Shivam Nair's film Maharathi is a suspense thriller that keeps many questions unanswered till the end. The film comes with some of the finest performance of lead actors but that doesn't make up for the flaws in the script. The film is about how a common man gets the property money of his employer and the legal aspect of making a will is not convincingly clarified..
Adapted from a very popular Gujarati play by the same name, Maharathi makes for an interesting watch solely for the performance of almost all its lead actors. But what keeps on striking the viewer constantly are the limitations of a play being adapted to the big screen. Firstly, for a thriller, the plot appears far too stretched, especially in the first half. Then once the first major twist in the plot takes place, what follows is at times, a matter of convenience. OK even if you are willing to forgive some cinematic liberties, what really comes out is not only predictable but also raises many questions..
If you want a taste of a desi version of Sleuth, Peter Shaffer's spellbinding play-turned-film, go watch Maharathi. The story may be different, the edge of danger is almost similar.
