Kamal Haasan praises Vadivelu, Fahadh Faasil's 'Maareesan', calls it 'inventive, spirited cinema'

The Tamil flick Maareesan, which released in Indian cinemas on July 24, has been receiving positive word-of-mouth reviews from early moviegoers who queued up on a Thursday morning. Actor Kamal Haasan seems to have been one of them.

The Thug Life and Indian 2 actor reserved high praise for the comedy thriller starring veteran star Vadivelu and Malayalam acting talent Fahadh Faasil.

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In a post on X, he said the film "dances effortlessly between wit and depth, leaving me laughing, thinking, and admiring its craft".

The veteran of over 250 movies in many Indian languages, who was inducted into the Oscars Academy in June this year, also said he had a chat with the movie's team "to congratulate on this wonderful creation".

Haasan had collaborated with Faasil in the 2022 action thriller Vikram, and with Vadivelu in the comedy caper Singaravelan (1992) and the epochal rural drama Thevar Magan (1992), remade in Hindi as Viraasat.

This is the second time that Faasil and Vadivelu are sharing space on screen. The duo faced off in Maari Selvaraj's Mamannan (2023), a searing take on the influence of caste in Indian politics. While Faasil was praised for his turn as the villain, Vadivelu, known in households as a comedian for over three decades, made heads turn with a sobering role as a legislator seeking to carve a path of his own. Academy Award winner AR Rahman was its music composer.

Maareesan has the duo in equally unconventional roles. Vadivelu plays an Alzheimer's patient on the verge of losing his memory, while Faasil is looking to steal his money.

The movie is directed by Tamil and Malayalam filmmaker Sudheesh Sankar and produced by RB Choudhary under his Super Good Films banner. Yuvan Shankar Raja is its music director.

Maareesan also stars the veteran comedienne Kovai Sarala, Vivek Prasanna, PL Thenappan and Livingston. Maareesan releases in UAE cinemas on July 25.