# Maharaja (மகாராஜா) (2024 film)
**Maharaja** (Tamil: மகாராஜா) is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Nithilan Swaminathan, starring [Vijay Sethupathi](https://www.edgepedia.org/vijay-sethupathi) as a barber who files a police complaint after his home is burglarized, cryptically reporting that his "Lakshmi" has been taken and leaving the police unsure whether Lakshmi is a person or an object.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/maharaja_2024) It was released in Indian theaters on 14 June 2024 and later streamed on Netflix.[2](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Maharaja_2024) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/maharaja-2024) The film was Vijay Sethupathi's 50th film as an actor and became a major commercial success, with a reported worldwide gross of ₹1.992 billion (₹199.20 crore).[4](https://www.moviebuff.com/maharaja-2024-tamil) • [2](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Maharaja_2024)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writers | Nithilan Swaminathan (director and co-writer, with Raam Murali)[5](https://filmi.ai/film/maharaja-2024/) |
| Release | 14 June 2024, wide theatrical release in India; Tamil and Telugu versions[4](https://www.moviebuff.com/maharaja-2024-tamil) • [6](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/maharaja/ET00400028) |
| Lead cast | Vijay Sethupathi (Maharaja), Anurag Kashyap (Selvam), Abhirami, Mamta Mohandas, Natarajan Subramaniam[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/maharaja_2024) |
| Technical crew | Music B. Ajaneesh Loknath, cinematography Dinesh Purushothaman, editing Philomin Raj[5](https://filmi.ai/film/maharaja-2024/) |
| Production | Passion Studios and The Route; producers Jagadish Palanisamy and Sudhan Sundaram[2](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Maharaja_2024) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/maharaja_2024) |
| Box office | ₹1.992 billion (₹199.20 crore) worldwide gross (₹835 million (₹83.50 crore) India gross, ₹1.157 billion (₹115.70 crore) overseas, ₹724.3 million (₹72.43 crore) India net), per Sacnilk as of 5 January 2025; verdict "Blockbuster"[2](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Maharaja_2024) |
| Reception | Rotten Tomatoes 83% Tomatometer (6 reviews) and 94% Popcornmeter; IMDb 8.3/10 (86,000 votes); BookMyShow 9.4/10 (110,000+ votes)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/maharaja_2024) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/maharaja-2024) • [6](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/maharaja/ET00400028) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and plot
The film centers on Maharaja (Vijay Sethupathi), a barber whose life revolves around his salon work and his daughter, a budding sports champion. After burglars ransack his home, he goes to a Chennai police station to file a complaint, telling officers that his "Lakshmi" has been stolen. Because Lakshmi is a common name for women and also the name of the household dustbin, the police cannot tell whether he is reporting a missing person or a missing object, and they mock his request until they learn what he is really looking for.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/maharaja_2024) • [6](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/maharaja/ET00400028)
The mystery of what Lakshmi is drives the first half, which plays as dark comedy; reviewers describe the tone shifting in the second half as the stakes become clear. The Dinamani review notes that Maharaja offers the investigating officer ₹500,000 (₹5 lakh) to recover an object worth far less, which makes the police suspect something valuable is hidden inside it and intensifies their own interest in the case.[7](https://www.dinamani.com/cinema/movie-reviews/2024/Jun/13/vijay-sethupathi-maharaja-review) A plot summary published by Moviebuff reveals the film's resolution: Selvam, arrested for crime links, blames Maharaja and sends men to harm Jyoti; Maharaja saves her, revealing that she is Selvam's daughter.[4](https://www.moviebuff.com/maharaja-2024-tamil)
## Production and crew
Nithilan Swaminathan directed the film and wrote it with Raam Murali; it was his second film as director, following *Kurangu Bommai* (2017), a gap of about seven years.[5](https://filmi.ai/film/maharaja-2024/) • [8](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/review-of-vijay-sethupathis-maharaja-movie-4762278) The music was composed by B. Ajaneesh Loknath, Dinesh Purushothaman handled cinematography, and Philomin Raj was the editor.[5](https://filmi.ai/film/maharaja-2024/) The film was produced by Passion Studios and The Route.[2](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Maharaja_2024)
**Casting.** Vijay Sethupathi played the title character in what sources identify as his 50th film.[4](https://www.moviebuff.com/maharaja-2024-tamil) The Hindi filmmaker [Anurag Kashyap](https://www.edgepedia.org/anurag-kashyap) played the antagonist Selvam, a casting choice that drew divided notices: the Dinamani review praised his negative role as a contribution to the film's success,[7](https://www.dinamani.com/cinema/movie-reviews/2024/Jun/13/vijay-sethupathi-maharaja-review) while [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) called him terribly miscast, with jarring lip syncs.[9](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/maharaja-movie-review-contrived-screenplay-overshadows-the-few-good-things-in-vijay-sethupathis-film-9389245/) The cast also included Abhirami, Mamta Mohandas, Natarajan Subramaniam, Divya Bharathi, and Sachana Namidass.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/maharaja_2024) • [4](https://www.moviebuff.com/maharaja-2024-tamil) • [5](https://filmi.ai/film/maharaja-2024/)
## Release and box office
Maharaja was released in theaters on 14 June 2024.[2](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Maharaja_2024) The Tamil version opened with ₹36 million (₹3.60 crore) net on day one in India, rose to ₹75 million (₹7.50 crore) on day three, and held strongly through its second weekend, with days nine and ten earning ₹50 million (₹5.00 crore) and ₹53.5 million (₹5.35 crore) net.[2](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Maharaja_2024) Sacnilk's compiled figures, as of 5 January 2025 (day 133), put the worldwide gross at ₹1.992 billion (₹199.20 crore), comprising ₹835 million (₹83.50 crore) from India and ₹1.157 billion (₹115.70 crore) from overseas, with an India net of ₹724.3 million (₹72.43 crore); the site labels the result a blockbuster and notes that its figures are compiled from various sources and can differ from producer figures.[2](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Maharaja_2024)
The film's success carried particular weight for its star. Trade reporting in July 2024 quoted Vijay Sethupathi saying at a success meet that he had expected the film to do average or above average, since his previous films as a hero had not done well.[10](https://tfapa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/trade-guide-july-2024-web-high-res.pdf) A January 2025 trade retrospective credited Maharaja with answering criticism of his solo hero films and with opening a new market for Tamil films in China.[11](https://tfapa.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/trade-guide-jan-2025_07.01.25_compressed-1.pdf)
**China release.** In late 2024 the film was screened in China; a January 2025 report described it as the first Indian film screened in China following a historic agreement between the two nations, with social media videos showing Chinese audiences moved by the story. By that time the film was also streaming on Netflix.[12](https://epaper.truepointnews.com/media/2025-01/6th-jan-point-epaper_ap.pdf)
## Critical reception
Maharaja received broadly positive reviews, with critics consistently praising Vijay Sethupathi's performance and the non-linear screenplay while often faulting the contrivance of the final act. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an 83% Tomatometer from 6 reviews and a 94% Popcornmeter from more than 500 audience ratings.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/maharaja_2024) The aggregate Filmi Score is 73 ("Very good") from 23 critic reviews, with readings ranging from 35 (The Indian Express) to 92 (Suraj Kumar); the site's summary says critics overwhelmingly praised the twisty, non-linear screenplay and Sethupathi's performance, though several flagged a predictable or contrived climax, a thin antagonist, and uneven pacing in the back half.[5](https://filmi.ai/film/maharaja-2024/)
Individual reviews tracked the same pattern. Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu wrote that in his sophomore film [Nithilan Saminathan](https://www.edgepedia.org/nithilan-saminathan) "pronounces the style of filmmaking he wishes to follow, but convenience in the writing and a contrived third act mars this gripping thriller."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/maharaja_2024) Baradwaj Rangan of Galata Plus found many "wow" moments that did not add up to an organic, cohesive narrative, with a screenplay so mechanically constructed that the emotional impact was muted.[13](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/28590/maharaja/reviews/) Sudhir Srinivasan of Cinema Express called it a whodunit that is also a "whats-been-done," judging that the story is hardly new but the value is in the screenplay.[13](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/28590/maharaja/reviews/) Roopa Radhakrishnan of The Times of India described it as "an engaging but engineered film that works even with faults" and called Sethupathi wonderful in his 50th film.[14](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/maharaja-2024-tamil) The Indian Express was the most negative of the major outlets, giving 2 of 5 stars and arguing that the film's engineered twists and its "wannabe" gritty tone overshadowed its good elements.[9](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/maharaja-movie-review-contrived-screenplay-overshadows-the-few-good-things-in-vijay-sethupathis-film-9389245/) Tamil-language critics were warmer: Dinamani called it the best film of Sethupathi's career to that point and praised the editor Philomin Raj's handling of the story,[7](https://www.dinamani.com/cinema/movie-reviews/2024/Jun/13/vijay-sethupathi-maharaja-review) while Dinamalar and Samayam Tamil each rated it 3.0 out of 5.[15](https://cinema.dinamalar.com/review/maharaja-%282024%29/3459) • [16](https://tamil.samayam.com/tamil-cinema/movie-review/vijay-sethupathi-starrer-maharaja-movie-review-and-rating/moviereview/110969909.cms/)
Audience measures were stronger than the critics' scores. BookMyShow users rated the film 9.4/10 from more than 110,000 votes, with the most common review tags being #SuperDirection (42,339 mentions) and #GreatActing (39,456).[6](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/maharaja/ET00400028) IMDb shows 8.3/10 from about 86,000 votes.[3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/maharaja-2024)
## Legacy
The film's commercial performance outlasted its theatrical run. It streamed on Netflix in India, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada,[5](https://filmi.ai/film/maharaja-2024/) and in September 2026 the film's team announced that a Hollywood remake was planned, with a Hollywood agency having approached the makers for remake rights and development underway with a leading Hollywood actor, according to producer Sudhan Sundaram.[17](https://newstamil.tv/article/6aaa909a6be86e6a7aad1f0f)
## References
1. [Maharaja (2024), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/maharaja_2024)
2. [Maharaja (2024) Box Office Collection, Review & Rating, Sacnilk](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Maharaja_2024)
3. [Maharaja streaming: where to watch movie online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/maharaja-2024)
4. [Maharaja (2024), Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/maharaja-2024-tamil)
5. [Maharaja (2024) review, box office collection, OTT release date, filmi.ai](https://filmi.ai/film/maharaja-2024/)
6. [Maharaja (2024), BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/maharaja/ET00400028)
7. [அரியணை ஏறினாரா விஜய் சேதுபதி? மகாராஜா - திரை விமர்சனம், Dinamani](https://www.dinamani.com/cinema/movie-reviews/2024/Jun/13/vijay-sethupathi-maharaja-review)
8. [Review of Vijay Sethupathi's Maharaja, Indian Express Tamil](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/review-of-vijay-sethupathis-maharaja-movie-4762278)
9. [Maharaja movie review: Contrived screenplay overshadows the few good things in Vijay Sethupathi's film, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/maharaja-movie-review-contrived-screenplay-overshadows-the-few-good-things-in-vijay-sethupathis-film-9389245/)
10. [Tamil Cinema Trade Guide, July 2024, TFAPA](https://tfapa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/trade-guide-july-2024-web-high-res.pdf)
11. [Hits and Misses of 2024 for Tamil Cinema, Tamil Cinema Trade Guide, January 2025, TFAPA](https://tfapa.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/trade-guide-jan-2025_07.01.25_compressed-1.pdf)
12. [Truepoint News epaper, 6 January 2025](https://epaper.truepointnews.com/media/2025-01/6th-jan-point-epaper_ap.pdf)
13. [Maharaja Movie Reviews, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/28590/maharaja/reviews/)
14. [Maharaja (2024), Moviebuff (cloudfront mirror)](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/maharaja-2024-tamil)
15. [மகாராஜா(2024) விமர்சனம், Dinamalar](https://cinema.dinamalar.com/review/maharaja-%282024%29/3459)
16. [மகாராஜா விமர்சனம், Samayam Tamil](https://tamil.samayam.com/tamil-cinema/movie-review/vijay-sethupathi-starrer-maharaja-movie-review-and-rating/moviereview/110969909.cms/)
17. [ஹாலிவுட்டில் 'மகாராஜா', NewsTamil](https://newstamil.tv/article/6aaa909a6be86e6a7aad1f0f)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Tamil films of the 2020s › Tamil films of 2024*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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