Maharani (film)

Maharani is a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film directed by G. Marthandan. The film stars Roshan Mathew and Shine Tom Chacko, alongside Johny Antony, Harisree Ashokan, Balu Varghese, Jaffar Idukki, Nisha Sarang and Sruthy Jayan.

The film was officially announced in September 2022. Principal photography began in October in Cherthala and wrapped up in November. The songs were composed by Govind Vasantha, while the background score was given by Gopi Sundar. The cinematography and editing were handled by Loganathan Srinivasan and Noufal Abdullah.

Maharani was released on 24 November 2023.

Development
Maharani marks the return of G. Marthandan after a five-year gap following Johny Johny Yes Appa (2018). In an interview with The Hindu, he said that the film was planned earlier but got delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also finalised the cast in 2019. The project was officially launched in late September 2023 in Kochi with a customary puja ceremony. Sujit Balan produced the film under the banner of SB Films, in association with Badusha Productions. The film also marks the banner's initial production. The script was written by Ratheesh Ravi, who is known for Ishq (2019) and Adi (2023). It marks his first collaboration with G. Marthandan. Loganathan Srinivasan and Noufal Abdullah were assigned as the cinematographer and editor, respectively.

Filming
Principal photography reportedly began on 1 October 2022 in Cherthala. The filming wrapped up in the first week of November 2022. It was reportedly the first film in Kerala to be completely shot with Sony's Venice 2 camera.

Music
The songs were composed by Govind Vasantha and the background score was provided by Gopi Sundar. The first song "Chathayadina Paatu" was released on 31 August 2023, sung by Kapil Kapilan and written by Anwar Ali.

Release
The film was censored with a U/A certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification. Maharani was released in theatres on 24 November 2023.

Critical response
Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 2 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Maharani is a watchable film if you are ready to completely switch off your brain and let the movie guide you on its journey." Anna Mathews of The Times of India gave 2 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Ultimately, it feels strange that director G Marthandan, the actors and producer Sujit Balan felt that this story by Ratheesh Ravi was worth their effort."

Swathi P. Ajith of Onmanorama wrote, "The film seems decent but lacks brilliance. Although there are scenes that provoke laughter and curiosity – such as Aji and his gang embarking on a bike journey in search of Rani – the overall impact is moderate." Vignesh Madhu of Cinema Express gave 2 out of 5 stars and wrote, "The film gets funniest when Roshan, Shine and Johny Antony are together, but this union doesn't happen too often."