Maharaj Review - Regressive Cinema At Its Best

Maharaj Review Movie Talkies

Maharaj Review: After directing two back-to-back adaptations of foreign movies, Hichki and We Are Family, Siddharth P. Malhotra turns his attention towards Indian roots. He takes a story from the British India era to show us how stupid our society and women were back then. Frankly, it's too tormenting to see such films being made today when we know master filmmaker V. Shantaram has made films on such subjects back in the 1930s and 1940s and so much better. Malhotra's story comes from the same period, but his execution is even more outdated than what V. Shantaram did back then. Maharaj deals with the same old subjects in terrible manners, with only hope to avoid the headache that it's based on a "true story." But seriously, was this our society back in time? If yes, then shame on them, man.

Based on the highly controversial Maharaj Libel Case, Maharaj is about Karsandas (Junaid Khan), a journalist, writer, and social reformer who is soon to be married. The bride-to-be is chosen for Charan Seva by Maharaj (Jaideep Ahlawat), which is actually a spiritual way of sexual intercourse according to Maharaj's teachings. Karsan sees his fiancee in bed with Maharaj and loses his temper. However, she is not ashamed at all and asks him to leave. High on principles and against backward thinking, Karsan breaks the engagement, and the girl commits suicide. Karsan then starts writing about Maharaj's sexual activities and how he is using women for his lust under the false pretense of Seva. The matter soon goes to court, where Karsan and Maharaj have to prove who's right.

Now we all know who's right and who's wrong, but the film still dares to ask us this stupid question. The screenplay is based on true events and showcases certain flimsy moments from our society that bring shame to our eyes. I wanted to quit watching it by the time of intermission, but thankfully, the second half went against that regressive mindset and provided it with some socially appealing stuff. I don't understand how someone can even think of making such a regressive, backward, and outdated film in today's time. I mean, such shameful events have happened and happen even today, but I'd rather see them on that 15-minute sansani news episode during a dead period of the afternoon than in a movie. The girl has no shame in getting involved with Maharaj in sex. Which girl would like to have sex with God? She calls him God, that's right, and yet she has zero IQ to understand that gods don't ask devotees to have sex with them. And you are telling me she is educated and the story is set in Mumbai, not any rural place? Despite knowing about this horrible tradition, the Vaishav Samaj is still worshiping the same man. Seriously? They were more blind than Kanoon, I guess. I mean, just imagine witnessing Maharaj's sexual activities by giving a bribe (since there was no porn videos available back then) and then worshipping the same man as a form of God. Holy shiit!On a funny note, I didn't really understand what the case was. When you are in court, you go with a certain confidence and certain documents and then make arguments based on facts. Here, you see the judge giving a concession to Maharaj, then Karsan giving speeches instead of proofs, and the opposition trying to prove Maharaj innocent by saying that the girl had sex with her own consent. What the heck? Doesn't having sex make him a culprit in people's eyes? (If I forget the court for a moment.) The girl didn't understand a damn thing when Karsan told her logically, but the moment she saw her sister on Maharaj's bed, she understood everything. Wasn't it a question about her own life in the first place? I mean, how dare you show our women like this in a movie? I remember how those internet-based feminists were triggered by Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal back in December 2023. Now let them react to this and I am expecting them to lose their minds and peace. This is anti-feminist stuff on the next level. What's after that? Karsan, who seemed like the only sensible man, is suddenly ready to forgive his fiancee and is even ready to go to jail. Bro, why's that sudden realization? What and how? You just tell him the three stages of mistakes, and he is up against his own decisions. Wow, that's some clarity by the writer. Actually, the entire film is like that. Where's the clarity? Where's the sense? Where's the logic?

Junaid Khan makes his attempt at an unconventional role, while Shalini Pandey plays the dumbest character as per today's definition of feminism. I am sure Alankrita Srivastava or Rhea Kapoor would have made that pre-marriage sex legal if they'd been directing this movie. The funny thing is that Sharvari is supposed to play a cameo, but she ends up having more screen time than Shalini Pandey. I am feeling so bad for the team that they couldn't even define what a cameo role means. You get the whole picture now of how stupid this entire movie is? No, then save yourself for the movie and then learn it all at once. I am personally disappointed with Jaideep for choosing this role. He has a very good image in my mind, and he just destroyed it with this movie. The rest of the cast is there only to pass the time. I don't know many of them, and I am glad about that.Maharaj is like a back-dated, dusty file that's rotting on the desk with no one to look after it. It seems that the technical unit didn't pay much attention to it either. The cinematography was hardly okay, the background score was pathetic, to say the least, and the editing was bad. What were those songs doing there? Why did a two-hour film feel like a three-hour film? It's because of the bad editing. Coming to the biggest letdown, direction. Siddharth P. Malhotra should better stick to foreign adaptations because it's easy to copy the stuff and paste it on wall. Please stay away from historical or fresh subjects because Maharaj just proved what a big failure you can be here. I am somewhat furious at him for making this film, not because it is a bad film but because it is too disturbing and unacceptable. In short, if Maharaj is banned, it would be the best thing that could ever happen to it.