Maaran review: Dhanush plays an investigative journalist who can also fight. Full paisa vasool

Dhanush as investigative journalist Mathi Maaran in 'Maaran', streaming on Disney+Hotstar. (Image: Screen grab)

‘You know my hands are tied,’ says Maaran’s cop friend Arjun, ‘But you can get close to the bad guys. If you gather the evidence, I will arrest him.’

When an honest cop joins hands with an investigative journalist, the baddies will have nowhere to run. But it’s the henchman, the fourth guy in the room, the one the corrupt politician trusts, who will give you shivers down your spine. One of the scariest villains I have seen in recent times, this henchman has no qualms setting things (and people) on fire. His reason to hate Maaran is better than what drives most villains. I was happy to watch him challenge Maaran and fight dirty, even reducing Maaran to tears.

The movie starts like many ‘South Action Flicks’ do, with a righteous man being killed and his kid growing up to avenge the father’s death. Satyamoorthy is a fearless journalist, who does not want to hide. His article exposes the deaths of 40 children and he dies for it. His son Mathi Maaran grows up taking care of his sister and he is in turn looked after by his maternal uncle.

The montage of little boy Maaran and his sister is so adorable, I could not just fast-forward those scenes. The little sister literally looks up to her older brother and it was beautiful to watch. Little Shwetha grows up to be the saucer-eyed Smruthi Venkat and Maaran is of course Dhanush.

Dhanush too gets a job at a news site, and the job interview is one of the coolest ways to prove that journalism does not always have to be negative. While you are saying, ‘Nice,’ Dhanush quickly rises up in the ranks as the best investigative journalist. A sassy colleague Thara (played by Malavika Mohanan) becomes his love interest. And here is a pain point: the moment the heroine becomes attached to the hero, they end up taking care of the hero and suddenly assume the secondary role and even fade away gently from the script.

However, there is lots of action that comes Dhanush’s way and we get distracted when he proves that the pen that can stab is indeed mightier than the sword. You will never again call your fountain pen innocuous.

The corrupt politician, Pazani, is played rather well by Samuthirakani (an unforgettable role in Visaranai, he has been an assistant director to K. Balachander in the huge hit Anni and the film Paarthale Paravasam, he has also directed the film Naadodigal). It is rather fun that the politician has found a way to crack the supposedly unhackable EVM machines used in elections, and our country has just concluded elections across five states.

The movie has so much action, you are taken aback at a couple of twists in the film. What is so amazing is that the love between brother and sister is not mawkish, nor do their verbal skirmishes come across as fake. The love seems so real, it will want to make you call your brother (or sister) and insult them like Dhanush calls her a drum and she calls him a pig. This put a smile on my face. Even the dance number - and Dhanush can dance really well - does not feel forced. I cannot get over the man’s talent. He wrote the very evocative song in the movie called Chitti kuruvai (Little sparrow) which Maaran sings for his sister.

This film is all Dhanush, and whether it’s action or romance or emotion, the hero delivers, and how! I'm glad that the filmmaker reminds us that we need to be on the side of the truth, and also have the smarts to survive in the dog-eat-journalist world out there.

Maaran released on Disney+Hotstar on March 11, and it was a hit with me. To borrow a phrase from the movies, ‘Mogambi, khush huyi!