Since the Baashha days, leading stars donning don roles has become a big trend. We have seen a Godfather-style Velu Naicker, a larger-than-life Manik Baasha, and a stylish David Billa but Balaji Mohan's Maari is different. Maari portrayed by Dhanush is a naughty and comic don who doesn't care about anything nor anyone. Dhanush's characterization is interesting in Maari and it's a delight to watch his performance. He is the complete entertainment in Maari with his ravishing swag look and his screen presence. Anirudh's background score adds the massy feel needed and it's a fire-cracking moment whenever we hear it in the film. Balaji Mohan has packaged Maari as a mass commercial entertainer but unfortunately, it does only shine for Dhanush's performance. Except for him, we haven't a strong antagonist nor strong supporting characters. Maari feels at some point really flat without any proper excitement. The film is slow and doesn't have any kind of plot twist. Except for the climax, the film isn't interesting because there are no memorable moments in it. Dhanush is the only savior of the film and he does lift the film on his own shoulders. Anirudh's album plays a big time in making the film much more colorful and gives it a festival feel. Balaji as a filmmaker did create a memorable role for Dhanush but apart from that, there's nothing to retain from the film. Overall, Maari is only watchable for Dhanush's performance and Anirudh's enjoyable album.
