Vijay Sethupathi’s Maharaja is not only this year’s highest-rated film but also the most-viewed Indian film on Netflix. With over 18.6 million views in less than a month of its OTT release, Sethupathi’s Mahraja has quickly surpassed Crew and Laapataa Ladies.
Vijay Sethupathi’s Maharaja, which was released across India on June 14 and was released on Netflix on July 12, is not only the most-viewed Indian film on Netflix but also the only South Indian film to top the list. With over 18 million views in just a month of its OTT release, Maharaja has surpassed films like Crew, Laapataa Ladies, Shaitaan, Animal, and Fighter.
The film has garnered widespread acclaim for its stellar performances and compelling storyline. Upon its theatrical release, Maharaja made a significant impact on the domestic box office and earned over Rs 100 crore, becoming one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of the year. Moreover, the film also did extremely well in the international box office, especially in the Gulf countries and Malaysia.
On the film’s OTT and theatrical success, the film’s producers Sudhan Sundaram and Jagadish Palanisamy expressed their gratitude and delight. They stated, “We are thrilled to see Maharaja break records and reach such a diverse audience. It’s a proud moment for everyone involved.”
Maharaja Is An Enthralling Thriller Which Marks The 50th Film Of Vijay Sethupathi
The success of Maharaja on Netflix and on the domestic box office marks a significant milestone for Vijay Sethupathi and regional Indian cinema. At a time when massive Bollywood stars are unable to fill the theatres, the success of Maharaja indicates a shift in the mindset of the film-going audience who wish to watch movies that offer them something new and unexpected.
Maharaja stars Vijay Sethupathi in the titular role of Maharaja a quiet man who works as a barber in Chennai. His simple life turns upside down when a truck slams into Mahraja’s house killing his wife. His daughter survives the accident when a dustbin accidentally falls on her and protects her. The rest of the movie follows Mahraja trying to find that dustbin after a group of thugs raid his house and leave with the dustbin.
The film also stars director Anurag Kashyap, Natarajan Subramaniam, Abhiramii Gopikumar, Singampuli, Aruldoss, Manikandana, and Bharathiraja. Maharaja was written and directed by Nithilan Swaminathan whose first film Kurangu Bommai (2017) was also a crime thriller. The music and background score of Maharaja was by B. Ajanessh Loknath.
The Hindi Remake Starring Aamir Khan is Now In Making
Maharaja received mostly positive reviews from critics. One critic wrote, “Maharaja is a surprisingly novel outing, rejuvenating the tired tropes of revenge films with a morally challenging revelation in the final hour, that compensates for the little contrivances in the writing.”
Since the film did so well at the box office and was well-received by the critics, it was announced that Maharaja will be remade into a Hindi film with Aamir Khan in the lead role. Khan’s production company Aamir Khan Productions has acquired the Hindi remake rights of the film already.
