Recently, I had the pleasure of watching “Maharaja” on Netflix, featuring Vijay Setupati in the lead role. The movie, directed and written by Nithilan Swaminathan, revolves around the story of a man in search of his stolen “Lakshmi.” What starts as a quest for something materialistic gradually transforms into a deeper exploration, with the police department eventually realizing they are searching for something far more significant.

The narrative is ingeniously crafted, running parallel in two distinct time zones. Swaminathan’s direction and writing are nothing short of masterful, seamlessly weaving these timelines together. The cinematography of the movie is soo well crafted that it does not even for a second allows viewer to not be engaged.

What makes “Maharaja” particularly special is the underlying moral that it conveys. The reason why I felt a need to specifically write about this movie is the subtle moral of the story it has conveyed soo beautifully. In the competition of making movies based on celebrated lives of people who have done incredibly inspiring deeds during their lives, it’s refreshing to see a film that imparts a lesson without “shouting inspiration”. The entertainment industry, today, is so engrossed in making commercial blockbusters or overtly inspirational films that it has forgotten the art of subtly delivering messages that would strike heart’s chord of the viewers!

Movies have always been a soft power for shaping a nation’s image, and “Maharaja” does justice to this role. It’s unfortunate for movie-freaks like myself that such a film has not enjoyed the wide theatrical release it deserves. This movie, with its nuanced storytelling and twisted yet highly engaging plot, serves as a reminder of the potential of cinema to offer more than just entertainment—it can also provide meaningful lessons that audiences can take home.

This movie serves as a great example of the forgotten art of storytelling on the entertainment platform!