Movie Name : Maargan
Release Date : June 27, 2025
Cast : Vijay Antony, Ajay Dhishan, Samuthirakani, Brigida, Deepshikha, Mahanathi Shankar, Vinodh etc.
Director : Leo John Paul
Music Director : Vijay Antony
Telugumopo.com Rating : 2.25/5
Story:
The gruesome murder in Hyderabad—a young woman is slain and her body is painted black, no less—sends a chill through the city. Upset by the peculiar circumstances of the murder, ADGP Dhruva (Vijay Antony) returns to Hyderabad from Mumbai to lead the investigation. Upon his arrival, the investigation begins into what appears to be a singularly bizarre and shocking incident.
As the probe intensifies, the police detain Aravind (Ajay Dhishan), a suspect who is believed to have some connection with the crime. But what happens next surprises the audience in a completely new way. Dhruva quickly discovers some gruesome facts that suggest a much darker and deeper conspiracy.
Why are the victims being killed so gruesomely? Why is there a need to paint their bodies black? And most importantly, who is masterminding these cold-blooded murders behind the scenes? These are the questions that make up the core of the film’s narrative.
Review:
In Maargan, Vijay Antony portrays a composed and confident investigating officer, endearing the audience with a look that is intriguing and very purposefully enigmatic. The emotional crux of the film—telling us about sincere father-daughter and brother-sister relationships—brings a sincere warmth to the movie that endears itself to the audience.
The film expertly crafts suspense through an interval twist, which nicely sets stage for a compelling second half. The script in the second half is gripping the audience with its powerful narrative pace. Although the climax is surprising and engaging, the character of Vijay Antony might have been developed further with more depth, particularly in the flashback scenes where his character remains somewhat restricted. His emotional moments are poignant, but a more defined character progression would have made his character even more impactful.
Veteran actor Samuthirakani’s role, unfortunately, feels limited and does not significantly drive the plot forward. Likewise, Ajay Dhishan’s character, despite being pivotal, lacks depth in the second half. The romantic subplot in the first half slows down the pace and feels less engaging, and a few dragging moments later on may test the patience of some viewers.
While the twist climaxes are well done, the ending of the film feels out of place and subdued. The motivations of the villain could have been depicted more clearly and forcefully. For a serious storyline like this, some light-heartedness or entertainment in the ending could have been more apt.
Director Leo John Paul comes up with a new plot but takes a comparatively standard approach. Although Ajay Dhishan’s character gets an exclusive attention at the beginning, the final part doesn’t take full advantage of its possibility. Being the editor too, Leo could have enhanced the speed of the film by cutting some scenes of the first half.
Technically, the music score by Vijay Antony is apt in enhancing the tense mood of the film. The cinematography is also noteworthy in capturing the mood and intensity of the story effectively. The visual effects are good, and production values are strong in backing the story.
Maargan is indeed an engaging investigative thriller with an emotional core, and even to the technical level it is pretty well done. The performance of Vijay Antony is restrained. The story does keep the audience’s suspense alive, especially in the second half. However, the first half of the film is a slow burn, and characters are weakly developed. The ending was also quite flat. While Maargan had potential and emotional impact, it never reaches that level to be fully satisfying. That said, Maargan has enough intrigue that it is worth watching for those that enjoy a slow burn crime thriller with infusions of emotional weight.
