There is a saying in Hindi: " " ("If you cannot take out the ghee with a straight finger, try taking it out with a crooked one"). This is the underlying principle that writer-director Nithilan Saminathan has smartly followed in his new film, . The plot is quite simplistic, but it takes time to realise this as you start watching , which is its lead star Vijay Sethupathi's 50th film (only 50? I thought I saw him in nearly every weekly release till last year).
Once you grasp where the film is heading, even the headline of this review might feel like a spoiler, and you will be impressed by what's unfolding before you. . Maharaja ( ) is a widower who lost his wife in an accident.
He works at a salon and is a protective father to his teenage daughter Jyothi (Sachana Namidass). One day, he arrives at the police station with injuries on his face, claiming that someone robbed his house, assaulted him, and took 'Lakshmi' away. There is no mystery about the identity of 'Lakshmi'—it is established early on that Lakshmi is a wastebasket that saved his daughter's life when she was a toddler during the accident that killed his wife.
The police try to dismiss him by cajoling, insulting, and using force, but Maharaja obstinately remains at the station, clinging on like a monitor lizard until they find the bucket. : Running parallel to this track is the story of a couple of thieves (Anurag Kashyap and Vinod Sagar) who violently rob houses at night while working as shopkeepers during the day..