Maharaja Hostel Movie Review & Rating: What’s the most unfortunate thing about Maharaja Hostel? In my humble opinion, the fact that the makers went ahead with its release even after watching its final cut — I am assuming here that they did — thus attaching this title to their repertoire forever. No matter how high the cast and crew members fly going forward, and the lofty heights they scale in the coming years, Maharaja Hostel will remain a blot on their careers, and sadly, ye daag ache nahi hain.
The “horror comedy” revolves around three young adults: Aravind (Akhil NRD), Varkey (Akhil Sha), and Midhun (Sarath Babu), who join an engineering college under the belief that it opens the doors to a world of “fashion, taste, freedom, chicks, and chilling.” In a bid to save money so they can party more often, they get admission at the cheap Maharaja Hostel located outside the campus. One day, a punishment meted out by one of their college seniors leads the trio to an abandoned temple deep in a forest. Little did they know about the invincible supernatural force that occupied the space. Their lives are changed forever as it follows them to Maharaja Hostel.
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After opening with a brief flashback to the temple’s past, director Charu Wakan, who has also penned the story and screenplay, takes us into the world of Aravind, Varkey, and Midhun. What follows is a series of uninspired scenes in which the three engage in activities stereotypically associated with young adults: they ogle women, drink liquor, smoke cigarettes, and wander aimlessly.
Not a single moment is spared by the filmmaker to establish the characters or even the movie’s atmosphere as a whole, perhaps under the misguided belief that since the central trio are renowned content creators in real life, such efforts would be redundant. However, this renders the movie aimless early on, which only worsens as it progresses.
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Not one shot in Maharaja Hostel appears well-crafted or solid, eliciting the required emotions from the audience. The horrendous dialogues — I’m certain plays penned by high school students would feature significantly better lines — only exacerbate the situation. The laziness in the writing is also evident in the sheer number of malapropisms and spoonerisms employed throughout the script. The so-called one-liners, jokes, and purportedly humorous moments are so dull that they won’t elicit a laugh, even if one is tickled.
For instance, upon finding Aravind’s suicide letter, a panicked Varkey blabbers to Midhun that he has found the former’s “marikkanulla kshanakkath (invitation to death).” In another moment, as they walk through the forest, one of them warns the others, “mullu onde (there are thorns around),” to which one of the others replies, “enikku mullanda (I don’t want to pee).” At another juncture, as the trio tries to sneak out of the hostel wearing monkey caps, the warden (Sajin Cherukayil) stops them and asks, “Where are all the monkeys going wearing caps?” Then there is a line near the end in which the trio’s teacher asks Aravind, “Are you discussing time travel when we don’t have any time?” It’s impossible to call these “jokes” outdated, as I don’t think such crass ones were ever in vogue.
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If the comedy is bad, the horror is far worse, and Maharaja Hostel would make one develop a newfound respect for many of director Vinayan’s horror films, which we all consider trash. They are still bad, yes; but now we know they aren’t rock bottom. In fact, the Charu Wakan directorial gives Vinayan’s ultimate nadir, Dracula 2012 (2013), a run for its money. You know the horror is bad when even the jump scares don’t elicit any reaction, and that’s precisely what happens throughout Maharaja Hostel.
Although there was one point in the movie that the makers could have used to at least partially redeem Maharaja Hostel, when it explores the loneliness the warden faced during the Covid pandemic, the juvenile way this sequence is filmed ultimately ruins the whole plot device.
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Maharaja Hostel is also yet another movie that exploits tribal lives without ensuring their representation. Over the years, it has become a habit for South Indian filmmakers to randomly slip in a tribe’s name — fictional or otherwise — as well as that of its god, to emphasise that the movie’s story is rooted and has a divine touch. While films like Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra (2025) are anchored in tribal lives, with central character(s) belonging to the oppressed communities, movies like Maharaja Hostel merely use them as tools.
At the same time, the constant horrification of tribal lives, surroundings, and their beliefs only serves to alienate them further, creating a sense in others that they hail from a fantastical dimension. The movie’s most problematic aspect, however, is that the tribe’s goddess is portrayed as fair-skinned, in stark contrast to every member of the community, as if dark-skinned gods don’t exist, even among tribals.
The performances by the lead actors, particularly Akhil NRD and Akhil Sha, are beyond dismal. If there’s anything on the movie’s technical side that matches this, it’s Aswin Ram’s loud, comical music, which sucks the last ounce of soul out of Maharaja Hostel. Additionally, the song “Magnetic Kannane” features one of the worst dance choreographies I have seen in recent times, even though the actors only perform a few steps.
No matter how bad a film is, I never skip mentioning or appreciating its positives, if any. And even if a film is beyond redemption, I always keep my eyes and ears open to ensure that I don’t overlook its good qualities. So, believe me, I tried my best in Maharaja Hostel’s case too, even while feeling I had been inside the theatre for almost six hours by the time the climax had wrapped up, although the entire movie was just over two hours long. But there’s literally nothing in the film worth being called even “decent.”
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Maharaja Hostel movie cast: Akhil NRD, Akhil Sha, Sarath Babu, Ann Maria, Sajin Cherukayil, Sandheep SP, Chithra Nair, Abhirami Girish
Maharaja Hostel movie director: Charu Wakan
Maharaja Hostel movie rating: 0.5 star
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