Maaveeran - Look, Up in the Sky!

 

Maaveeran

2023, Tamil

 

Director: Madonne Ashwin

 

Stars: Shivakarthikeyan, Saritha, Aditi Shankar, Mysskin, Yogi Babu

 

Mohan's Measure ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Maaveeran is a quirky but beautifully crafted little film that deserves the critical acclaim it received. The story is more fable than movie, and that is what makes it work so well.

Shivakarthikeyan play a shy, struggling cartoonist, who is afraid of standing up for himself.  That is until a freak accident and head injury has him hearing the voice of a narrator, who is telling his story and guiding him on what to do.  The goal, not to save himself, but to become a self-sacrificing hero to a community of tenement residents who are under the control of a cruel MLA, played to a tee by Mr. Mysskin.

The story intertwines urban dram, about the increasing struggles of the lower middle class, with comedy and over the top action to create a story that is as fun to watch as it is to try and figure out.  The ethics of the movie, about how living for others is far greater than living for oneself, is told as a Tamil ideal that  I hope will inspire.