Maharathi (2008)

A street-smart newly recruited chauffeur partners with his late employer's wife to pocket a hefty insurance claim.

Director:

Shivam Nair

Writers:

Sanjay Chhel (lyrics), Uttam Gada (story, screenplay and dialogue)

Stars:

Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Boman Irani

Cast

Credited cast:
Naseeruddin Shah	...	Jaisingh Adenwalla
Om Puri	...	ACP Gokhale
Boman Irani	...	Advocate A.D. Merchant
Paresh Rawal	...	Subhash Sharma
Neha Dhupia	...	Mallika Adenwalla
Tara Sharma	...	Swati
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ashwin Nayak	...	The ATM Guy
Vivek Shauq	...	Inspector Borkar (as Vivek Shaq)

Storyline

The caption of the movie says, "How would you murder a man who has already committed suicide". The story revolves around 6 characters a one time famous film director, his wife (a one time actor in his films), a chauffeur, a confidante lawyer, a caretaker and an ACP all trying to outwit each other. At stake is a life insurance policy worth Rs. 24 crores. A one time famous film director dejected by his wife's behaviour shoots himself and challenges his wife to prove his suicide as murder in order to get a booty of Rs. 24 crores. The director's chauffeur-cum-confidante helps the wife in achieving her target in the hope of sharing the booty. The story unveils as different characters enter and help the story move on.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | tied feet | india | 

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Taglines:

How do you murder a man who has already committed suicide?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The background music played during fridge opening scene is similar to the song"sun zara"in movie lucky no time for love

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Goofs

When Boman Irani asks Paresh Rawal to make him a drink, the ice cube appears only in the wide shot. In single shots, it is gone.

User Reviews

A Good Entertainer! ♦ 67%

Maharathi is a surprise package of 2008. The cast is well-set and play their characters with absolute finesse. Paresh Rawal & Naseerudin Shah are the vital players. Neha Dhupia, Tara Sharma & Om Puri do equally well. Special mention for Boman Irani.

Starting off with a suspense-creating setup, the plot describes the prologue. After 40 minutes, the real side of the plot is revealed. And this is when it gets interesting. It's an edge of the seat thriller in the second half, if you can bypass the monotonous, slow-paced first half.

Editing, make-up, costumes, studio setup are all very poor, giving a worn-out display of the whole movie. Cinematography & direction are fine. The writing is good, especially the dialogs towards the end. Other than having few plot holes, Maharathi is a good entertainer. Mildly interesting is what I would dub it!

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. A 6.7 out of 10 for the story, plot & performances.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Profanity/Vulgarity/Sex: No | Nudity: Very Mild | Mouth-Kiss: No | Violence/Gore: Mediocre | Alcohol: Critical | Smoking/Drugs: No | Porn: No

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi English

Release Date:

5 December 2008 (India)

Also Known As:

Самый великий

Box Office

Budget:

INR100,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$535,185

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color