The film stars Vijay Sethupathi, alongside Anurag Kashyap, Mamta Mohandas, Natty Subramaniam, Abhirami Gopikumar, Divyabharathi, Singampuli, Aruldoss, Munishkanth, Sachana Namidass, Manikandan and Bharathiraja.
One day, Maharaja visits the local police station to report a robbery, citing that Lakshmi has been robbed, much to the cops' amusement.
The police do not want to invest effort in finding an empty dustbin but accept once he promises a bribe of ₹5 lakhs for the culprits.
Selvam lives happily with his wife, Kokila, and baby daughter, Ammu, who don't know about his crimes.
Selvam happens to be in Ramki Saloon for a beard trim during the phone conversation and suspects that Maharaja overheard.
Present (2024): A delinquent named Dhana works in a car garage; Maharaja witnesses him get into a fight at a bar.
Varadharajan then reveals that his team had discovered Nallasivam's involvement in Jothi's rape while investigating Dhana's death.
Selvam finds the gold chain that he had bought for Ammu on her birthday—the same one that Maharaja had come to return so many years earlier.
In the present, Selvam sees a scar on Jothi's shoulder, the same one as Ammu, and realises that he had been unwittingly complicit in his daughter's rape and assault.
After the success of Kurangu Bommai (2017), Nithilan Saminathan was signed by Sudhan Sundaram's Passion Studios to direct his next directorial under their production.
[14] On 12 July, in addition to the principal photography wrapping, the film's official title, Maharaja, was announced by the production houses.
[34] Arjun Menon of Rediff.com gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Maharaja is a surprisingly novel outing, rejuvenating the tired tropes of revenge films with a morally challenging revelation in the final hour, that compensates for the little contrivances in the writing.
"[36] Goutham S of Pinkvilla gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Vijay Sethupathi stands out in the action-packed revenge flick with a well-written screenplay by Nithilan Swaminathan".
[37] Rakesh Tara of ABP News gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Maharaja is an ambitious attempt to blend serious societal issues with commercial cinema elements.
While it succeeds in parts, particularly through strong performances and engaging music, it falls short in delivering a cohesive and compelling narrative.
"[38] Roopa Radhakrishnan of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Vijay Sethupathi is wonderful in his 50th film, and he has a well-written role at his disposal.
"[39] Anusha Sundar of OTTPlay gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Maharaja is a film that feeds you information in every frame and second, so losing a grip on it might leave you unable to understand when the knots are tied.
"[40] Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu wrote "Maharaja is yet another sign of the serious filmmaker Nithilan is, and shows us how a good writer can convert even a dated idea into a gripping big-screen experience.
"[42] Swathi P Ajith of Onmanorama wrote "Maharaja is undoubtedly a thrilling revenge drama that deserves to be watched in theatres.
Gowtham of Uyirmmai wrote "The film Maharaja wears the crown of Box office by its gripping screenplay.
"[46] B. V. S. Prakash of Deccan Chronicle gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Director Nithilan deserves a pat since he makes the girl victim stronger and determined who wants to meet scrupulous characters and question them for their heinous act face-to-face and throws up another twist in the end.
"[47] Kirubhakar Purushothaman of The Indian Express gave 2/5 stars and wrote "The overarching problem with Maharaja is its ‘wannabe’ nature to come across as a gritty, dark, and emotional rollercoaster.