Maharaj Review: Junaid Khan Makes A Promising Debut; This Film Showcases An Untold Event Of Our History

Maharaj Review: Maybe for the first time something like this is happening in the Indian film industry, especially, on OTT. No teaser, no trailer, and no songs; till now, no one has watched anything about Aamir Khan's son Junaid Khan's Bollywood debut Maharaj, and today, the movie has started streaming on Netflix. It is produced by Aditya Chopra (YRF) and directed by Siddharth P Malhotra who has earlier helmed films like We Are Family and Hichki. While the movie has started streaming without much buzz, is it worth a watch? Find out in our review below...

Maharaj is set in 1800s and is about Karsandas (Junaid Khan) who since childhood has always questioned the traditions of the society. After his mother's demise, he grows up in Bombay with his maternal uncle and his family. He is from Vaishnav community, and in their Haveli (Temple) in Bombay, there's a Maharaj (Jaideep Ahlawat) who has many devotees. Karsandas, who is a journalist, comes to know about a tradition called Charan Seva that happens in Haveli. After a personal incident, Karsan decides to reveal the true face of Maharaj, and starts writing about him in a newspaper. What happens next forms the rest of the story...

The movie is based on a book written by Saurabh Shah which was also titled Maharaj. Siddharth P Malhotra has mainly directed light-hearted-drama movies, but this film is totally different. It's a grand movie with intense drama in it. While the film starts on an interesting note, it dips because of the very slow pace, only to pick up once again in the pre-climax and climax portions. So, we can say that this one is good in bits and parts.

Maharaj Actors' Performances

Aamir Khan's son Junaid Khan will surely be the first star kid who is getting a launch without any hullabaloo. But, well he is a surprise. Junaid makes a promising debut. He has a great screen presence and looks very confident. While Junaid as hero impresses, it is Jaideep Ahlawat's villanious act that grabs our attention the most. The actor is simply excellent as Maharaj and gets the perfect amount of cunningness required for the role.

Well, the two male leads are good, but we have to say that female leads too have very strong part to play here. Shalini Pandey has done a wonderful job in the film, and the actress has some major scenes to perform which she has done amazingly. The soul of the film is Sharvari. As we mentioned earlier that the movie dips in between, it is Sharvari who lifts it up with her performance. Her comic timing is perfect, and her performance will surely steal your hearts.

Clearly, Siddharth Malhotra has got the best out of his actors.

Maharaj Music

The songs in the film are decent, and even the background score is good. But, we expected more in this department as it's a YRF film.

Maharaj Review Final Verdict

Maharaj has an interesting premise and Siddharth P Malhotra narration is good in bits and parts. But, it's a movie that goes a notch higher with the actors' performances. So, of course, you can watch it once on Netflix.