Director: AR Murugadoss
Cast: Sivakarthikeyan, Rukmini Vasanth, Vidyut Jammwal, Biju Menon, Vikranth, Shabeer Kallarakkal
Runtime: 168 minutes
 
AR Murugadoss returns to the director’s chair with Madharaasi, an action thriller that promises to be both socially relevant and commercially entertaining. Unfortunately, it ends up being a middling affair that relies too heavily on genre clichés and familiar beats from the director's past work, without delivering anything particularly fresh or memorable.
 
The story follows Raghu Ram (Sivakarthikeyan), a despondent man on the verge of suicide, who is recruited by NIA officer Premnath (Biju Menon) in a mission to thwart a syndicate led by Virat (Vidyut Jammwal) and Chirag (Shabeer Kallarakkal), who aim to flood Tamil Nadu with illegal arms. A promising premise, and yet Madharaasi often feels like a highlight reel of Murugadoss' older films (Thuppakki, Ghajini) without the emotional weight or narrative finesse.
 
Sivakarthikeyan carries the film with charm and vulnerability, and his performance is easily the film’s strongest asset. Whether it’s his comic timing, emotional beats, or moments of action, he delivers with consistency and ease. His chemistry with Biju Menon works well, offering brief moments of levity and camaraderie. Rukmini Vasanth is competent in a role that deserved more depth, while Vidyut Jammwal, though physically intimidating, is saddled with a paper-thin antagonist role that fails to intimidate or intrigue.
 
The film’s first half holds promise, thanks to a strong backstory and some cleverly executed sequences. The initial setup is intriguing, and the emotional baggage carried by the lead character adds gravitas. However, Madharaasi quickly loses steam in its second half, veering into repetitive territory and predictable plot turns. The screenplay stretches itself thin, making the 168-minute runtime feel unnecessarily long.
 
Murugadoss’s attempt at blending commercial action with social messaging is evident — and commendable in intent — but the execution lacks nuance. The anti-gun culture theme, while timely, is diluted by an over-reliance on stylized action and shallow writing. There’s barely any tension built around the supposed threat, and the lack of strong set-up diminishes the impact of the action blocks, no matter how well-choreographed they may be.
On the technical front, Sudeep Elamo’s cinematography stands out, especially in the action scenes which are sleek and stylish. However, Anirudh Ravichander’s music surprisingly underdelivers. The songs are forgettable, the background score generic — a disappointment coming from someone of Anirudh’s caliber. The editing, too, is choppy, especially in the latter half, where scenes drag with little purpose or progression.
 
But the biggest flaw in Madharaasi is its title — which the film never earns. The title suggests a strong, possibly revolutionary female figure or theme, yet Rukmini’s role is largely peripheral, and the narrative doesn’t justify the choice. It’s a misdirection that adds to the film’s identity crisis.
 
Madhaaraasi is not a bad film — it’s just one that lacks bite. It plays safe when it should take risks, recycles tropes when it could redefine them, and ends up being a half-hearted thriller that works in flashes but stumbles on coherence and urgency. Sivakarthikeyan’s dedicated performance, a few sharp moments, and solid production values salvage parts of it, but overall, this is Murugadoss on autopilot.