| Directed by | Abrid Shine |
|---|---|
| Screenplay by | Abrid Shine |
| Story by | M. Mukundan |
| Produced by | Nivin Pauly P.S Shamnas Abrid Shine |
| Starring | Nivin Pauly Asif Ali Shanvi Srivastava Lal Siddique |
| Cinematography | Chandru Selvaraj |
| Edited by | Manoj |
| Music by | Ishaan Chhabra |
| Production companies | Pauly Jr. Pictures Indian Movie Makers |
| Distributed by | Pauly Jr. Pictures |
Gist of the Story
A time-travel tale featuring a contemporary courtroom scenario where two cases—one old and one new—intersect.
Plot
The 18th century is when the story starts. Lal plays a monarch who is afflicted with a rare disease. The frequent hiccups bother him. Water or alcohol won’t help him with his issue. Even the top medical minds of the day were unable to create a cure to relieve his suffering. The most stunning woman in the country must be brought to the monarch, who summons his commander. According to legend, he already has 2,000 or so ladies in his harem. The king, however, is not content. He is seeking something else that countless of his spouses are unable to provide. He represents gluttony in all its forms. Veerabhadran (Asif Ali), the king’s obedient commander, departs to carry out the king’s instructions. The most stunning girl in the kingdom resides in a little village in the desert, and he has journey hundreds of kilometers to get there. The narrative then jumps to the present, where a sage named Apoornnananthan (Nivin Pauly) is charged with stealing the primary deity’s idol from a temple. Apoornnananthan possesses superhuman abilities. His knowledge seems to span the entire cosmos. He has the air of knowing everything that has ever occurred in human history. He is also a master of the Vedic and Puranic knowledge that dates back thousands of years in India. He is also well knowledgeable about the Indian Constitution and every section of the IPC. Both history and the future seem to be unfolding together at the same time.
Performance
The film was enhanced by Nivin and Asif, who each flawlessly portrayed their respective parts. Nivin Pauly, who portrays the wise Apoornnananthan, reveals a part of himself that has never been shown before. He does so with style and grace in this part. In Mahaveeryar, Lal plays the self-centered and dishonest monarch, Siddique the prejudiced and carefree judge, Lalu Alex the fair prosecutor, and Krishna Prasad the defense attorneys. Another outstanding performance comes from Shanvi Srivastava, who plays a role that stands out from the movie’s heroes.
Direction/Technical Side
Abrid Mahaveeryar by Shine is neither a courtroom thriller nor a time-travel movie. In Shine, which is based on a short tale by M. Mukundan, political power is discussed while darts are thrown at our collective awareness. The writing, in spite of the vision of the blending story worlds, is fairly one-note and never measures up to the enormous expanse of the existing fundamental idea. The only things that connect the first and second halves of the movie are the actors and the intended theme. Otherwise, they are nearly like two separate movies. All of the hallmarks of an Abrid Shine movie are present in the first half. As the tone never settles us for the intense dramatic segues and deft genre manipulations hurled at us in fast succession, the second half loses the eccentricity of the theme’s weight. The biggest takeaway is the music since it feels like it belongs in the story’s setting and Ishaan Chhabra’s background score on his debut Malayalam album keeps the tension high. Mahaveeryar is also a visually gorgeous movie because of the exquisite frames created by cinematographer Chandru Selvaraj.
Verdict; Abrid Shine’s Mahaveeryar is a satirical take on societal bias, prejudice, abuse of power etc. told through an interesting premise, but let down by half baked screenplay especially in the second half. Watch it if you love wacky/experimental films!