Mahaan review: Vikram, Dhruv deliver a spicy action drama

Our protagonist is named Gandhi Mahaan, played by an in form Vikram, and there is nothing remotely Gandhian about him when we meet him first. He is seen drinking, gambling and even killing in his fantasies. Karthik uses a classic Freudian method to demonstrate the protagonist’s repressed wishes and desires. Gandhi is forced to lock away his true personality and identity to live up to the moral codes imposed on him by society. He didn’t choose to live a Gandhian lifestyle, but it is thrust upon him by his family who believes in following the apostle of peace’s teachings.

In a scene, an adolescent Dadabhai Naoroji, that is the name of Gandhi Mahan’s son in the movie, is taught never to lie by his Gandhian grandfather. And when Dada asks why shouldn’t one lie? His grandfather, instead of explaining why, simply says, “You just can’t. That’s all.” But, the same man, when on his deathbed, makes a young Dada promise that he will take revenge against Gandhi on his behalf. That makes it clear that the grandfather himself didn’t fully understand the Gandhian ways. For him, drinking is the greatest sin but seeking vengeance is not. The blind and unquestioned following of any ideology is toxic, both to society and the soul.

A still from Mahaan.

In his own way, Gandhi finds out how to live like a “Mahaan” (Mahatma). He eventually discovers great moral strength with him, to do what’s right even when it feels he’s beyond the point of redemption. Before that awakening, however, Gandhi leaves a trail of dead bodies, plundered wealth, broken laws and hundreds, if not thousands, of empty alcohol bottles.

The majority of the story is set in the late 1990s. Gandhi is in his forties, and is living in a small house in railway staff quarters allotted to his wife Nachi (played by Simran). His son Dada is still young and attached to his father. It is his birthday and his wife asks him to wear a new shirt. He goes to his wardrobe and swaps his old khadi white shirt for a new khadi white shirt. Like his dress, his life is also colourless and bland.

He is close to his breaking point, and is terrified that he’s not living his life to its full potential in the fear of violating his family code. His life feels like a trap. So on his 40th birthday, when his wife and son take a pilgrimage trip, he decides to go wild. He breaks his bank and spends money on drinking, gambling and eating meat. In the process, he discovers his instantiable urge for what is considered a sin by his family. He always wants more. More drinks, more gambling, more violence, more money and more power. When he reconnects with his childhood friend, Sathyan (Bobby Simha) and his son Rocky (Sananth Reddy), Gandhi finds his key to the life he so desires.

And all hell breaks loose when Gandhi’s son Dada returns to his life. He is not there to inherit his father’s liquor empire, but to destroy from within. Dada is a cop assigned to wipe out Gandhi’s gang. Things get complicated when Gandhi is forced to choose between his real family and people who are like family.

Vikram feels natural and effortless in his role. He brings a unique style to his character Gandhi, which adds to the film’s overall appeal. His performance is well complemented by Bobby Simha, whose character undergoes a spiritual epiphany that is very similar to Samuel L. Jackson’s Jules in Pulp Fiction after a near-death experience. Vettai Muthukumar fits the role of cunning and amoral politician with great ease.

And then there is Dhruv as Dada. He has these bursts of powerful performances. He knows how to get angry and fly into a rage for the camera. He channels the unapologetic meanness and guilt-free desire for revenge.

Composer Santhosh Narayanan’s background score, cinematographer Shreyaas Krishna’s camera enriches the mood and atmosphere of Karthik’s vision. If Karthik had slowed the pace a little and dug deep into the period and atmosphere of his characters, Mahaan could have been his own version of “Once Upon a Time in America.” But, that doesn’t take away the fact that it is a spicy action-family-drama that in a way captures the moral and spiritual struggle of our time.