Madharaasi Movie Review and Rating: Siva Karthikeyan and AR Murugadoss's Action Drama That Misses the Mark

After the underwhelming Sikandar, star director AR Murugadoss returns with Madharaasi, an action thriller featuring Sivakarthikeyan and Rukmini Vasanth. Unfortunately, despite high expectations, the film struggles to live up to the director’s past glory.

Story

The plot revolves around Virat (Vidyut Jammwal), who, along with Chirag (Shabeer Kallarakkal), collaborates with a syndicate to spread gun culture in Tamil Nadu. NIA officer Premnath (Biju Menon) tries to put an end to it but stumbles in his mission. In the process, he ropes in Raghu Ram (Sivakarthikeyan), a suicidal man with a troubled past. How Malathy (Rukmini Vasanth) ties into Raghu’s story, and whether Premnath succeeds in his mission, form the rest of the narrative.

What Works

Sivakarthikeyan’s performance is the saving grace. He brings charm, wit, and energy to an otherwise flat screenplay, especially in his lighter moments with Biju Menon.

The protagonist’s backstory in the first half is handled decently and adds some intrigue.

Action sequences are stylishly choreographed and look slick on the big screen.

The conflict point between the leads has potential, though it remains underexplored.

What Doesn’t

The biggest drawback is the screenplay. Despite a strong premise, Murugadoss fails to craft a gripping narrative. The film often feels like a rehash of Ghajini and Thuppakki without their emotional depth or edge-of-the-seat thrills.

The second half derails completely—predictable, repetitive, and dragged to the point where the story seems stuck in circles.

Action blocks, though flashy, lack proper buildup, leaving them hollow and uninspiring.

Vidyut Jammwal’s villain role is one-dimensional and generic, wasting his talent.

The love story is bland, lacking spark or emotional connect, while the excessive songs in the first half hamper the flow.

The title Madharaasi feels unjustified, as the story hardly ties into it meaningfully.

Technical aspects disappoint too. Anirudh Ravichander’s music, usually a strong point, is surprisingly underwhelming with forgettable songs and an uninspired background score. Editing is weak, making the film feel overstretched.

Verdict

Madharaasi had the potential to be a powerful action thriller with a relevant social message, but AR Murugadoss squanders the opportunity with a routine plot, weak screenplay, and lackluster execution. Sivakarthikeyan’s performance and a few stylish action moments prevent it from being a total washout, but the film leaves audiences wanting much more.