Mahaveeryar follows the story of a court case that takes place in the 18th century in a modern day courtroom setup. Yes, this is a time travel story but the story is so much more than any regular movie which you may have seen, ever! It is a sharp commentary on the social issues and authorities through whimsical portions of absurdity. The film would have polarizing opinions by the end of it with little to no middle ground here! So either you will end up liking the film or absolutely hating it. The screenplay standing at a shade above 2 hours does make for a compelling watch but the drama packs in so many layers that it would take you a while to settle into the drama. This section will contain mild spoilers.

The drama does open in the 18th century wherein a King suffering from hiccups happens to visit the washroom often, meaning he cannot fall asleep. As a remedy, he does advise his minister to get him the most beautiful woman in his kingdom with her soul as pure as a Tulsi plant. Cut to the modern day setup wherein a Hermit is accused of stealing idols from a local temple. And thus a hilarious court case begins(before a couple of hilarious cases featuring a husband and a wife in an alimony tussle). The arguments provided are sharp and witty which will make you chuckle. But in its second layer, it is also a commentary on the nature of individuals, raising fingers on others when they themselves aren’t free of any crime. The instance here being, the temple authorities themselves have been extracting funds illegally only to point fingers on the Hermit, whom we aren’t sure is the real culprit.

One thing that you need to approach this drama with is with an open mind. This is because there are many unanswered questions here. For instance, the interval block that includes a time-travel to the 18th century with the same set of characters in the courtroom(and a few joining in from the bygone era for a court case). But the proceedings are thoroughly interesting and almost switches paths each time you feel comfortable in a genre. The real deal begins after the half-way mark.

The second half is a strong commentary on the authorities and the rulers of the kingdom that almost entirely unfolds through a set of allegories. For example, the king of the 18th century sitting bang opposite the justice statue was a beautiful oxymoron. As the case unfolds against the king unruly inviting the kidnap of a young woman, each witness appears only to be shot down by the court authorities, one by one. Lastly, even the argument of the victim is ruled against her. The sentiment that the writers wish to show is that when patriarchy and autocracy are in discussion, woman and justice do take a back seat. Also, a sharp commentary on the importance of consent is thrown in momentarily.

The events leading up to the final act are shocking and a sharp commentary on how justice might be served even today. This does include the victim being stripped off her clothes literally and her pride metaphorically while all the ‘men’ at the authoritative post look on. The climax also throws in a reason on whether the unfolding act could be one of the solutions to the problem that really forces you to think. In between, we hear words of wisdom from the Hermit throughout the drama culminating into the fact that the concerned person wasn’t a hermit afterall. According to the drama, he was someone going on a journey from ‘incomplete’ to ‘complete’ but as per me, he was the definition of time(remember he did invoke a time-travel feature at the halfway mark) and while he did wish that humanity would learn from their past mistakes throughout ‘his’ journey, nothing has changed. Overall, the screenplay here is an absolute winner that sums up a sharp commentary in modern times.