Maharaja shocking ending explained: Vijay Sethupathi, Anurag Kashyap, snakes, and tragic twist

If you haven't seen the latest Tamil movie Maharaja, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Anurag Kashyap in lead roles, then you shouldn't read this. First, watch the movie, which is now streaming on Netflix , and then come back, because this discussion intends to explore key plot points in detail, which might spoil your experience if you haven't seen it yet. But, if you have already seen it and are searching for answers to a few nagging questions to fully understand director Nithilan Swaminathan's tragic drama, then you have come to the right place.

First things first, Maharaja isn't a classic that will age like fine wine a few years down the line. In fact, this movie might be considered regressive and cited as an example of how not to make a movie on the issue of sexual violence against women. Nonetheless, Maharaja has currently achieved the status of a box-office blockbuster and is garnering a lot of praise for Vijay Sethupathi's performance. Nithilan Swaminathan is also appreciated for his excellent command of the craft of screenwriting.

ALSO READ: Maharaja movie review: Vijay Sethupathi's tragic drama is a reimagination of Oldboy

The snake in Maharaja

The narrative of Maharaja unfolds in different timelines, manipulating and controlling the audience's expectations and reactions to the events. Nithilan Swaminathan first makes us believe that we are following events happening in the present. We hope to see a terrifying face-off between Sethupathi's Maharaja and Anurag Kashyap's Selvam in upcoming scenes. We imagine how Maharaja will meet Selvam for the first time and wonder if he will identify Selvam as the man who caused him irrevocable damage to his family. But Nithilan throws a curveball when he shows that Maharaja and Selvam crossed paths many years ago, and the misunderstandings and nagging suspicions from that meeting continue to shape their actions and reactions today.

On the night of the attack, we see a snake entering Maharaja's house, slithering through and revealing the crime. Maharaja is lying unconscious and wakes up soon after the snake exits the premises. The snake here symbolizes Selvam. According to popular folklore, snakes are known for their vengeful nature. It's said that snakes can hold a grudge for about 12 years and take revenge on their rivals, including humans. Thus, the lore of snakes provides a strong metaphor for Nithilan to stage his revenge drama.

The Greek Tragedy

Do snakes eat their own? It's popularly believed that snakes are notorious for eating their young. But it's a misconception. This is a survival disadvantage and would not be passed on genetically. But humans are very capable of intentionally or unintentionally inflicting great pain and suffering on their young. Why? Unlike snakes, human actions are not driven by hunger or survival reasons but by selfish, irrational, and narcissistic motives.

Selvam nurtures an unresolved grudge against Maharaja and acts in bad faith to hurt him. But as fate would have it, he ends up inflicting more pain on himself. The film's ending draws inspiration mainly from the South Korean film Oldboy, which features a shocking and deeply disturbing revelation.

The protagonist, Oh Dae-su, is imprisoned for fifteen years without explanation. Upon release, he embarks on a relentless quest for revenge against his tormentor. Through a series of twists and turns, the film culminates in the horrifying discovery that the woman he has fallen in love with, Mi-do, is actually his own daughter.

In Oldboy, the antagonist, Lee Woo-jin, orchestrated this horrific scenario as a form of ultimate revenge. In Maharaja, Selvam finds himself in a similar situation due to his own design and evilness. The ending exposes the depths of human depravity and the destructive nature of revenge.

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