept at using his fists. But don't let that declaration fool you.

For a high-octane drama that centres on crime and vengeance, Mahaan is sparing in its use of action sequences but the ones that are mounted bear an unmistakable Karthik Subbaraj stamp. Especially noteworthy is a long sequence in which Gandhi Mahaan is caught between his estranged son Dada (Dhruv Vikram), now a viciously uncompromising special task force policeman who has been detailed with the task of wiping out Gandhi Mahaan's gang, and Rocky, the young man who is like a son.

Dada's return into Gandhi Mahaan's life - it is Dhruv Vikram's entry scene - is also staged with some panache. The young actor, up against the seasoned Vikram, holds his own. It is, of course, no cakewalk. There are times that Dhruv Vikram's effort to ensure that he isn't eclipsed begins to show.

His grand moniker notwithstanding, the protagonist, in collusion with the third friend from the opening sequence, Gnanam (Muthukumar), a corrupt politician who wins elections on an anti-alcohol plank but is in cahoots with the liquor lobby, rises to the top of the heap when Dada and his men arrive out of the blue and decide to rain on his party.

More trouble brews when the crooked politician has his own ideas and runs afoul of Gandhi Mahaan and Sathyavan. When the liquor king meets Gnanam in the company of Sathyavan and Rocky in his grand ministerial office plastered with portraits of Gandhi, Nehru, Indira Gandhi and APJ Abdul Kalam, sparks fly and set the stage for the final leg of the film.

Neither the making of the film, which alternates between the overly flashy and the drably sedate, nor the background score and songs composed by Santhosh Narayanan, which incorporate dollops of hip hop, is exceptional. Mahaan is overlong, sluggish in parts and way too superficial for its convoluted message to attain clarity.

If the film still manages not to be a complete washout, it is because of the energetic performances, the occasional visual flourishes that Karthik Subbaraj packs into the film and the solid camerawork by Shreyaas Krishna, who imparts a distinct feel and texture to the frames.

That apart, there are at least a couple of takeaways from Mahaan . In one scene, the minister preens that he isn't given to issuing multiple threats like "a movie villain". I am a certified politician, he says, "a real villain". The favourite whipping boy of contemporary Indian cinema thus makes his presence felt in Mahaan .

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In another flash of striking insight, the hero asserts that those who seek to forcibly impose their ideals on others are no better than those that flout all laws of acceptable behaviour. Both are extremists, he says, harking back to the line (attributed to Mahatma Gandhi) that Mahaan opens with: "Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes."

Mahaan grabs that freedom with both hands - like the eponymous character, it makes its share of mistakes and lives to tell the tale because Vikram injects just enough variety into it with a performance that serves to temper some of the film's excesses.

: Vikram, Dhruv Vikram, Simran, Bobby Simha, and Vani Bhojan with Sananth, Vettai Muthukumar, Deepak Paramesh and Aadukalam Naren

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Mahaan Movie Review (2022)

Chiyaan vikram - dhruv vikram starrer mahaan movie review.

Mahaan Movie Cast & Crew

Chiyaan Vikram's highly-anticipated action drama, Mahaan, also starring his son Dhruv Vikram as the other lead, has released on Amazon Prime Video as a direct OTT release. Directed by Karthik Subbaraj, the film has music composed by Santhosh Narayanan. Mahaan is a film that carries a good level of pre-release buzz, thanks to its refreshing combination of actors. How has the film fared? Let's check it out!

STORY: Gandhi Mahaan (Chiyaan Vikram), frustrated by his monotonous life by following the Gandhian principles, is separated from his wife (Simran) and son, Dada. After their separation, Gandhi Mahaan becomes a billionaire and a liquor baron with the partnership of his friend Sathyavan (Bobby Simhaa). Years later, Dada (Dhruv Vikram) grows up to become a Police officer, who sets out on a mission to curb the liquor business and kill the people involved in the racket. Dada tells Gandhi that he will kill every single person in his gang and stop this liquor business. Gandhi is put in a complicated position where he needs to stand either for his friend who gave him life or for his estranged son. Which side did he take on and what was the result? Watch the film to know! 

SCREENPLAY, DIALOGUES  & DIRECTION:  Karthik Subbaraj returns to form at a reasonable level with Mahaan after a forgettable outing in Jagame Thandhiram. The premise here offers great scope for drama between the characters and Karthik makes wise use of it. The film is highly engaging although there are a few dips here and there in both halves. There are some well-shot scenes that hold your attention - for example, the church fight sequence where Vikram unleashes himself for the first time, and the first meeting between Vikram & co. and Muthukumar at the Minister's office. Karthik Subbaraj, the director is back in his zone of action that is laced with wackiness and a dark mood. Karthik Subbaraj is someone who has been strong with dialogues and with Mahaan, he puts out some sensible and thought-provoking lines that earn applause. The film takes us by surprise with its emotionally-charged second half and the drama is choreographed in an impressive fashion.

On the downside, the film is a tad too long, especially towards the end. As earlier said, the screenplay is inconsistent at a few junctures and a tighter staging of the plot with more solid moments (in the writing) would have made the film a completely engrossing watch. At times, Mahaan also turns out to be quite predictable. 

CAST:  Chiyaan Vikram delivers a brilliant performance yet again with a solid role that offers him ample scope to emote. He is a delight to watch, making our movie-watching experience enjoyable with his charismatic screen presence. The majority of Mahaan is actually Vikram's one-man show and he steals it with ease.

On the other hand, Dhruv is in raging form as Dada. After playing a super romantic and charming hero in Adithya Varma, his role in Mahaan is a big shift and he makes use of the space given to him to deliver a convincing performance. Dhruv carries a certain level of charm and swag which if utilized well, will definitely strike a chord with the audience. It is the duo's striking combination that makes Mahaan quite an exhilarating watch.

Simran gets a short role and does her part in a smooth manner. Bobby Simhaa's makeover has been done interestingly and he plays his role as an aging man in a compelling fashion. 

TECHNICAL:  Santhosh Narayanan's songs don't really pack the punch that a film like Mahaan demands. The background score also works only at places and is a major letdown. Shreyas Krishna's cinematography is top-class, especially the framing and lighting for the scenes. Vivek Harshan's editing is neat and helps with the smooth flow of the film. However, certain scenes could have been trimmed to make the film more gripping.  

SO?   Mahaan does have its own share of setbacks, but on the larger picture, the film is definitely watchable!

Verdict Chiyaan Vikram's fantastic performance with solid support from Dhruv, makes Mahaan an engaging watch!

Galatta Rating: ( 2.75 /5.0 )

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Mahaan Movie Review: Chiyaan Vikram and Dhruv's gangster drama is indulgent and overstretched

Director karthik subbaraj’s mahaan brings together chiyaan vikram and his real son dhruv vikram. the film, with an exciting idea at its core, has solid performances but fails to hold our attention..

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Director Karthik Subbaraj’s latest offering, Mahaan, begins with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, which reads, “Freedom is not worth having if it doesn't include the freedom to make mistakes.” And it encapsulates what the entire film is all about. Gandhi Mahaan (Chiyaan Vikram) hails from a family comprising ardent followers of Gandhian ideology. His father and ancestors toiled hard for the country and they impose the same ideology on Gandhi Mahaan.

For 40 years, Gandhi Mahaan followed the Gandhian ideology to the T. One day, he decides he wants a day away from the lifestyle he was forced to lead. He blows off some steam by getting drunk and indulging in gambling at his childhood friend Sathyavan’s (Bobby Simhaa) bar. This changes his life upside down. His wife Nachi (Simran), along with his son Dada (Dhruv Vikram), leaves him. Gandhi Mahaan then becomes a liquor baron by teaming up with Sathyavan and Gnanam (Vettai Muthukumar). When his son comes back, it topples his world..

Mahaan has Karthik Subbaraj written all over it. He knows how to take an age-old storyline and give it a glossy finish. Mahaan’s story is about ideological differences between a father and his estranged son. If done right, this could’ve ended up as a slick commercial entertainer with social commentary. However, the film meanders midway.

Throughout the film, Gandhi Mahaan’s father (Aadukalam Murugadoss), Nachi and her family members talk about Gandhian ideology. But, the ideology applies only to alcohol. And they talk only about alcoholism. The Gandhian ideology doesn’t apply to the rest of the characters killing each other in the blink of an eye. It is this inconsistency that doesn’t get the audience sucked into Karthik Subbaraj’s world.

However, the performances of Chiyaan Vikram and Bobby Simha make up for the muddled screenplay. They are in top form. Be it the different looks or character arcs, both of them have delivered a solid performance. Dhruv Vikram is a surprise package in the film. In some scenes, he nails it with so much restraint. But, in the scenes which require him to be a little flamboyant, he becomes a caricature. Mahaan is more of a film that gives space for Vikram the actor than his son, Dhruv. Sananth as Rocky is a revelation to watch.

The initial scenes of Mahaan, which show the meteoric rise of Gandhi and Satyavan, keep you engrossed. But when Dhruv’s Dada comes into the story, the screenplay shifts to Gandhi’s conflicts. It is in the second half that Mahaan falters.

Mahaan is too indulgent. One needs to look past the crazy coincidences to make peace with the story. Gandhi Mahaan’s reunion with his two friends and his encounter with his son for the first time happen out of the blue.

That said, Mahaan has some delightful stretches too. Be it the fight sequence between Vikram and Dhruv or the climax act, these scenes will make you sit up and watch the proceedings unfold intriguingly.

Mahaan is also technically sound. Cinematographer Shreyas Krishna and composer Santosh Narayanan have elevated the writing to a different level.

Mahaan could have been a solid gangster drama with a conflict between a dad and son at the core. If only Karthik Subbaraj had conveyed his thoughts in a crisp screenplay, Mahaan could have been much better.

3 out of 5 for Mahaan.

Mahaan is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

ALSO SEE | Mahaan trailer out. Chiyaan Vikram and Dhruv are all set to take you on a thrilling ride

ALSO SEE | Chiyaan Vikram and Dhruv's Mahaan to release on Amazon Prime Video this December? Published By: K Janani Published On: Feb 10, 2022 --- ENDS ---

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Release Date : February 10,2022

123telugu.com Rating : 2.5/5

Starring: Vikram, Dhruv Vikram, Simha, Simran,Vani Bhojan, Sananth, Muthukumar, Aadukalam Naren

Director: Karthik Subbaraj

Producer: SS Lalit Kumar

Music Director: Santhosh Narayanan

Cinematography : M Sherif

Editor: Vivek Harshan

Mahaan is a gangster drama that marks the first collaboration of Vikram and his son, Dhruv Vikram. Written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj, the movie is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Let’s see how the movie is.

Gandhi Mahaan (Vikram) is a commerce teacher, who follows Gandhian values until he meets his childhood friend Sathyavan (Bobby Simha), who brews liquor. In no time, Mahaan joins the liquor business and starts ruling the liquor mafia. But things change when his son, Dadabhai Naoroji (Dhruv Vikram), a Gandhian follower, comes back as a policeman to wipe out his father’s liquor business. Did Dadabhai complete his mission? How did Mahaan face his son? To know the answers we need to watch the movie.

Plus Points:

As always, Vikram delivers his best performance as a common man and also as a mafia leader. His performance in emotional scenes is quite mesmerizing. Meanwhile, Dhruv Vikram wows everyone with his unique and stellar performance as a ruthless policeman. The scenes and dialogues between the father and son are good.

Bobby Simha lives in his character. Sananth and Muthukumar give their best to make the movie a good one. The story runs well in the second half and hooks you in a few scenes. Santhosh Narayanan needs to be appreciated for his outstanding music that helps in elevating the scenes. The visuals are especially good.

Minus Points:

The major problem with this gangster drama is its slow-paced narration. In addition, Mahaan also has a lengthy runtime. The film takes a lot of time to enter the main story.

Until the entry of Dhruv Vikram, the movie runs on a slow note and makes you feel a bit bored. Many scenes in the first half test your patience with the boring screenplay.

Technical Aspects:

Director Karthik Subbaraj has good experience in dealing with gangster movies. He narrates it in his own space but he fails to make it an engaging gangster movie. Shreyaa’s cinematography is good and the background score by Santhosh Narayanan is outstanding. Production values are also good.

On the whole, Mahaan is a slow-paced gangster drama that works only in parts. If you bear the slow pace and lengthy runtime, you can give the movie a shot for the finest performances of Vikram and Dhruv Vikram. 123telugu.com Rating: 2.5/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Version

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Mahaan Review: Engaging But Not Exciting

Movie: Mahaan Rating: 2.25/5 Banner: Seven Screen Studio  Cast: Vikram, Dhruv Vikram, Simha, Simran, Sananth, Muthukumar Music: Santhosh Narayanan DOP: Shreyaas Krishna Editor: Vivek Harshan Stunts: Dinesh Subbarayan Produced by: SS Lalit Kumar Director: Karthik Subbaraj Release Date: Jan 14, 2022

“Mahaan” is a Tamil gangster drama that marks Vikram and his son Dhruv Vikram coming together. The father and son have played the lead roles in the film. Karthik Subbaraj of ‘Jigarthanda’ and ‘Petta’ directing this drama has raised expectations. The film premiered directly today on Amazon Prime.

Let’s find out its merits and demerits.

Story: On his 40th birthday, Gandhi Mahaan (Vikram), a school teacher, decides to have a drink at a bar and enjoy life for a day. His wife Janaki (Simran) leaves him as Gandhi Mahaan broke the Gandhian principles. She heads for North India along with their son.

Abandoned by his family, Mahaan helps his friend Satya (Bobby Simha) in his liquor business. Satya and Gandhi Mahaan become billionaires.

Twenty years later, Gandhi Mahaan’s son Dada (Dhruv) comes to Vizag, bringing haywire challenges for the father. 

Artistes’ Performances: Vikram gets a role to exhibit his true performative skills, and he steals the chance. As a man caught between fatherly love and friendship, Vikram plays it with elan. Although his role is a little hazy, he gives his best, holds the film with his performance.

Dhruv Vikram enters the scene nearly after one hour. The young man is impressive. He lives up to the challenge of facing his father. 

Bobby Simha as Satya lends emotional core to the story. Simran as Vikram’s wife leaves an impression. Vettai Muthukumar as the politician is another interesting performance.  

Technical Excellence: The camerawork and production design are the striking features among the technical department.

Santosh Narayan’s background score serves the mood, but the music, on the whole, doesn’t impress much. 

Highlights: Vikram’s performance The final portions The drama between father and son

Drawback: The boring first hour Predictable sequences Weak flashback

Analysis “Mahaan” begins with Mahatma Gandhi’s quotation – “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” 

The protagonist Vikram is also named after Mahatma Gandhi. The central point is about prohibition and the liquor mafia. So, the title Mahaan (meaning Mahatma) is apt. But the film is essentially a gangster drama revolving around a father and son.

Like oft-repeated gangster dramas, it follows the same path for nearly one hour focusing on the ways and means of the protagonist becoming a billionaire and building a business (illegal) empire with his smart thinking. 

A middle-class teacher in the forties creates a liquor mafia gang. The first hour of the movie deals with this point.

The biggest problem with the first hour is that the drama is not at all engaging. Simran leaving her husband Vikram for the sole reason of drinking alcohol on his birthday is not convincing.

Furthermore, Dhruv Vikram developing so much hatred towards his father seems unrealistic. However, the film gets us involved when Dhruv enters the scene.

Dhruv’s dramatic entry sets the ball rolling. The confrontational scenes between Vikram and Dhruv are also handled well.

The main highlight comes when Vikram is caught between his son and his friend's son. Despite not having great moments, the second half makes an interesting watch. The final moments are told grippingly. 

However, “Mahaan” suffers from a lack of a strong conflict point. The whole stretch of prohibition and Gandhian values, with flashbacks leading to 1968, gives a feeling of déjà vu.

A better conflict for the son and father would have made it more interesting. Simran’s re-entry into the story doesn’t make much impact. 

Plus, the lengthy runtime is another minus. 

In a nutshell, “Mahaan” doesn’t provide anything new with long predictable stretches, but Vikram and Dhruv make it watchable. It is another unexciting gangster drama from Karthik Subbaraj.

Bottom line: Nothing Mahaan Here!

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Mahaan Movie Review: An in-form Vikram stars in a middling film that is dense with meaning

Rating: ( 3 / 5).

I've missed seeing Vikram perform. In Karthik Subbaraj’s latest film, Mahaan —a gangster extravaganza if you will—it’s a pleasure to see the actor in full flight and strive to lift the film along with him. He plays a character named… Gandhi Mahaan, who from childhood, gets mocked for the name. You see why—Gandhi and his principles are thought to be so pure that they have become aspirational and almost unattainable. “ What’s your name again? Gandhi Mahaan? Lol.”  The insinuation, of course, is that no man can become worthy of the name, and this suggestion that the great leader’s ideas could be beyond reach (and the general misrepresentation of his principles) is what Mahaan stands against.

Director: Karthik Subbaraj

Cast: Vikram, Dhruv Vikram, Bobby Simha, Simran, Sananth

It's a Karthik Subbaraj film, and so, our Gandhi Mahaan, fatigued of his squeaky-clean life and routine, grows into sin, corruption, and crime. Vikram is all swag in these portions as you can imagine, but I liked him even better in the latter portions of the film when Gandhi grows old, and turns jaded and lonely. Watch him in that reunion scene with his son, Dada (Dhruv Vikram), go from elation to horror to confusion. Watch him, from then on, wrestle with unstoppable love, confusion, sorrow, guilt… Watch him be the victim of this cocktail of emotions in every scene. Watch him be human and at the receiving end of punishment he knows he deserves. Vikram is wonderful in these spaces.

The film, not so much, and I say this with a really heavy heart. However, the film  does have  some admirable stretches of writing and filmmaking—that all-important scene between Sathya (Bobby Simha) and Gandhi is delicious in how it plays out slowly towards its Tarantino-esque resolution. It’s a mainstream film that operates under the limitation of doing justice to its star  and  also his son. And yet, Karthik Subbaraj manages to fill the material with meaning, subtext, philosophy, homages… It’s all quite dense.

In fact, perhaps a bit too much than this film, despite its 150-odd-minute runtime, is able to do justice to. Too much seems to happen too fast, and it doesn’t help that the film expects you to buy its many coincidences as well. Gandhi’s friendship with Sathya is a blur. The rise of Dada, Gandhi’s son, is a blur. The political rise of Gnanam (Vettai Muthukumar) is a blur. And above all, Gandhi’s own descent from being a poster-boy of purity is a blur. Before you can make peace, the film takes you across years, back and forth, through developments that filmmakers sometimes need whole franchises to cover. My most favourite of the many phases of Gandhi’s life is the earliest, when the Ambi-like Gandhi moves to the dark side, in search of the entertainment of sin and mistakes… and in essence, life. In a sense, the film argues that the absence of sin is perhaps the absence of life. And for that reason, Mahaan could well be seen as an affirmation of life, despite being as violent and dark. This almost oxymoronic quest of the film is quite fascinating to think about. Equally interesting is how this film, with all its period-hopping ambition and sprawling quality, is, in essence, an intimate story of two families. I enjoyed that Mahaan has all these ideas in its foundation; I liked that it speaks with love of sin and forgiveness, of regret and repentance, particularly through the character of Sathya—who, despite being the violent head of an alcohol company, comes across as a better person than almost everyone else around him.

Who’s a Mahaan? Is he a person who has never erred in life or one who has learned from his errors? This question is central to this film, and you can see this from its stand against extremism, covering both ends of sin and abstinence. The film’s opening quote, for this reason, is Gandhian: “Freedom is not worth having if it doesn’t include the freedom to make mistakes.” All this rings quite relevant in today’s age of intolerant, hate politics that weaponises ‘purity’. While our films have always vilified the extremes of sin, it’s fascinating that Mahaan bravely stands against virtue-signalling abstinence devoid of empathy and forgiveness. And  this  is why I enjoy Karthik Subbaraj films. Even in a Mahaan that doesn’t quite leave you breathless with gratification, there’s so much to process and unpack, even if it’s not all explored to great satisfaction. Take something as straightforward as character names, and you will notice that a Gnanam is pitted against Sathyavan. It's hard to believe that it’s simply a coincidence that Sathyavan is a Christian character who can’t stand Gnanam. It’s hard not to think about Christianity’s conviction that Gnanam (knowledge) is sin. Without Sathyam, can there be a Gnanam? Again, Mahaan may not necessarily explore these ideas in their totality, but it likeably keeps trying to go beyond the obvious.

Is it a Karthik Subbaraj film if it doesn’t have homages and cheeky references? A Fistful of Dollars , Rajini films like Annamalai , Baasha , and the filmmaker’s own Petta … Given that one of the families in the film has ancestors who were freedom fighters, we have a Gandhi Mahaan, a Mohandoss, a Dadabhai Naoroji (named perhaps because the late leader went on to live in Britain, among the ‘villains’?). In this film, rather curiously, there are plenty of homages to Vikram’s own filmography as well. I thought of Raavanan when Dada (Dhruv) got all frenzied. I thought of Anniyan when an unconscious Gandhi suddenly sprang up to send the enemy flying. I’m pretty sure I thought of films like Gemini and Saamy as well, among other films.

How I enjoy watching Bobby Simha in Karthik Subbaraj films. In this director’s work, somehow, the actor seems liberated and challenged in a way he doesn’t otherwise. Like in Jigarthanda , here too, he plays a character well past his actual age; here, he’s even the father of a young man. In fact, in a sense, he feels like a reformed ‘Assault’ Sethu, a character who has done it all and now seeks silence and forgiveness. For that reason, he is a perfect foil to the avarice of Gandhi (“ paththala !”). I also liked Sananth, who plays his son, Rocky, a spoilt young man, who hides much vulnerability behind a fun-loving exterior.

Right, right, what about Dhruv, you ask? He’s a looker, sure, and exudes charisma too. I’m not sure why he needed to play Dada as a deranged man though, which really keeps him at a distance and away from our empathy. All we get is a swift montage to chart his growth from childhood, and this urgency doesn’t allow to truly register the trauma of his upbringing. I enjoyed how Gandhi seems conflicted about him though. As for Simran’s Nachi, we don’t understand much of her. She’s unidimensional, a shrill nag who cannot be spoken to.

Can Santhosh Narayanan do any wrong? He comes up trumps again, or should I say, trumpets, given their use in this film? Testament to his good work is that Sathyavan-Gandhi confrontation scene and how wonderfully he uses the solo piano to register the shifting emotions and the ensuing tragedy. These are tasteful flourishes we have almost begun to take for granted in this filmmaker’s work (that basement murder scene is enjoyable too). Again, Mahaan may not be among his better work, but it’s still worth being kind to, if only for some fascinating writing choices. Where else are we going to see a hero called Gandhi who murders and drinks? Where else are you going to see a hero refer to his beloved son as a ‘ chella naai kutty ’? Where else, in this virtue-signalling era, are you going to see a drunkard hero make a passionate argument for the freedom to sin and make mistakes? Yes, this isn’t his best work, but remember that Gandhian quote the film opens with?

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‘Poolman’ Review: In the Sun Too Long

Chris Pine’s shaggy debut feature has a charismatic cast that rambles along with him on a Los Angeles detective adventure.

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By Nicolas Rapold

In “Poolman,” Chris Pine’s debut feature, he plays Darren, a distractible pool cleaner who becomes an amateur detective when he learns of a municipal conspiracy in Los Angeles. The sure-why-not plot, modeled on the California water grab in “Chinatown,” is less interesting than the charismatic cast that rambles along with Pine on his excellent adventure.

Pine’s yarn was savaged when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, but the sour response is a bit like getting mad at a golden retriever for rolling around in the grass. A shaggy civic gadfly, Darren grandstands at City Council meetings and becomes so self-absorbed that he forgets what his girlfriend (Jennifer Jason Leigh) does for a living. His Jungian psychiatrist, Diane (Annette Bening), and her story-spouting filmmaker hubby, Jack (Danny DeVito), look after him like foster parents, while apparently overseeing some kind of movie about his life.

Darren is clued into the unnecessarily confusing water scheme by June (DeWanda Wise, glamorous and gorgeously costumed), who’s an assistant to his nemesis on the City Council (Stephen Tobolowsky). But the amateur sleuthing through Los Angeles landmarks — smartly shot on film by Matthew Jensen (“Wonder Woman”) — plays second fiddle to what’s really a collection of warm character sketches and mild eccentricities punctuated by meditative visions.

Pine wisely avoids winks to the audience. But he whiffs at making the mystery especially gripping, leaving one instead to savor the moments, like a note-perfect Bening calmly talking Pine’s befuddled pool man through his latest setback.

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Netflix’s new comedic thriller “Bodkin” opens with the show’s protagonist, Gilbert Power ( Will Forte ), stating, “When I started this podcast, I didn't expect to solve anything. I didn't expect it to change my life.” It sets up the characters' preoccupations well, and also exposes the main problem with the genre their fictional series is embedded in. The series follows American true crime podcast host Gilbert and his researcher Emmy ( Robyn Cara ), who team up with journalist Dove ( Siobhán Cullen ) to uncover the mysterious disappearances that plagued the Irish town of Bodkin decades prior. 

As these amateur detectives continue to dig deeper for answers, they garner the attention of the town's various inhabitants. Some are fans of the show, while others are more than hostile to the new visitors. Despite this, Gilbert and Emmy are determined to get another hit on their hands, while Dove becomes entwined with the mystery and will stop at nothing to expose their identity. The three of them start off on the wrong foot, but as the series unfolds, they grow to care for one another, and surprisingly, their different methods of interviewing and interrogating work in the group's favor. 

From the first glares the trio receives, it’s clear that Bodkin and its community are hiding some big secrets. On their first few days in the town, this causes a malicious hit-and-run (thankfully, it doesn’t end in death) and their driver’s car to be set on fire. The town’s charming scenery, which often catches Gilbert off guard, covers up a woven bed of secrets that each member of the community wants to keep hidden. This is the main point of contention in the series and works well to showcase the failings of the true crime genre.

The series, in its first few episodes, is about the repercussions that come with telling a story about a place you’re not originally from and a place whose people don’t trust outsiders. Whether it be a podcast or a documentary, the relationship that listeners or viewers have with the media they consume is one filled with discord. Right off the bat, Gilbert says to Emmy that “the best stories are always mysteries,” showing us that he himself doesn’t understand that the stories he’s telling belong to real people. Dove on the other hand aptly compares true crime podcasts to “public hangings” putting her and Gilbert and Emmy on opposite sides of the play field.

As the series further unfolds, the themes it was attempting to juggle aren’t necessarily gone from “Bodkin’s” inner workings. Still, they do take a backseat compared to the actual mystery at hand. However, with episode 4, the show begins to give a voice to the supporting characters, giving a voice to the people whom the trio of protagonists unknowingly exploit. The most interesting here is undoubtedly Seamus (David Wilmont), one of the town's most illusive, and powerful members. While Dove is convinced that he is responsible for the disappearances of the three people who went missing during the Samhain festival, Gilbert isn’t so convinced. 

In an attempt to get more information from the man, Gilbert spends the better part of episodes 4 and 5 with Seamus. In their time together, it becomes apparent to Gilbert and us that there’s more to him than meets the eye. The growing relationship between the two is almost heartwarming – if such a word can exist in a black comedy like this – and the chemistry between Forte and Wilmot is electric. As they drive around to settle a debt Gilbert has with a bar patron, the two confide in each other about their romantic and life failings. As their relationship becomes more sincere, Gilbert becomes increasingly desperate for Seamus not to be the evil man Dove is convinced he is. It’s the best relationship in a series that hinges on brief or extended conversations and truly allows the show's writing and acting to shine.

Ultimately, “Bodkin” succeeds in a landscape of thrillers and true crime expansions. It expertly crafts a riveting mystery but also fleshes out its central – and supporting – characters. A series like this hinges on the chemistry of the show’s cast, and thankfully, each and every player gives it their all. Dove’s determination and coyness mix well with Gilbert and Emmy’s sweet disposition and, in turn, allow the Americans to become detectives in their own right. The difference in how they not only see the world but see their professions allows them to crack the case wide open and expose that this cold case might not even be lukewarm. 

Instead, the case at hand is a simmering beast waiting to be exposed, lying dormant beneath the soil of Bodkin for decades. It’s been waiting to be unearthed, and with the work of Dove, Gilbert, and Emmy, it soon will be. Each secret is mentioned by a passerby fleetingly, though the biggest ones stay hidden between the tight-lipped mouths of the show's most important players. The story never overstays its welcome and instead unfolds into one of the most entertaining shows of the year. Underneath it all is a warning that perhaps some things don’t need to be uncovered, and perhaps they’re left better off dead. 

All episodes were screened for review. On Netflix now.

Kaiya Shunyata

Kaiya Shunyata is a freelance pop culture writer and academic based in Canada. They have written for RogerEbert.com, Xtra, Okayplayer, The Daily Beast, AltPress and more. 

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Bodkin (2024)

420 minutes

Siobhán Cullen as Dove

Robyn Cara as Emmy

Chris Walley as Sean

David Wilmot as Seamus

Will Forte as Gilbert

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From 'The Iron Claw' to 'The Idea of You,' here are 10 movies you need to stream right now

Sure, you could surprise your mom with a trip to the movie theater to see some smart apes or Ryan Gosling . But if she'd rather spend Mother's Day hanging at home – and she loves movies, too – there are plenty of options to make the holiday entertaining.

Netflix, Amazon's Prime Video, Peacock, Max, Apple TV+, Paramount+ and others boast all sorts of streaming films for fans with various tastes, from comedy and horror to an Anne Hathaway double feature. There are recent theatrical releases like Zac Efron's buzzy pro wrestling drama , a restored 1970 Beatles movie available for the first time in decades, plus a slew of original flicks such as  Jerry Seinfeld's Pop-Tarts movie , a new film adaptation of a John Green book and a return to the film world for Brooke Shields, in a Netflix flick perfect for moms of all stripes.

Here are 10 notable new movies you can stream right now:

'The American Society of Magical Negroes'

Yarn sculptor Aren (Justice Smith) is recruited by wise mentor Roger (David Alan Grier) into a secret organization of Black agents whose mission is to keep white people comfortable, and Aren's first assignment turns messy when love gets in the way of the job. It's a satirical take on the "magical negro" trope that makes some points about race and culture before losing its way (and any sort of bite) when the film turns into a predictable rom-com.

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Where to watch: Peacock .

'The Book of Clarence'

An entertaining blast rather than being blasphemous, the biblical epic stars LaKeith Stanfield as the title character, a weed dealer in Jerusalem circa A.D. 33 who sees the respect Jesus gets and touts himself as "the new messiah." Directed by Jeymes Samuel ("The Harder They Fall"), it's a bold, thought-provoking retelling of the resurrection story through the lens of Black culture that anyone can relate to, believer or not.

Where to watch: Netflix .

Like "Carol" painted with some noir-ish shades, the 1960s-set thriller casts Thomasin McKenzie as the title character, a mousy secretary at a Boston boys prison who lives at home with an abusive dad (Shea Whigham) drinking himself to death. Eileen gets a pick-me-up at work with the arrival of sophisticated psychologist Rebecca (Anne Hathaway), who pulls the fragile younger woman into unfortunate circumstances.

Where to watch: Hulu .

'The Idea of You'

There's a bit of a "Notting Hill" vibe to this rom-com starring Hathaway as 40-year-old divorced mom Solène, who reluctantly takes her teen daughter to Coachella and inadvertently meets – and sparks a spicy romance with – Hayes (Nicholas Galitzine), lead singer of a popular boy band. It's a lot more serious and emotionally wrought than you might expect, but Hathaway nails her character's layered nuance as Solène's relationship goes viral.

Where to watch: Prime Video .

'The Iron Claw'

A very ripped (and amazing) Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White and Harris Dickinson play members of the Von Erich pro wrestling dynasty in this gripping 1980s-set biopic. Raised by their ex-wrestler father (Holt McCallany), the Von Erichs find success in the ring while navigating a series of tragic losses outside it in director Sean Durkin's touching story of Americana mixed with sibling rivalry, parental pressure and brutal despair.

Where to watch: Max .

'Let It Be'

For Beatles fans or music lovers in general who've just never seen it, Michael Lindsay-Hogg's restored 1970 documentary is a fascinating, candid look at the Fab Four recording the "Let It Be" album, bickering, goofing off and also creating timeless gems. Not as exhaustive or drama-filled as Peter Jackson's "Get Back" docuseries – which pulled from Lindsay-Hogg's wealth of footage – it's still a groovy watch of musical geniuses at work.

Where to watch: Disney+ .

'Mother of the Bride'

It's nice to see Brooke Shields still relevant, and as a lead in a rom-com no less. ("Suddenly Susan" hive, rise up!) But this cheeseball affair is only for Shields completists: The actress plays a famous geneticist whose daughter (Miranda Cosgrove) drops the bomb that she's suddenly getting married, and then the protective mom finds out at the destination wedding in Thailand that the father of the groom is her college ex (Benjamin Bratt).

'Prom Dates'

What could easily be just another R-rated "one crazy night" teen comedy gets a boost from its lively main characters. Jess (Antonia Gentry) and Hannah (Julia Lester) made a pact to have the perfect senior prom at 13, but on the eve of the big night, Jess dumps her cheating beau and Hannah comes out as a lesbian. When they have to scramble to find the perfect dates, assorted shenanigans and, of course, personal growth ensue.

Where to watch: Hulu , Disney+ .

'Turtles All the Way Down'

Adaptations of John Green's young adult novels (including "The Fault in Our Stars") have been a mixed bag, but this one's the best if just for its effectiveness in capturing mental health struggles. Aza (Isabela Merced) dreams of going to college, has ride-or-die pal Daisy (Cree) in her corner and reconnects with camp friend Davis (Felix Mallard), though her crippling OCD – and fear of germs and infection – is a constant threat to foil each one.

'Unfrosted'

Jerry Seinfeld's delightfully ridiculous directorial debut explores the origins of Pop-Tarts with an extremely silly not-so-true story and tons of gags and cameos. The comedian and Melissa McCarthy play Kellogg's employees tasked in 1963 with creating a toaster pastry before their competitors, a processed food spin on the space race that also involves a milk mafia, disgruntled breakfast cereal mascots and a heap of nostalgia.