One-Line Review: Maareesan is a neatly crafted thriller that maintains pace till the end.
Maareesan Youtube Trailer
Cast: Fahad Faasil, Vadivelu, etc.
Release Date: July 25, 2025
Director: Sudeesh Sankar
Fahadh Faasil, Vadivelu anchor this flawed comedy thriller.
~ Indian Express
Introduction
Dhayalan, a petty thief, thinks he’s struck gold when he meets an old man with Alzheimer’s. But as he tries to take advantage, he finds himself caught in something unexpected and way more complicated.
Our rating for Maareesan is 8/10.
Summary
Dhayalan, a small-time thief, breaks into a quiet home only to find an elderly man shackled to a wall. The old man, Velayudhan Pillai, offers him money in exchange for freedom. Seeing a golden opportunity, Dhayalan helps him escape and escorts him to an ATM, where he’s stunned by the man’s massive bank balance. Smelling a bigger score, Dhayalan plays along, posing as a caring companion while scheming with his friend to steal the man’s ATM card and PIN. But there’s a catch: Velayudhan suffers from Alzheimer’s and keeps mistaking Dhayalan for his estranged son, Kumar. What begins as a con turns into an emotional journey as Dhayalan’s hardened heart starts to thaw. However, just as he begins to care, a shocking revelation flips everything – Velayudhan is not who he claims to be, and the past he’s running from might just catch up with them both.
Review
The biggest perk of Maareesan lies in the electric performances of Fahadh Faasil and Vadivelu, who seem to be in a quiet competition, trying to outdo each other on screen.
We’ve already witnessed Fahadh’s brilliance as a sly thief in the critically acclaimed Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum. In Maareesan, he slips effortlessly into a similar skin as Dhayalan, bringing that same scruffy charm and shifty-eyed confidence. There’s even a blink-and-miss moment of Dhayalan traveling on a bus that instantly takes you back to Thondimuthal days. It’s not a surprise to see Fahadh nail the nuances, the hunched posture, the calculating glances, and the slippery tongue, but still, we never tire of watching him at his best.
This isn’t the first time Fahadh and Vadivelu have shared screen space. They previously faced off in Maamannan, where Fahadh played a chilling antagonist to Vadivelu’s emotional father figure. But Maareesan flips the dynamic. This time, they’re mostly on the same side. Vadivelu, widely beloved for his legendary comic timing, once again shows he’s much more than a comedian. As Velayudhan Pillai, a man grappling with Alzheimer’s and fragments of a painful past, he brings depth, vulnerability, and surprising gravitas. If Maamannan was his reinvention, Maareesan is his reinforcement.
While the film’s making doesn’t break new ground or offer much to marvel at technically, it’s the writing that keeps the engine running. The way Dhayalan cons his way through situations, manipulating people with ease, is written with cleverness and conviction. You believe him. And just when you think the story might taper off, the second half picks up with a vengeance, morphing the narrative into a tight thriller that leaves little room to breathe.
Conclusion
Maareesan is a well-made thriller, where Fahad and Vadivelu both shine with their flawless performances.
