Maaveeran () is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language superhero film directed by Madonne Ashwin and produced by Arun Viswa. The film stars Sivakarthikeyan and Aditi Shankar in the lead roles, while Saritha, Mysskin, Monisha Blessy, Yogi Babu and Sunil play supporting roles.
The film was announced in July 2022. Principal photography began the following August and wrapped in June 2023. The music was composed by Bharath Sankar, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Vidhu Ayyanna and Philomin Raj.
Maaveeran was released theatrically worldwide on 14 July 2023 to positive reviews from critics and became a commercial success at the box office.
Plot
Sathya is a comic book artist who writes and illustrates a comic strip about a brave warrior named Maaveeran for the Tamil newspaper Dhina Thee. However, he is also a coward who is unable to stand up for himself, ever since his father was killed several years ago in his fight against the existing system. He allows an employee at Dhina Thee to take credit for Maaveeran due to his cowardice. Nila, a sub-editor at the paper, takes a stand on Sathya's behalf, securing him the same job that he was being exploited for. Eventually, both become good friends.
Sathya and his family, comprising his widowed mother, Eshwari, and younger sister, Raji, along with his neighbors, are forced to move out of their slum and relocate to a high-rise apartment building by the Government of Tamil Nadu to improve their living conditions. But within a few hours of moving in, the apartment's flaws get exposed as a result of shoddy construction, crumbling walls due to unstable foundation, broken doors, poorly installed windows, and the ceiling falling apart. Eshwari confronts the contractor, Dhanraj, as well as the local councilor Paguthi, refusing to accept the uninhabitable conditions. Still, Sathya implores his mother to "adjust" to the conditions, instead showing his frustration via Maaveeran comic strips. Eventually, when Raji is sexually harassed by Dhanraj and Sathya is unable to do anything about it, a livid Eshwari vents out her frustration on Sathya and his cowardice and throws away all of his Maaveeran strips as well as his drawing material.
Distraught, Sathya attempts suicide by trying to jump from the top floor of the apartment, but just as he has second thoughts about doing so, the shoddy construction makes way and he slips and falls, suffering a serious head injury. It is at this juncture that Sathya, on regaining consciousness, begins to experience the presence of a mysterious voice. The newfound voice, speaking like the narrator of the Maaveeran strip, takes precedence over Sathya's actions, compelling him to follow its suggestions when making decisions in his life, ranging from trivial matters to significant choices. In the course of the voice's guidance, Sathya crosses swords with the corrupt Housing Minister, M. N. Jeyakodi, whose department is responsible for building the apartment and whom the voice claims as Sathya's "worst enemy". Sathya, due to the voice's guidance, unwillingly takes on Jeyakodi, Dhanraj, Paguthi, and their men to further expose the apartment's poor construction. This makes him a hero in the eyes of the apartment dwellers, including Eshwari and Raji.
Jeyakodi's Secretary and best friend, Paramu, comes to know of the mysterious voice guiding Sathya and Sathya's reluctance to fight Jeyakodi and decides to use it to benefit Jeyakodi. He convinces Sathya to reveal on live television the voice forcing him to fight Jeyakodi and claim that the apartment construction is bad, claiming that Jeyakodi would leave him alone if he did so. This causes Sathya to be framed as a "mentally unstable" person, and his family is thrown out of the apartment, leaving them homeless. Further, Jeyakodi refuses to forgive Sathya and brutally beats him up, but Sathya refuses to fight back, despite the voice telling him to do so. Finally, Sathya dies. After he wakes up again, the voice stops, claiming that Sathya betrayed his family and the apartment dwellers for his gain.