Mahaveeryar movie review: Nivin Pauly’s fantasy satire examines wisdom of modern India
Director Abrid Shine’s newest film Mahaveeryar is an absurd imaginative and prescient, which was solely made potential as a result of existence of cinema. In no different storytelling kind, Abrid would have made this movie work in the best way he had meant. The story begins within the 18th century. A king, performed by Lal, is affected by a one-of-its-kind sickness. He’s troubled by frequent hiccups. No quantity of water or wine can remedy his downside. Even the perfect docs of the time can’t provide you with a medication to finish his torment.
The king summons his commander and orders him to convey him essentially the most stunning girl within the kingdom. Legend has it that he already has round 2,000 ladies in his harem. However, the king isn’t happy. He’s searching for one thing else that lots of of his wives couldn’t provide him. He’s the manifestation of gluttony. Veerabhadran (Asif Ali), the king’s loyal commander, units off to execute the need of the crown. And he travels lots of of miles earlier than he reaches a small village within the desert, the place essentially the most stunning woman within the kingdom lives.
The story then cuts again to the current day the place Apoornnananthan (Nivin Pauly), a sage, is accused of robbing the idol of the principle deity in a temple. Apoornnananthan is a person of supernatural powers. His information appears to be as huge because the universe itself. He appears to know every thing that has ever occurred within the historical past of mankind. He’s additionally a grasp in the case of India’s historical knowledge drawn from Vedas and Puranas. He’s additionally very effectively conscious of the Indian structure and all of the IPC sections. He appears to be prior to now and the current directly. Each historical past and the long run appear to be unfolding collectively on the similar time. What’s occurring on this film? The place is Abrid going with this absurdity?
In Mahaveeryar, Abrid Shine questions our evolution as a civilization. How far has our pondering developed in the case of reality, justice and freedom in comparison with how those that lived within the 18th century perceived them? He makes use of our fashionable authorized system to query a criminal offense that occurred a number of centuries in the past. However, it appears, like, in historical instances, even the fashionable courts are powerless within the face of absolutely the energy of the king. At one level, you see all of the rights, protections and ensures of freedom and dignity promised by the court docket come aside when the decide will get satisfied that “the king can do no incorrect”.
One of many surprising moments within the film brings to thoughts a scene from The Trial of the Chicago 7. Within the Aaron Sorkin directorial, the decide listening to the case orders the court docket marshals to gag and bind an African-American defendant proper in the course of a full-house listening to. The scene is unnerving because it exposes the vulnerability of our fashionable justice system. There’s the same scene in Mahaveeryar, when the decide forgets his sworn obligation and turns into a servant to the crown.
Mahaveeryar takes a while to seek out its ingredient. For many of the film, it takes some effort on behalf of the viewers to remain invested within the narration. Despite the fact that the absurdity and the suspense across the true identification of Apoornnananthan entertain us within the first half, the second half takes its candy time to return into its personal. However, the insightful third act is rewarding, relying on how effectively you grasped the underlying commentary of the film.
