Maargan

Tamil cinema has delivered some unforgettable crime thrillers in recent times, but Maargan confidently earns its place among the best. With a sharp, fast-paced screenplay and taut direction, Maargan doesn't just tell a story it pulls you right into its dark, twisted world, leaving you tense, curious, and deeply engaged from the opening frame to the very last scene.

The cinematography is moody and atmospheric, complementing the dark tones of the narrative. Urban backdrops, nighttime chases, and dimly lit interiors are used to great effect, immersing us in the underworld it portrays. The background score is minimal but effective used more to elevate key moments than to dominate them, which works beautifully in a thriller like this.

This film is not just a must-watch it's a reminder of how powerful our regional storytelling can be when executed with clarity and conviction.

Maargan (2025), directed by debutant Leo John Paul, really surprised me. I didn't even watch the trailer just went in with a bit of hope after a friend recommended it. The film was tight, with no unnecessary scenes, and gave a satisfying feel. Vijay Antony's background score was terrific. Newcomer Ajay Dhishan did really well, and Vijay Antony also delivered a solid performance. Good production quality and clean visuals. Definitely worth a watch.

A whodunnit crime thriller, Maargan engages you with its unique storyline and strong performances despite having some loopholes/flaws.

As expected Vijay Antony is good. But it is the debutant Ajay Dhishan, who steals the show.

Arvind (Ajay Dhishan) is an ace swimmer with an eidectic memory - relating to or denoting mental images having unusual vividness and detail, as if actually visible. His character is modelled after Dorothy Allison (1924-1999), a psychic who assisted the police in a number of crime investigations in the USA. This superhuman quality: an out-of-body experience of Arvind, becomes the flesh and backbone for the screenplay to move forward.

The director also carefully builds and shows us interesting back stories of all the key characters.

Until the last 10 minutes, i bet you cannot second-guess who the real serial killer is! Full marks to the editor, who is also the director! That trailer cut and the film cut was in such a way that at no point was i able to pinpoint the killer.

The final reveal is good, but then the film nosedives into social commentary espousing a social cause. And that's where the whole film collapses even though the killer's motivations and reasoning are well-woven into the plot.

The metaphorical descriptions of the killer's instincts and feelings are superb, and in fact it is something that i have never thought about it in that manner - despite reading and knowing about the issue! The killer's motivations certainly threw me off.

Leo John Paul, who has directed the film, makes smart sense of his editing skills to stitch scenes back and forth for an interesting non-linear narrative.

But, the sudden induction of social messaging into an investigative crime thriller is definitely a let down.

Story: 5/10 Direction: 6/10 Screenplay: 7/10 Editing: 8/10 Cinematography: 7/10 (Swimming pool sequences are good.) VFx: 6/10 (Unnecessary VFx shots in few scenes.) Music: 7/10 Acting: 7/10

The film is a one-time watch for the way it was presented on-screen!

As will most of Vijay Antony movies - expect quite a lot of preachiness and obnoxious social commentary.

But that being said, the acting, the thiller elements ( setting, screenplay, editing all) are pretty decently made and as a thriller it works really well. Acting was really good, especially the supporting caste and even some of the extras and guest roles.

Vijay was in his usual avatar of non-nonsense, subdued, calculating person, who is somehow super humane in terms of reflexes, intelligence etc. - but the supporting cast and the genre, supports this holier than thou attitude to a great degree - so it works in this movie.

Verdict - Pretty decent and worth a watch.

A tier 2 whodunit about a serial killer starring Vijay Anthony. Starts off well but midway becomes quite predictable. Casting was OK, Script could have been stronger. Minor misses here and there spoil the plot. Arivu angle keeps the movie afloat, but midway here as well the script faltered.

Can watch ones.