Madharaasi Review: A.R. Murugadoss’s return to direction comes with Madharaasi, one of the most-discussed Tamil releases of 2025. Featuring Sivakarthikeyan in an intense role far from the usual lighter characters ascribed to him, the film attempts to juxtapose a psychological tension with mass-appeal action. In this regard, it works in patches but the culmination is what mostly divides audiences.
Story
Ordinary Raghu (Sivakarthikeyan) gets caught up in a dangerous gun-smuggling racket that soon turns his life into a living hell. As someone close to him becomes a victim and a collateral in this dark underworld, Raghu’s controlled anger takes over him, forcing him into an agonizing war where his mind and morality are at loggerheads. The journey depicts his transformation from a weak individual to a fractured soul that is riddled trying to balance justice versus vengeance.
The first half is gripping, working well with its emotional context and well-paced action sequences. Sivakarthikeyan is believable in these portions of the performance where his character collapses psychologically. However, the momentum was lost in the second half. There are predictable choices of narrative that slow the pacing down, drawn-out sequences, and an extra one-track romantic subplot that interfered with the plot. Technically, the film dazzles with slick action choreography and Anirudh’s music but stumbles with the writing in sustaining any thrills- much needed in films such as this.
Plus Points
Sivakarthikeyan’s brave stride into an unfamiliar territory into darker roles feels refreshing and engaging.
High-altitude scenes are well set up to enhance the drama.
The background score and songs within the film help lift emotional moments just as much as the adrenaline-pumping ones.
Minus Points
Predictability in narrative reduces fright element of suspense required in a thriller.
Pacing issues start to plague the second half with various scenes repeating each other.
There exists an unnecessary romance subplot that diminishes tension and relevance.
Also read: Ghaati Movie Review: Anushka Shetty’s Comeback Struggle
Verdict
Indeed, Madharaasi is an ambitious comeback for Murugadoss and a performance landmark for Sivakarthikeyan. While the movie attempts to keep the audience going with solid action scenes and great panache, it falters with a predictable script and uneven moments of pacing. An action-thriller fan might enjoy the movie; however, it would not create the sort of revolution it aimed at.
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