Maaman is a Tamil-language family drama film released in theatres on May 16, 2025. Directed by Prasanth Pandiyaraj (known for Bruce Lee and Vilangu), it marks his second collaboration with lead actor Soori after Garudan (2024). The movie explores themes of family bonds, particularly the intense uncle-nephew relationship, marital conflicts, and traditional joint family dynamics in rural Tamil Nadu. It’s produced by K. Kumar’s Lark Studios and runs for approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Plot Summary

The story centers on Inba (Soori), a devoted uncle whose life revolves around his mischievous young nephew, Laddu. When Inba marries Rekha (Aishwarya Lekshmi), a doctor, their relationship is tested by Laddu’s demanding presence, leading to misunderstandings, emotional turmoil, and a temporary separation.

The narrative delves into balancing personal love with familial duties, featuring subplots involving an elderly couple (Raj Kiran and Viji Chandrasekhar) and themes of motherhood and masculinity. While it starts with heartfelt moments, the plot often relies on melodramatic clichés and regressive tropes about women’s roles.

Reception

Maaman received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the emotional core and performances but criticized the outdated storytelling, melodrama, and misogynistic undertones. Audience reactions were polarized: some found it a touching, relatable family entertainer, while others called it clichéd and poorly paced. On IMDb, it holds a 6.0/10 rating based on user reviews.

Key critic scores:

• The Times of India: 2.5/5 – “The strain of integrating into a close-knit family… but it rarely commits to exploring them with any real depth.”
• Cinema Express: 2.5/5 – “Maaman worked as long as it was just about the primary conflict… but misses out on delivering a more complete film.”
• News18: 2.5/5 – “Maaman will strike many such chords… If it doesn’t—and you squirm at the melodrama—the film will feel like a bundle of clichés.”
• The Indian Express: 1.5/5 – “Maaman, in fact, shows that the makers missed a golden opportunity to create a full-fledged romantic film.”
• The Hindu: Mixed – “Fails to build on its intriguing central conflict, and the many regressive undertones only take away from its good intentions.”

Despite the mediocre critical response, Maaman became a commercial super hit, emerging as one of the most profitable Tamil films of 2025. This success is attributed to Soori’s rising star power as a lead actor, appealing to family audiences with its emotional, relatable drama—outperforming expectations for non-superstar films.

Where to Watch

As of September 14, 2025, Maaman is available for streaming on ZEE5 in Tamil and Telugu (released digitally on June 27, 2025). It’s no longer in wide theatrical release but may have limited scre