Maargan review: Vijay Antony's ambitious thriller lacks the punch it promises
Music director-turned-actor Vijay Antony has a knack for picking interesting stories. However, his choices in the last few years have been questionable. The actor now returns with 'Maargan', a crime thriller about a serial killer. Will 'Maargan' provide a much-needed respite to Vijay Antony from a string of underwhelming films? Let's find out!Dhruv (Vijay Antony), ADGP in Mumbai, is grieving the loss of his daughter, who was murdered by a serial killer. He is notified of another similar murder in Chennai. One connection between both cases is that the killer seems to have injected a drug which blackens one's body. Dhruv expresses interest in transferring to Chennai to investigate the murder. However, his superiors don't let him as he is recovering from the loss of his daughter. His left side is blackened after he gets injected with the drug while trying to nab the killer.advertisementAs he comes to Chennai unofficially to investigate the murder, the police officials, after analysing the clues and fingerprints, narrow their suspicion to swimmer Tamilarivu (Ajay Dhishan). Initially a suspect, Tamilarivu's actions lead the police in the right way. Who is the killer? Why are they using a skin-blackening drug? What is their motive? All these questions are answered in the thriller, which has a crisp runtime of two hours and 12 minutes.
Director Leo John Paul's 'Maargan' doesn't waste time in establishing the story. It dives deep into the case right from the first frame. The film explores a crime thriller with supernatural elements featuring ancient sages. While the concept remains interesting, the execution falters. A whodunnit thriller is all about the criminal's motive and an effective backstory. By now, we know that the initial clues act only as a catalyst to finding the main killer. advertisement'Maargan' follows the same pattern as well, except that it hardly offers any thrill that is required for an investigative thriller. The staging feels artificial and the clues that Dhruv and his team unearth don't excite you the way the film intends to. When a crime thriller doesn't get you to sit on the edge of your seat, that says a lot about the screenplay.Director Leo John Paul's film blends thriller with supernatural elements. However, the explanation it offers isn't convincing enough to buy into the premise. The killer is revealed in the final 20 minutes and the film talks about an important message. While the message stresses the current obsession among youngsters, it barely scratches the surface.Another point of contention in 'Maargan' is the way it casually brands people from Dharavi. The filmmaker, who is also the editor, could have stayed away from such cliches and opted for a more neutral narrative.Vijay Antony, as police officer Dhruv, played his part well, and so did Ajay Dhishan, who played a man with supernatural and great memory powers. The way Ajay's Arivu helps Dhruv lead the investigation makes 'Maargan' remotely interesting. Music by Vijay Antony works effectively in building the suspense that the script couldn't do.'Maargan' is a high-concept thriller that could have worked better with better staging.- Ends2 out of 5 stars for 'Maargan'.
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