DAAKU MAHARAAJ – Movie Review

February 26, 2025

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Daaku Maharaaj is a 2025 sprawling Telugu action-drama set against the backdrop of 1990s India. It interweaves two timelines—one in the present (1996) and a flashback to 1992 to chronicle the metamorphosis of an idealistic engineer into a feared yet principled dacoit who rises to champion the oppressed.

In 1996, we meet Krishnamurthy, a respected philanthropist residing in the Madanapalle area of the Chittoor district with his orphaned granddaughter, Vaishnavi. Their peaceful life is disrupted when Krishnamurthy uncovers illicit activities on his leased tea estate.

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The estate, managed by Manohar Naidu; the younger brother of the influential MLA Trimurthulu Naidu is being used to facilitate illegal wildlife trade and, as events later reveal, even high-grade cocaine cultivation. Despite Trimurthulu’s efforts to intimidate and force the family into submission, Krishnamurthy stands his ground and even seeks police protection.

Amid escalating threats, a man named Govind Gujjar disguised as a servant alerts a notorious dacoit, Sitaram, known by his alias Daaku Maharaaj. At the time, Sitaram is imprisoned in Bhopal, but with the help of his loyal henchmen, he escapes and assumes a new identity as “Nanaji.” Integrating himself into Krishnamurthy’s household, Sitaram builds a close bond with Vaishnavi while secretly plotting to protect the family.

Using his fearsome reputation, he compels Manohar Naidu to surrender to the police. However, the situation takes a darker turn when it’s revealed that Trimurthulu Naidu and his associates have been covertly cultivating cocaine on the estate for criminal overlords Bablu Singh Thakur and the nefarious Balwant Singh Thakur. When Bablu confronts Krishnamurthy offering him a lucrative partnership in exchange for dropping his complaint, the refusal triggers a violent assault on the family’s home.

In the ensuing chaos, even the seasoned Inspector Stephen Raj is forced under duress to release Sitaram from custody. Though Sitaram manages to rescue the family by brutally clashing with Bablu’s men (even beheading Bablu), he is gravely injured and hospitalized. During his convalescence, the truth about his past is unveiled.

The film flashes back to 1992, revealing the transformative journey of Sitaram. Originally an accomplished engineer, Sitaram’s life takes a tragic turn in the water-deprived village of Bajrangpur, located in the Chambal region. Here, the local peasantry suffers under the oppressive thumb of the Thakur family led by Balwant Singh Thakur and his brothers who exploit the villagers by forcing them to labour in their marble quarries in return for minimal water supplies.

Desperate for a sustainable future, the villagers, with the help of Sitaram and his wife Kaveri, propose the construction of a dam to irrigate their lands. Their hopes are dashed when the proposal is sabotaged by corruption: Nandini, initially approached as a sympathetic official, is revealed to be married to Balwant.

When Sitaram refuses to accept a bribe from Balwant, the landlords retaliate with ruthless violence massacring the entire village, including innocent children. Overwhelmed by grief and anger, Sitaram embarks on a bloody vendetta. In a series of brutal confrontations, he slaughters key members of the Thakur family and transforms into the legendary Daaku Maharaaj, a rebel leader revered by the downtrodden.

Armed with weapons sourced from sympathetic supporters across the country, Sitaram disrupts the Thakurs’ illicit operations. Yet his mission takes an even more personal turn when Balwant’s forces abduct Kaveri and target Nandini, who had once tried to guide him. Nandini’s courageous revelations about Balwant’s deeper involvement in the secret narcotics trade exposing ties with Minister Udham Singh further fueled Sitaram’s crusade. In a tragic twist, Nandini is brutally tortured by Balwant, and in her dying moments, she entrusts her daughter Vaishnavi to Sitaram’s protection.

Back in 1996, it is revealed that Vaishnavi is Nandini’s daughter, a fact that deepens Krishnamurthy’s regret over having distanced himself from Nandini, whose resistance once symbolized hope for justice. As Balwant Singh Thakur launches a vengeful assault rushing into the hospital in search of the recovering Sitaram, the tension escalates into an explosive showdown.

In a climactic battle filled with intense action and high stakes, a revitalized Sitaram emerges from his injuries. Defiantly, he protects Vaishnavi and confronts Balwant head-on, ultimately slaying him and quelling the immediate threat.

In the film’s resolution, after years of struggle and sacrifice, Sitaram is released from prison. Reunited with Kaveri and his son, he finds solace in the knowledge that his fight has led to tangible change. The dam, constructed in Nandini’s memory, stands as a lasting symbol of hope and renewal, a tribute to a legacy of resistance and the triumph of the human spirit over oppression.

Daaku Maharaaj is a layered narrative that blends high-octane action with deep emotional and social commentary. It traces the evolution of Sitaram from an idealistic engineer to a formidable outlaw, a transformation driven by personal loss and the collective suffering of exploited people. The film not only delivers riveting action sequences and dramatic confrontations but also underscores themes of justice, retribution, and redemption.