For the first instalment of 2015’s Maari, the trailer began with actor Kaali Venkat, playing a police constable, narrating the eight-year-old myth of Maari to his higher official, Vijay Yesudas, who later turns out to be the primary antagonist. The 2018 trailer of the sequel, Maari 2, also begins with Kaali Venkat, now promoted, narrating to the joint secretary of state, Vijaya (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar), the story of Maari who has been missing for the last eight years.
A rousing soundtrack by Yuvan Shankar Raja, who replaces Anirudh Ravichander from the original, announces the entry of Maari, who has now moved on to a new city with his faithful sidekicks, Sanikizhamai and Adithangi. The floral shirts, fish-net vests, and veshti are back this time around too as Dhanush goes around thrashing people and saying lines like “Naa kettavanukkellaam kettavan da”. Somewhere in this mix is actor Krishna, who seems to be a friend of Maari, but as always in the world of Balaji Mohan’s Maari, you never know.
But, it is not all serious as Maari’s ‘naughtiest don’ avatar comes into prominence in the trailer with the arrival of an exuberant Sai Pallavi as Araathu Anandhi. She plays an auto driver who falls head over heels in love with Maari, her ‘Rowdy Baby’.
The most intriguing character in this film seems to be the tattooed Tovino Thomas as Beeja aka Thanathos, who seems to have a deep-rooted vengeance towards Maari, and is out to ‘kill Maari’. He definitely seems to be an upgrade from the villain we had in the first instalment.
The trailer ends with a throwback to the most quotable Maari line, “Yaar edathula vandhu yaar scene podradhu... senjurven,” followed by his iconic finger gesture. And we are left with Dhanush in his Indian Bruce Lee avatar in a mirrored room, reminiscent of the famed action sequence from the original Bruce Lee’s Enter The Dragon.
Maari 2’s trailer is every bit a fun-filled ride as the makers promised. The original Maari, if not anything else, was a memorable addition to Dhanush’s filmography. And this trailer seems to convince us of the same as well.