Maharathi

Shivam Nair assembles a fine cast in 'Maharathi'. With actors like Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri in one movie, you would expect something great. I enjoyed the execution. It has that film noire feel to it. The interiors of Adenwalla's mansion is stunning. The cinematography is first rate. The editing is sharp. The element of mystery, suspense and drama is well maintained. The events unfold smoothly but surprisingly. Every time one would expect the story to follow a certain track, the viewer is thrown off with something unexpected. Paresh Rawal does a very good job carrying the film. Boman Irani isn't bad either. Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri also do nothing short of a fine job (unfortunately they don't share screen space). Neha Dhupia looks the part but struggles to convince. It was great to see Tara Sharma after a long time. While I liked the whole mystery part, I was disappointed by the ending. I would have preferred a darker finale. In the conclusion, Subhash is portrayed as a character of little fault but he is almost as guilty as Adenwalla's wife. It was his plan to start with, as a consequence of which someone actually died. Yet, he turns out to be the good guy because the one who died is of 'loose' morals in comparison. This is a major flaw that prevents me from calling 'Maharathi' excellent. I also find it less convincing that a millionaire would leave his entire estate to a stranger he knows so little about. However, I didn't mind it at all for a one time watch because it's well made and has some good performances.

Seldom are movies made from a play... & this one goes the right way! The last theater i can remember off hand was AANKHEN... A Bachan & Paresh Rawal.. The movie wasn't quite catchy, but one could imagine the kind of theatrical performances it must have delivered..

Today, i saw an actual performance, only difference being, I saw it on the screen.. The way the movie was done, one felt the characters were alive on a stage in front of me!!!

The plot of the movie is very good. But the performances are mind blowing! One couldn't have set a better cast, & while the ladies need to do much better, the quartet of Boman, Paresh, Naseer & Om Puri swept me off my feet!

While Paresh Raval dominates the movie completely, it is Boman's sharp performance that draws the curtain! I couldn't have spent my Friday night better.

It is a movie worth treasuring... Please have a look!

It left me satisfied, honestly speaking. Nothing very great, except that maybe it features Paresh Rawal, Boman Irani and Naseeruddin Shah in a supportive role...

It begins on a very boring note... very normal beginning and suddenly you feel like walking out and at that very moment the movie begins. Very thrilling story where a suicide has to be proved a murder in order to achieve a large sum of money.

Light humor in places keeps the viewer not in suspense (trust me there's enough of that!), but keeps the person in a very interested mood. Naseeruddin Shah has given a good performance, and so has Boman Irani, and even Neha Dhupia was fine-ish, but the best performance no doubt was Paresh Rawal's! Very humorous, and very enriching and refreshing.

Of course there were errors, and the cinematography could have been a 1000x better, because the camera is shaky at parts, and some gross errors (like blinking when you're dead!), but they can be ignored seeing the final result.

All-in-all, with a very humorous and shocking climax and NO SONGS AND NO ROMANCE, this film has left me highly satisfied.

Recommended to all. 7/10.

I watched this movie last night and had not read any reviews at all. My brother watched this movie before me and told me that I will enjoy it. Initially I thought to be a bit slow and i was starting to lose any interest, but once the major twist in the film occurs I was drawn back into the movie until the credits. Its did give me a sense of it being inspired from an old Hollywood movie called 'Slueth' (I think thats how you spell it) staring Micheal Caine. Over all it was a good movie for all to enjoy.

This movie shows you can make a good movie without having Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar in the lead roles.

Paresh Rawal brings back memories of Johnny Walker (50's & 60's Comedian). There are some good performances from all the actors (male & female), Especially Om Puri and Boman Irani. IF you have not seen this movie, i shall recommend you do watch this. And the Plus point, In the 2 or so hours there are no songs, so the story is flowing, so no toilet or tea breaks :-).

Maharathi is a surprise package of 2008. The cast is well-set and play their characters with absolute finesse. Paresh Rawal & Naseerudin Shah are the vital players. Neha Dhupia, Tara Sharma & Om Puri do equally well. Special mention for Boman Irani.

Starting off with a suspense-creating setup, the plot describes the prologue. After 40 minutes, the real side of the plot is revealed. And this is when it gets interesting. It's an edge of the seat thriller in the second half, if you can bypass the monotonous, slow-paced first half.

Editing, make-up, costumes, studio setup are all very poor, giving a worn-out display of the whole movie. Cinematography & direction are fine. The writing is good, especially the dialogs towards the end. Other than having few plot holes, Maharathi is a good entertainer. Mildly interesting is what I would dub it!

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. A 6.7 out of 10 for the story, plot & performances.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Profanity/Vulgarity/Sex: No | Nudity: Very Mild | Mouth-Kiss: No | Violence/Gore: Mediocre | Alcohol: Critical | Smoking/Drugs: No | Porn: No