Mahaan opens with a distraught Vikram, screaming alone. He burns his car. Soon the story moves back to 1968, with three boys fighting over a card game. The game ends and the three get hurt. Years later, one of them, Gandhi Mahaan, played by Vikram, wants to live a normal life. But his wife Nachiyaar (Simran) and others in the family are staunch followers of Gandhi and want Mahaan to live a Gandhian life.
On his 40th birthday, as his wife Nachi and son Dada go out on a tour, Mahaan accidentally meets his friend Sathyavan (Bobby Simha), who is a liquor baron. As Mahaan comes back home drinking, his wife and son leave him. Mahaan and Sathyavan come together and their business flourishes. Later they come to meet Gnanam (played by Muthukumar), the other boy who fought during the card game. Gnanam is a politician. Things go smooth till Mahaan’s son Dada (Dhruv Vikram) comes back. And what happens later makes the plot--weaved together with several knots, emotions of a father, son, friend, family, estranged wife and even the beggar who comes to live with Mahaan during his troubled times.
The film opens with a Gandhian quote: “Freedom is not worth having if it doesn't include the freedom to make mistakes.” Vikram as liquor baron and gambling king is not the kind of hero people might accept. Yet, he is right. You can be a ‘Gandhi’, but yet can’t live a satisfying life as a Gandhian, guided by the morals and principles every time. Vikram embodies this dilemma perfectly.
Every scene has the Karthik Subbaraj touch. Especially the second half, where Rocky (Sananth) comes to meet Dada. Emotions fly high as the battle rages within Vikram, showing his indecisiveness. And with Dhruv’s entry as Dadabhai Naoroji, aka, Dada, the plot thickens. Dhruv is no less than Vikram in terms of performance. Bobby Simha, Muthukumar, Sananth and Simran deliver their best.
Shreyass Krishna’s cinematography matches Subbaraj’s thinking as the actors deliver their parts with exuberance. Santhosh Narayanan’s music complements the emotional scenes.
In this film, Subbaraj, clearly draws a line between Gandhism and Gandhians. Here, reluctant Gandhians do not go by the moral values and principles laid by Gandhi. The difference is seen when Dhruv comes in as a beast and when Vikram shuns his non-violence attitude and begins punching.
While the first half lacks confidence, the second half gives a new high. The Subbaraj touch that was loved in Iraivi, Jagame Thandhiram, Jigarthanda is especially visible in the second half of Mahaan. The film, however, is long and tires you with a runtime of 160 minutes.
Film: Mahaan
Director: Karthik Subbaraj
Cast: Vikram, Dhruv Vikram, Bobby Simha, Simran and others
Rating: 2/5
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
