Rating:
2.0/5
Star
Cast:
Dhanush,
Malavika
Mohanan,
Samuthirakani,
Smruthi
Venkat
Director:
Karthick
Naren
Maaran,
the
highly
anticipated
Dhanush-starrer
has
finally
premiered
on
Disney+
Hotstar.
The
political
thriller
marked
Dhanush’s
first
collaboration
with
the
talented
filmmaker
Karthick
Naren.
Bankrolled
by
Sathya
Jyothi
Films,
Maaran
was
originally
made
for
the
big
screens.
But,
the
Dhanush-starrer
went
the
OTT
way
after
getting
delayed
multiple
times
due
to
the
pandemic.
Did
the
Dhanush-Karthick
Naren
project
live
up
to
expectations?
Read
Maaran
movie
review
here
to
know…
What’s
Yay:
Dhanush
Engaging
second
half
Background
score
What’s
Nay:
Boring
first
half
Cliched
character
tropes
and
Annan-thangachi
paasam
Artificiality
in
dialogues
Predictability
Plot
Maaran
(Dhanush)
becomes
a
parent
to
his
younger
sister
Shweta
aka
Chittu
(Smrithi
Venkat)
after
the
tragic
death
of
his
parents.
On
the
professional
front,
he
grows
up
to
become
a
brave
and
honest
investigative
journalist
just
like
his
late
father
(Ramki).
Where
Maaran’s
journey
as
a
daring
journalist
takes
him
forms
the
crux
of
the
film.
Script
&
Direction
Kartick
Naren,
the
director
who
has
also
co-written
the
film
with
Suhas-Sharfu,
has
made
a
film
that
tries
to
be
too
many
things.
Maaran
tries
to
be
a
riveting
investigative
thriller,
deals
with
modern-day
journalism
and
politics,
also
has
an
overdone
track
of
siblings’
bond
–
all
at
the
same
time.
As
a
result,
this
ambitious
investigative
thriller
ends
up
as
a
lackluster
cinematic
experience.
Maaran
opens
with
the
death
of
Maaran’s
parents
and
right
from
that
moment,
viewers
can
predict
what
is
going
to
happen
next.
Even
the
little
details
in
the
first
half
are
presented
in
a
way
that
makes
it
so
obvious
that
they
are
going
to
play
a
larger
part
when
the
story
unfolds.
The
writing
lacks
cleverness
right
from
the
beginning,
and
then
comes
the
first
half
which
is
nothing
but
a
yawnfest.
Maaran’s
relationship
with
his
sister,
his
antics
in
the
workplace,
and
most
importantly,
the
romance
between
him
and
Thara
–
all
fall
flat.
Like
every
commercial
film,
Maaran
also
gets
a
caricaturish
villain
who
is
an
embodiment
of
evil.
Every
single
character,
including
the
protagonist,
is
monotonous.
The
artificiality
in
the
dialogues
is
another
big
letdown.
Even
though
the
film
picks
up
its
pace
and
gets
somewhat
engaging
in
the
second
half,
the
damage
was
already
done.
The
climax
twist,
which
was
placed
to
bring
a
shock,
also
fails
to
create
an
impact.
Maaran
Twitter
Review:
Netizens
Have
THIS
To
Say
About
Dhanush-Malavika
Mohanan’s
Political
Thriller
Maaran
Full
Movie
Leaked
Online
For
Free
Download
In
HD
Quality
Performances
As
always,
Dhanush
has
delivered
an
earnest
performance
as
Maaran
and
especially
shines
in
the
emotional
portions.
But
the
National
award-winner
doesn’t
get
much
scope
to
perform
in
his
one-dimensional
character.
Malavika
Mohanan
looks
good
as
Thara,
but
that’s
about
it.
The
actress
really
needs
to
work
on
her
expressions
and
dialogue
delivery.
Also,
the
dubbing
voice
doesn’t
really
suit
Malavika,
and
the
lip-sync
issues
were
quite
evident.
Smriti
Venkat,
who
plays
Maaran’s
sister
Chittu,
has
delivered
a
decent
performance.
Samuthirakani
is
effortless
as
Pazhani,
which
is
simply
another
addition
to
the
long
list
of
antagonist
roles
in
his
career.
The
rest
of
the
star
cast,
including
Ramki,
Ameer,
Jayaprakash,
Aadukalam
Naren,
Krishnakumar
Balasubramanian,
Mahendran,
Bose
Venkat,
and
others
are
fine
in
their
respective
roles.
Technical
Aspects
Vivekanand
Santhosham,
the
director
of
photography
has
done
a
decent
job
with
the
visuals
of
the
film.
Prasanna
GK’s
editing
is
not
up
to
the
mark.
GV
Prakash
Kumar
scores
with
the
background
score
which
makes
even
the
most
boring
scenes
watchable.
The
songs
are
forgettable.
Verdict
Maaran
is
an
ambitious
investigative
thriller
that
is
let
down
by
its
generic
storytelling
and
predictability.
Dhanush’s
performance
and
the
bearable
second-half
are
the
saving
graces
of
this
otherwise
lackluster
Karthick
Naren
directorial.