A long-time favorite movie star in my mind of the departed director Raju Murugan (Joker and Cuckoo fame) reemerged on February 13, 2026 with a tough hit, My Lord. As of today, February 13, the film stars M. Sasikumar and Chaithra J. Achar in a narrative that blends bureaucratic frustration with a sinister medical plot: the first-ever film directed by a movie maker who's been on screen.
The title character of the film, Muthusirpi (Sasikumar), is a Kovilpatti, India-based matchbox factory worker named Muthusirpi (Sasikumar), who has been there for 12 years from Kovilpatti and his wife Suseela (Chaithra Achar). This time we finally get to know the mystery story. Their lives go surreal and tragic yet with a state of medical emergency, when they realize that they are officially declared dead by the government at a stroke of the pen.
In the process of attempting to prove themselves alive, they become embroiled in a high-risk illegal kidney trafficking scheme affiliated with a formidable Central Minister (Asha Sharath).
The Good: What Works
Powerful performances: Sasikumar is back, delivering a straightforward, honest performance with no overwrought melodrama. The star of the film, Chaithra J. Achar (who makes her Tamil debut), was soul for the film; her performance at a time when we were mourning a woman without her identity was haunting yet layered.
Social Commentary: Raju Murugan’s “political jabs” are not-so-subtle. He effectively mocks how the system makes the poor feel “disposable” or a sort of plastic “chess pieces” for the rich. Atmospheric Technicals: Nirav Shah’s cinematography captures rural Tamil Nadu’s gritty details of everyday life but, just as much, the cold corridors of power.
The background music by Sean Roldan is minimal enough to play up the emotional stakes without being an interruption. Powerful supporting cast: Guru Somasundaram as an investigative journalist, and Asha Sharath, as the powerful antagonist, add substantial gravity to the proceedings.
The Bad: What Might Be Better
Pacing Problems: At approximately 150 minutes, the second half of the film seems a little stodgy. There's a few satirical gags that are too well milked and the momentum drags on.
Idealization
Critics have objected that there is a feeling that the protagonist’s refusal to take even a little financial assistance, especially when he is broke, is more of a "director's nobility" than that of a realistic human reaction. Knowing: In recent Tamil movies, the "organ harvesting" scene has recurred, rendering any surprise plot twist predictable for some longtime viewers.
Black-and-White Morals
Most of these characters are either purely good or purely evil, with hardly any place for the "grey areas" that typically make political thrillers more captivating. Verdict:
A Worthy Watch
My Lord isn’t your traditional courtroom drama (court scenes fill approximately 10 minutes of the runtime). Instead it is, in fact, a moving study about how one man does battle with a system which has truly written him away. When it does stumble slightly on its own idealism, however, the result remains a kind and poignant visual experience.
Rating: 3.0 / 5.
